Congratulations to our coalition partner, Connections for the Homeless, on winning approval from the Evanston City Council for a special use zoning permit which will allow them to run the city’s first permanent homeless shelter at the Margarita Inn.
Left, Connections ED Betty Bogg, Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss, and Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle. Right, former Margarita Inn resident speaking about her time there.
The hotel has 46 rooms and Connections plans to house up to 70 residents in the facility at a time.
Connections began their operations at the site in March of 2020 in response to mandatory shelter-in-place orders issued statewide during the pandemic. During this time they sheltered more than 300 residents at three different hotels in Evanston. They arranged to purchase the Margarita Inn building last year, but needed the special permit to meet the zoning requirements. They have been working with the city, as well as community members and other stakeholders, to garner support since that time in order to secure the facility as a permanent shelter and rooming house.
Read more about the history of the arrangement and what it means for Connections and their constituents.
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