JACKSONVILLE, ILLINOIS — The push to address homelessness continues in the city of Jacksonville, but this time with a twist.
A local community group is pushing to build a 24/7 homeless shelter with lower standard qualifications to be admitted.
Community member, Jada Lutzke, told me her group members have been noticing an influx of homeless people on their streets.
Lutzke said there’s only one other homeless shelter in town and it’s considered high- barrier. Meaning, there are certain rules in place to be admitted.
Those rules could include the requirement of no criminal background or drug use. Lutzke said the people that are left on the street are usually the ones who can’t get into the shelter.
“They’re doing what they can for those people that can meet those qualifications, I just want to fill the gap for those that can’t,” Lutzke said. “ This probably will take about three to five years to do. We have to get money from different grant programs, maybe even private people who donate, but our first big thing is to become a non-profit.”
Lutzke said she and her group members have decided to call the future shelter, “The Station.”
Lutzke said the start-up costs will be a couple million and to keep it running efficiently will cost nearly $800,000 a year.
Lutzke said her and her two co-chairs are pushing to have mental health and substance abuse specialists come in to aid those in need.
The group is also still searching for a space to house this shelter. The group said this shelter will help with less run-ins with law enforcement and less drug use.