The Haven will also offer trauma-informed health and social services provided\u00a0by nonprofit Cornerstone Community Outreach<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Perhaps most importantly, the facility offers private rooms for residents, as opposed to congregate housing where residents share rooms, officials said.<\/p>\n \u201cResidents will have access to primary healthcare, intensive case management and behavioral health support,\u201d Mayor Brandon Johnson said at a Thursday ribbon-cutting ceremony for the facility. \u201cBy addressing these needs head-on and ensuring that the people that come through the Haven have access to tools, resources and opportunities, we are creating a more effective pathway from homelessness to permanent housing.\u201d<\/p>\n Sen. Dick Durbin, who has spent the past few weeks traveling across the state, told Block Club that people have repeatedly told him there is a need for better housing options.<\/p>\n \u201cOver and over again, the issue is housing. Housing for workers, housing for students and housing for people with special needs,\u201d Durbin said.\u00a0<\/p>\n The conversion of the Diplomat Motel into \u201cclassy living arrangements\u201d with support services is an inspiration, Durbin said.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cCongregate housing is a necessity, in extreme situations. But if each of us is given a choice, do you want privacy? Of course I do,\u201d Durbin said. \u201cSo this gives privacy to the individual, and that means respect.\u00a0I think that\u2019s why this is going to be successful.\u201d\u00a0 <\/p>\n Ald. Andre Vasquez (40th) advocated for the initiative with city officials and neighbors. He also helped get the renovation funded via the now-expired\u00a0Lincoln Avenue TIF<\/a>.<\/p>\n Chicagoans experiencing homelessness are still neighbors, and it\u2019s their humanity that developments like the Haven support, Vasquez said.<\/p>\n \u201cThis challenge continues to affect so many in our city,\u201d Vasquez said. \u201cI believe it is a responsibility of municipal government to not only provide shelter and resources, but to support people on a journey with the same dignity each of us would want if we found ourselves in similar circumstances.\u201d<\/p>\n The non-congregate shelter model at the Haven builds upon the success of a\u00a0COVID-19-era program<\/a>\u00a0to slow the spread of the virus by addressing homelessness, officials previously said.\u00a0<\/p>\n That pilot program showed that 60 percent of residents end up moving into permanent housing or residential treatment programs, and 62 percent of residents reported that their mental health improved during their stay, according to Vasquez\u2019s office.<\/p>\n Following the success of the program, the city\u2019s health and housing departments partnered with the 40th Ward to establish a permanent non-congregate shelter, which evolved into the Haven, Vasquez said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe see this as the best-in-class version of what this kind of transitional housing or shelter can be. Each person will be getting their own kind of hotel room-style space,\u201d Cornerstone Executive Director Andrew Winter said ahead of the ribbon-cutting.<\/p>\n The newly renovated rooms at the Haven are designed around a philosophy of \u201cdignified privacy,\u201d Winter said. Each features a full bathroom, a full-sized bed and TV.<\/p>\n \u201cHaving operated shelters in Chicago for over three decades, this is a whole new style. And we\u2019re grateful for it,\u201d Winter said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Architectural firm Gensler relied on trauma-informed design for their renovation of the Diplomat into the Haven, architect Sean McGuire said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt reduces uncertainty and supports control, choice and safety. And it\u2019s really about treating residents here with the full dignity and agency they deserve,\u201d McGuire said. \u201cA big component about trauma-informed design is making sure that the finishes, the overall experience of the space, is not institutional.\u201d<\/p>\n Features like allowing residents to have control of the lighting in their room offers people agency they might not otherwise have at another facility, McGuire said.<\/p>\n \u201cEveryone has the dignity of their own door that they can open and their own lights. They control the agency behind having their own space and their own restroom,\u201d McGuire said.<\/p>\n The former motel\u2019s parking lot has been transformed into a communal courtyard with raised garden beds, flexible furniture arrangements and shaded pergolas as well as a communal kitchen area that can also host events.\u00a0<\/p>\n The overall goal is to give residents support on their way to permanent housing while avoiding re-traumatization, Winter said.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe see a lot of individuals who are in this current traumatic experience, but they\u2019ve had other trauma that has impacted them and possibly led to why they\u2019re experiencing homelessness right now,\u201d Winter said. \u201cAnd in a congregate setting, you can\u2019t get away from anyone, right?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Unhoused Chicagoans have set up encampments along the North Branch of the Chicago River and North Shore Channel in recent years. Tents and yurts at Gompers Park<\/a>, Eugene Field<\/a> and Legion Park<\/a> have been destroyed and removed by city workers due in part to worries about fires that have engulfed some of the communities.\u00a0<\/p>\n As the encampments continue, the city\u2019s Department of Family and Support Services\u00a0has been working to connect their residents with affordable housing, officials have said.\u00a0<\/p>\n The hope is for people living in encampments who might not feel comfortable living in congregate settings to take advantage of the kind of transitional housing the Haven can offer, Winter said.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cPrivacy creates a reduction in sustained stress, because you can close the door and exhale. It allows you to kind of process what you\u2019ve been going through in the day,\u201d Winter said. \u201cAnd it allows you to also have more private sessions with behavioral health and other telehealth experiences, which something we\u2019re really integrating into what we\u2019re doing.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Other shelter options can be much further away from where many of the encampments are, making them less desirable for people who call Lincoln Square and nearby neighborhoods home, Winters said.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cHousing is a human right, and the people that we\u2019re providing services for are our neighbors,\u201d Winters said. \u201cEnding homelessness is our goal, and we can do that helping each person end their cycle of homelessness. That takes creating community, support networks and a place where people can reclaim their future, which is what the Haven On Lincoln really is.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n The city acquired the Lincoln Avenue property in 2024 year for $2.9 million. The City Council agreed<\/a> to set aside $5.5 million from the now-expired\u00a0Lincoln Avenue TIF<\/a>\u00a0last year to renovate the Haven.\u00a0<\/p>\n The city\u2019s Department of Housing also leveraged $8.42 million in Chicago Recovery Plan bond funds and a $103,660 grant from the Department of Public Health to finance the construction.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Haven\u2019s inaugural residents will move in this summer, Chicago Family & Support Services Commissioner Angela Green said.<\/p>\n \u201cUntil those doors open officially, we want to ensure that every resident knows that they\u2019re not alone. Anyone who needs shelter, support or resources, please continue to call 311 where you could be connected to available services and assistance,\u201d Green said.<\/p>\n Support Freedom of the Press<\/strong><\/p>\n Independent journalism like this only exists because of readers like you.<\/strong> This World Press Freedom Day, help Block Club raise $20,000<\/strong><\/a> to fuel high-impact investigations that hold Chicago\u2019s institutions and leaders accountable. Make your tax-deductible donation here.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Listen to the Block Club Chicago podcast:<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"LINCOLN SQUARE \u2014 The former Diplomat Motel on Lincoln Avenue has been converted into innovative transitional housing.\u00a0 After…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":782571,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5124],"tags":[960,7065,5386,1818],"class_list":{"0":"post-782570","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-chicago","8":"tag-chicago","9":"tag-housing","10":"tag-il","11":"tag-illinois"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116540526339021746","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/782570","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=782570"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/782570\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/782571"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=782570"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=782570"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=782570"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/HavenOnLincoln_05-1024x683.jpg\")
Mayor Brandon Johnson speaks at the May 7, 2026 ribbon cutting for the Haven On Lincoln. Credit: Alex V. Hernandez\/Block Club Chicago<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/HavenOnLincoln_07-1024x682.jpg\")
Mayor Brandon Johnson (center left), Cornerstone Executive Director Andrew Winter (center) and Ald. Andre Vasquez (40th) (right) were joined by other city officials for the May 7, 2026 ribbon cutting of the Haven On Lincoln. Credit: Alex V. Hernandez\/Block Club Chicago<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/HavenOnLincoln_15-1024x682.jpg\")
Sen. Dick Durbin (left) chats with Ald. Andre Vasquez (40th) (right) and Chicago Housing Commissioner Lissette Casta\u00f1eda (center) at the May 7, 2026 ribbon cutting at the Haven On Lincoln. Credit: Alex V. Hernandez\/Block Club Chicago<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/HavenOnLincoln_13-1024x683.jpg\")
The interior of one of the Haven On Lincoln\u2019s room faces the courtyard. Credit: Alex V. Hernandez\/Block Club Chicago<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/HavenOnLincoln_18-1024x682.jpg\")
The Diplomat Motel\u2019s parking lot was converted to a private garden for the residents of the Haven On Lincoln. Credit: Alex V. Hernandez\/Block Club Chicago<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/042026-Gompers-5-1024x682.jpg\")
Tents sit on in the Gompers Park encampment in Mayfair on Monday, April 20, 2026. Credit: Jeremy Battle\/Block Club Chicago<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/HavenOnLincoln_12-1024x682.jpg\")
The bathroom of one of the room at the Haven On Lincoln. Credit: Alex V. Hernandez\/Block Club Chicago<\/p>\n