(WBBM NEWSRADIO) —One organization is helping homeless people in DuPage County stay safe while they find permanent housing.
April Redzic, president and CEO of DuPagePads, arranges for homeless families to stay in hotel rooms, rather than shelters, to reduce the risk of contracting COVID.
"What we've found is a 75% decrease, because they can rest if they do have an illness. That has really been effective in halting the spread of COVID," Redzic told WBBM Newsradio.
She said the hotel rooms give people a place to call home.
"It's just been a really wonderful way for people to not only be safe but have that dignity of their own space while they get closer to ending their homelessness," Redzic said.
It’s also led to a decline in mental health issues, as well as more people signing up for services to help them find affordable housing, she said.
The program has worked so well, DuPagePads plans to buy a hotel and convert it into a permanent transitional housing center.
"We have received $5 million from our county. We have about $1 million in bequests, and we are seeking to raise another $1.5 million to make that vision a reality," she said.
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