OAK PARK, Ill. (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- St. Catherine of Siena/St. Lucy and St. Giles parish is helping people get out of the cold and into temporary housing.
The Oak Park church partnered with the non-profit organization, Housing Forward, to convert an unused part of the building near Austin and Washington Boulevards into an emergency shelter.
“I thought this would be a great place to do it,” said Father Carl Morello. “We have a space here that's not being utilized completely and there was a need.”
Thanks to funding from the Village of Oak Park and a recent award from the Illinois Department of Human Services, St. Catherine of Siena/St. Lucy and St. Giles was able to convert part of the church into a residential space.
“There were things like plumbing, electrical and maintenance types of things that had to be looked at, so it took us about six weeks to get all of that done," Morello said.
The shelter officially opened on Wednesday, January 4. Morello tells WBBM 10 residents will live there on a regular basis with additional beds for emergency situations.
“So if the Oak Park Police or Fire Departments happen to come across someone on the street with no place to go, we have availability for five people,” he said.
The emergency shelter will be open seven nights a week this winter through April 30.
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