Elgin council to buy land, tiny houses to provide safe haven for city’s homeless to obtain needed services

In this photo taken Thursday, Nov. 9, 2017, a resident walks past a row of tiny houses at a homeless encampment in Seattle where full size homes stand behind. Tiny homes could be the solution to all kinds of housing needs, offering warmth and security for the homeless, an affordable option for expensive big cities and simplicity for people who want to declutter their lives. However, that seemingly broad support fails to translate into acceptance when tiny home developers try to build next door. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson) User Upload Caption: 
(Elaine Thompson / AP)

The city of Elgin plans to create a residential area where homeless people can live safely while getting the help they need, eliminating the need for them to congregate downtown or build makeshift homes along the Fox River. 
(Gloria Casas / The Courier-News)

While the funding is less than the $1.5 million proposed by city staff, it will be enough to start the process of purchasing land, expected to cost about $925,000, and buying 50 shelters for $575,000, city documents said.

“We would be able to either acquire the land or get all the shelters that we need (with the money approved),” said Assistant City Manager Karina Nava, who has been working on the initiative with local nonprofit agencies for about a year.

“I think the amount would get us started and would show a commitment at the city level, which is very powerful because it can help bring on other partners as well,” Nava said.

The tiny houses would provide individual shelters where people who are experiencing housing instability could sleep and store their belongings, she said. The residential units would be gathered at one site, and 24-hour support would be provided by the nonprofit group chosen to be the anchor agency.

“Wrap around” programs that would ensure those living there have access to food, job training, mental heath and substance abuse treatment, and other services would be provided on site as well, Nava said.

A similar project on a much larger scale is planned for the city of Chicago, and similar efforts have proven successful in other parts of the country.

There are two undisclosed sites under consideration for Elgin’s housing campus, Nava said. The challenge is finding a location where neighbors won’t object, she said.

If all goes according to plan, the first phase of the initiative will be launched by November 2023 and phase two underway by 2024 or 2025. The latter involves people moving into the transitional housing and requires partnerships with Kane County and surrounding townships, Nava said.

There are still pieces of the puzzle that need to come together, she said.

“I understand that we don’t have it all figured out,” City Councilman Corey Dixon said. “I don’t think we have to have it all figured out from A to Z. But sometimes you’ve just got to get moving.”

Otherwise, you’ll just “analyze and analyze and analyze again. You’ll never move,” he said. “That’s not really an option at this point.”

Key to the effort’s success will be ensuring the homeless embrace the plan, Nava said.

Councilman Steve Thoren brought up that point, saying some people prefer to remain independent and choose homelessness as a lifestyle. Right now they live in tent cities along the Fox River and tend to congregate downtown during the day.

“I’m concerned that you are going to find quite a few of them that are content and aren’t going to want to go along with this program. What is the plan for that?” he said.

Once the solution is in place, the tent cities are going away, Nava said. The message will be made clear: “You need to come here, or you need to go somewhere (else),” Nava said.

“The goal with this is to get everyone out and get them in a safe place,” she said.

Gloria Casas is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.