Margarita Inn opens doors to residents and public officials to celebrate building purchase

Speaking Tuesday to a packed audience in the parlor of the Margarita Inn, Pastor Monté Dillard recalled that in March 2020, Connections for the Homeless was preparing to host a “milestone event” at his church, the First Church of God at 1524 Simpson St. 

Dillard, who serves as president of Connection’s board of directors, said the onset of the pandemic forced them to cancel the event at the last minute. The very next week, the nonprofit service provider began moving homeless residents into hotel rooms at the Margarita Inn, 1566 Oak Ave., and managing the building as a non-congregate shelter.

“At that time, we did not know what a positive impact that this would have on the residents, nor how big an impact this would have on the agency as a whole,” Dillard said. “Now here we are, nearly four years [later] exactly, and we celebrate Connections’ purchase of this beautiful old building, and we are bringing it back to its roots.”

Connections staff welcomed residents and public officials inside the hotel-based homeless shelter for an open house Tuesday afternoon to celebrate their completed purchase of the former hotel last December. Nearly 200 people signed up to attend the open house before RSVPs were closed, according to a media advisory from spokesperson Eric Ruder.

Hoping for 20 more years

Attendees were encouraged to follow a self-guided tour around the shelter’s basement and first floor. This included a currently vacant bedroom, a small library used for therapy sessions, a recently expanded medical office and the commercial kitchen once used by beloved Italian restaurant Va Pensiero until it closed in 2010.

The medical services were especially important for Jelani Davis, a former Inn resident who spoke during the open house’s remarks period. He said he became homeless after being diagnosed with congestive heart failure, but was able to secure a spot on a transplant waiting list with the help of Medical Director Dr. Keith Boyd after he moved into the Inn in November.

“This place, Connections, has really, really been a big difference in my life,” Davis said. “And hopefully, if everything goes well, I’ll have an additional 20 more years [of life].”

While introducing him, Dillard shared that Davis had moved out of the Inn the prior weekend after signing a lease for his own apartment, drawing applause and cheers from the crowd.

Almost two years from start to finish

The open house was held just short of two years after Connections filed its application for a special use permit to permanently operate the Inn as a homeless shelter in February 2022, officially kicking off the city approval process. It would take around 15 months for the application to work its way through community meetings, public hearings and emergency lawsuits to finally reach a 6-2 approval vote by City Council in May 2023.

Speaking at the open house Tuesday, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle thanked Connections for its effort in establishing the shelter permanently, as well as Mayor Daniel Biss and council members for supporting the shelter during the approval process. She said she sympathized with the intense criticism elected officials received for their support, drawing on her own prior experience in Chicago’s City Council.

“I was an alderman, I know that when you support projects like this, you get your butt kicked,” Preckwinkle said. “So I really appreciate that you were willing to stand up and do the right thing.”

Cook County supported Connections’ purchase of the Inn with a $7 million interest-free loan using federal pandemic relief funds.

Moving forward

With the Inn purchased, Connections is turning its attention inward to develop its own structures, while still looking outward through public policy and advocacy work.

The nonprofit continues to raise funds for its $23 million capital campaign; in early February, Chief Development Officer Nia Tavoularis told the RoundTable the campaign was around 70% funded. She said these funds include Cook County’s loan to support the Inn’s purchase as well as funding for renovations of the Inn and other buildings and developing and expanding Connections’ staff and programming.

For the Inn itself, this work includes upgrading the single aging elevator, rehabilitating common areas like the parlor and library and overhauling the currently unusable commercial kitchen to enable cooking meals in-house. The Hilda’s Place drop-in center at Lake Street Church is also in need of major rehabilitation before it can reopen, and partially supported by $2 million in federal funds secured by U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-9th District).

Externally, Connections is also focused on housing policy advocacy, both in Evanston and across Illinois. One of the rooms of the guided tour showcased the organization’s variety of current efforts, including adopting a “just cause for eviction” ordinance in Evanston and banning so-called “crime-free housing ordinances” statewide.

Also wrapping up is the equitable zoning project conducted by Connections’ advocacy arm Joining Forces for Affordable Housing. Director of Advocacy Sue Loellbach told the RoundTable the study’s final report will likely be released in March and submitted as input for the city’s total overhaul of its zoning code and comprehensive plan.