Joliet agencies trying to meet needs of those facing housing, food insecurity

An average of 357 people in and near Joliet grapple with homelessness on any given night.

Domestic violence is attributed to 16% of the people dealing with chronic homelessness. Between 9% and 12% of the local homeless population has a mental health or substance use disorder.

These and other related sobering statistics from the Will County Continuum of Care shed light on the challenges that scores of people are facing with housing – not just in Joliet but also the broader Will County region, as well as Kendall and Grundy counties.

Skyrocketing housing costs and inflationary pressures have exacerbated housing challenges for people chronically without a stable roof over their head or for people mere steps away from losing an existing apartment or home.

Four years ago, Envoy Scott Hurula with the Joliet Salvation Army came to the local chapter of the international organization that is synonymous with bell ringing and the spirit of giving at Christmastime.

“Everybody was in survival mode at that point,” Hurula said. “We were trying to figure out how to keep delivering our services while everything had been shut down [during the COVID-19 pandemic] and was in the process of starting to get back up. I kept being told, ‘One day, we’ll get back to normal,' but I don’t know if we’ve experienced normal since then. We’ve got our new normal.”

In keeping with The Salvation Army’s mission-minded approach of meeting people where they are and striving to meet their most basic needs, Hurula said he and other employees and volunteers within the organization strive to assist with short- and long-term housing.

The needs within the community have been palpable at organizations such as MorningStar Mission, where the services offered have been well used.

“Our shelters are pretty much full right now,” said Kevin Watson, executive director of MorningStar Mission at 350 E. Washington St. “They’ve been full, off and on, throughout the year.”

" If we’re going to meet the needs, we’re going to need one another, with the different agencies in town working together. We’ve just had wonderful success in our partnerships.”

—  Envoy Scott Hurula, Joliet Salvation Army

The Daybreak Center, 611 E. Cass St., is run through Catholic Charities and the Diocese of Joliet. It is ramping up the depth and breadth of its housing-related services as temperatures have been plunging with winter settling in.

The Daybreak Center has a 93-bed shelter facility that also has been well used this year. A supplementary emergency cold shelter also is up and running to ensure anyone in need of a place to stay amid dangerous winter conditions is accommodated.

“Outside of shelter, we do have supportive housing programs,” said Colleen Conwood, director of the Daybreak Center. “We have about 20 [of] what we call scattered-site apartment units in the community. We also have a smaller rental assistance program.”

Although challenges related to housing have been a front-and-center concern for many local organizations, there also is a sense of optimism with more outside-the-box thinking.

Hurula said there are heartwarming success stories from people upended by life’s challenges throughout the community.

“We have about 20 [of] what we call scattered-site apartment units in the community. We also have a smaller rental assistance program.”

—  Colleen Conwood, director of the Daybreak Center

He credits collaborative efforts between the Joliet Salvation Army and other like-minded groups with banding together and working as efficiently as possible to strive toward helping people gain their runway toward success.

“The hallmark of my time here in Joliet has been collaboration,” Hurula said. “We quickly observed that we couldn’t continue to do anything on our own. If we’re going to meet the needs, we’re going to need one another, with the different agencies in town working together. We’ve just had wonderful success in our partnerships.”

For many, giving is a cornerstone of the holiday season, and local organizers said there are a bounty of ways for people to help those facing homelessness gain a firm footing in the road ahead with basic necessities.

Daybreak offers a range of services, for instance, beyond housing. The center also serves three meals a day, which are run through volunteer efforts and food donations.

“This time of year, of course, the need shifts a little bit, and we ask for coats, hats, gloves and scarves – all of the outdoor winter wear,” Conwood said. “Snow boots is a big one.”

Regardless of how a person might give back, Watson encourages people to look at the big picture and contribute toward efforts that look at a person’s long-term needs rather than a short-term monetary donation.

“By doing that, you’re helping put them in a situation where they can succeed,” Watson said.

Local organizers also implore people not facing homelessness or housing insecurity to have an open mind and heart.

“For so many people, you’re really just one illness or one car accident or just one minor disaster away from losing your house,” Hurula said. “It’s a very precarious and vulnerable position to be in.”