New Homeless Shelter Opens in Aurora, Increasing Capacity Nearly 100%

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Just in time for the colder temperatures set to arrive this weekend, Aurora's longtime homeless shelter, the Hesed House, has opened its newly renovated 680 Adult Shelter, a site that will house nearly double the amount of its former shelter.

Located at 680 S. River Street, the new shelter is immediately across from the main Hesed House site in a newly renovated shuttered manufacturing facility. The 680 Adult Shelter is now the primary overnight shelter for both men and women, where all guests will be under one roof, making it more efficient for housing, food service, and comprehensive care.

The new space allows for nearly double the capacity of unhoused people to be served each day, from 145 guests prior to Covid to 280 guests today.

“Hesed House isn't simply a homeless shelter; Hesed House is a safe haven that gives hope to people in hopeless situations," said Mayor Irvin to the crowd gathered at the ribbon cutting ceremony. “Everyone deserves dignity. That is not just a tagline. That is the truth. As long as I'm mayor I will continue to support these efforts so no one will ever have to be turned away again." 

The new 680 Adult Shelter has:

1. A large common eating area that can hold hundreds of people.
2. A new state-of-the-art industrial kitchen where volunteers and staff can prepare hot, nutritious meals
3. Self-service laundry rooms in both areas with multiple washers and dryers in each
4. Spacious ADA-accessible shower stalls in both areas
5. Personal lockers were guests can safely store their personal possessions
6. A store in the center of the facility where guests can retrieve much-needed supplies like towels and personal hygiene products.

And the most integral spaces in the new shelter:

7. Separate men's and women's sleeping areas with hundreds of brand-new comfortable beds set up permanently in semi non-congregate sleeping areas

“This new shelter features semi non-congregate sleeping spaces and isolation spaces that not only better help prevent the spread of communicative diseases, but it also provides more comfort, more privacy, and better dignity for our guests," said Hesed House Executive Director Joe Jackson. “At the same time, it allows our staff to monitor our guests better for medical and safety emergencies."

The new site also features key designs such as:

1. Safety designs with a state-of-the-art camera system that monitors internal and external parts of the campus.
2. Trauma-informed designs like the women's-only dining space that ensures women who may still be processing the trauma from domestic abuse don't have to be around men if they don't want to.
3. ADA designs to meet the needs of the physically disabled better
4. Gender-affirming designs to the rapidly increasing LGBTQ+ individuals experiencing homelessness.
5. Lifesaving and Harm Reduction Designs like Narcan dispensers, AEDs, and amnesty bags.

“This shelter is connected to our Comprehensive and removes barriers for our guests engaging with our case management staff and all of the connected services that are underneath the roof of this 680 building," said Jackson. “It makes ending homelessness easier on us and, most importantly, on our guests."

During the ceremony, Jackson gave credit to the many partners who made the new shelter a reality, including the City of Aurora.

“Through my conversations with leaders across the state and throughout the country, I've heard horror stories about shelters and the relationships they have with their local municipalities," said Jackson. “We don't have that here at Hesed House, because we are blessed to have the City of Aurora as partners and collaborators in our fight to end homelessness."

The City of Aurora advocated for the Hesed House to receive one million dollars from the DuPage County Board to complete the first phase of the project.