Uptown homeless shelter for women gets construction permits

The developers of a $16 million housing development for homeless women in Uptown received construction permits, clearing the way for work to begin.

Non-profit Sarah’s Circle, founded in 1979, is working with Perkins + Will to build the five-story residential building, Sarah’s on Lakeside, on an empty lot at the corner of Sheridan Road and West Lakeside Place, Chicago YIMBY reported.

The development, at 4737 North Sheridan Road, will have 28 single-room occupancy units for homeless women. It’s Sarah’s Circle’s third development, bringing the group’s total units across the city to 101.

Sarah’s Circle, founded as a daytime drop center, has a support center where homeless women can have a meal, take a shower or do laundry at 4838 North Sheridan Road. The group built the 10-unit Judy Krueger Apartments above the daytime center as its first permanent supportive housing development.

The group opened its second development, Sarah’s on Sheridan, in January 2021. The six-story building at 1005 West Leland Avenue has 38 units of permanent housing as well as space for a 50-bed interim housing facility.

Sarah’s on Lakeside will have a large meeting room, a demo kitchen, a computer lab and laundry rooms for the residents as well as offices for Sarah’s Circle. In addition, plans show parking spaces for six cars.

The will be funded by $4 million from the Chicago Department of Housing multi-family program, $3.85 million from the Illinois Housing Development Authority’s Supportive Housing Program, $1.35 million in Illinois Affordable Housing Tax Credits, $3.1 million of ARO fee-in-lieu funds from another development, $2.1 million in grants from IHDA and $2 million of Sarah’s Circle’s own equity.

Powers & Sons Construction will serve as general contractor for the build, which is expected to wrap up next summer.

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