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A motel becomes a young adult shelter in Brainerd, and a worker-owned snack plant rises in Chatham. The bond behind one passed 32-17

The 26-room shelter uses $3.7 million in Chicago Recovery Plan money; CrossTreats got $500,000 from a program funded by the Mayor's $1.25 billion housing and economic development bond.

By Chicago PoliticsUpdated

Two South Side projects broke ground last week with City money behind them, Block Club Chicago reported Monday. In Brainerd, the former Budget Motel at 8913 S. Ashland Ave. will become a 26-unit shelter for people ages 18 to 24 experiencing homelessness, each with a private room. In Chatham, a worker-owned snack maker called CrossTreats is turning a century-old building at 7920 S. Greenwood Ave. into a food production plant.

Why it matters: both projects show where two of the Mayor's funding streams are going: pandemic-era Chicago Recovery Plan money for shelters, and the 2024 Housing and Economic Development bond for neighborhood businesses. Both depend on votes the Council took, one of them sharply divided.

The shelter

Unity Parenting and Counseling, which has run the Ujima Village overnight shelter for young adults since 2013, is behind the $6.2 million project, Block Club reported. The money includes $3.7 million from the Chicago Recovery Plan's Non-Congregate Shelter Acquisition Program, $2 million in state Community Development Block Grant funds, a $500,000 federal earmark and $25,000 from Unity. Residents will get case management, meals, job training and health care through a partner clinic.

Ald. Ronnie Mosley (21st), whose ward includes the site, said at the groundbreaking that many of the constituent requests his office reviews each month are from people seeking shelter, according to Block Club.

The food plant

CrossTreats, founded in 2024 and incubated by the nonprofit Village of Leaders Thriving in Solidarity (VOLTS), makes nut-free snacks for schools and youth programs. Its $1.5 million project received a $500,000 Wealth Our Way grant, according to the City's announcement. Wealth Our Way is a $4.1 million program run by the Department of Planning and Development with Community Desk Chicago, funded through the Mayor's $1.25 billion Housing and Economic Development (HED) bond, the City said. CrossTreats has four worker-owners and expects to hire five more over three years. Ald. Michelle Harris (8th) attended the groundbreaking.

What our records add

The HED bond passed 32 to 17. The 2024 Affordable Housing and Community Development Borrowing Ordinance (SO2024-0007838) passed on April 19, 2024. Mosley and Harris voted yes. The 17 no votes were Hopkins (2), Beale (9), Chico (10), Quinn (13), Lopez (15), Tabares (23), Cardona (31), Waguespack (32), Conway (34), Villegas (36), Sposato (38), Nugent (39), Napolitano (41), Reilly (42), Lawson (44), Gardiner (45) and Silverstein (50). Ald. Chris Taliaferro (29th) did not vote.

How each ward voted

30 yea, 17 nay, 1 not voting · Apr 19, 2024 · Passed

Ward 1: Daniel La Spata: YeaWard 2: Brian Hopkins: NayWard 3: Pat Dowell: YeaWard 4: Lamont J. Robinson: YeaWard 5: Desmon C. Yancy: YeaWard 6: William E. Hall: YeaWard 7: Gregory I. Mitchell: YeaWard 8: Michelle A. Harris: YeaWard 9: Anthony Beale: NayWard 10: Peter Chico: NayWard 11: Nicole T. Lee: YeaWard 12: Julia M. Ramirez: YeaWard 13: Marty Quinn: NayWard 14: Jeylú B. Gutiérrez: YeaWard 15: Raymond A. Lopez: NayWard 16: Stephanie D. Coleman: YeaWard 17: David H. Moore: YeaWard 18: Derrick G. Curtis: YeaWard 19: Matthew J. O'Shea: YeaWard 20: Jeanette B. Taylor: YeaWard 21: Ronnie L. Mosley: YeaWard 22: Michael D. Rodriguez: YeaWard 23: Silvana Tabares: NayWard 24: Monique L. Scott: YeaWard 25: Byron Sigcho-López: YeaWard 26: Jessica L. Fuentes: YeaWard 27: Walter R. Burnett: Not in officeWard 28: Jason C. Ervin: YeaWard 29: Chris Taliaferro: Not votingWard 30: Ruth Cruz: YeaWard 31: Felix Cardona Jr.: NayWard 32: Scott Waguespack: NayWard 33: Rossana Rodríguez Sánchez: YeaWard 34: William Conway: NayWard 35: Anthony J. Quezada: Not in officeWard 36: Gilbert Villegas: NayWard 37: Emma Mitts: YeaWard 38: Nicholas Sposato: NayWard 39: Samantha Nugent: NayWard 40: Andre Vasquez Jr.: YeaWard 41: Anthony V. Napolitano: NayWard 42: Brendan Reilly: NayWard 43: Timothy R. Knudsen: YeaWard 44: Bennett R. Lawson: NayWard 45: James M. Gardiner: NayWard 46: Angela Clay: YeaWard 47: Matthew J. Martin: YeaWard 48: Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth: YeaWard 49: Maria E. Hadden: YeaWard 50: Debra L. Silverstein: Nay
Yea Nay Not voting
1Daniel La Spata: Yea2Brian Hopkins: Nay3Pat Dowell: Yea4Lamont J. Robinson: Yea5Desmon C. Yancy: Yea6William E. Hall: Yea7Gregory I. Mitchell: Yea8Michelle A. Harris: Yea9Anthony Beale: Nay10Peter Chico: Nay11Nicole T. Lee: Yea12Julia M. Ramirez: Yea13Marty Quinn: Nay14Jeylú B. Gutiérrez: Yea15Raymond A. Lopez: Nay16Stephanie D. Coleman: Yea17David H. Moore: Yea18Derrick G. Curtis: Yea19Matthew J. O'Shea: Yea20Jeanette B. Taylor: Yea21Ronnie L. Mosley: Yea22Michael D. Rodriguez: Yea23Silvana Tabares: Nay24Monique L. Scott: Yea25Byron Sigcho-López: Yea26Jessica L. Fuentes: Yea27Walter R. Burnett: Not in office28Jason C. Ervin: Yea29Chris Taliaferro: Not voting30Ruth Cruz: Yea31Felix Cardona Jr.: Nay32Scott Waguespack: Nay33Rossana Rodríguez Sánchez: Yea34William Conway: Nay35Anthony J. Quezada: Not in office36Gilbert Villegas: Nay37Emma Mitts: Yea38Nicholas Sposato: Nay39Samantha Nugent: Nay40Andre Vasquez Jr.: Yea41Anthony V. Napolitano: Nay42Brendan Reilly: Nay43Timothy R. Knudsen: Yea44Bennett R. Lawson: Nay45James M. Gardiner: Nay46Angela Clay: Yea47Matthew J. Martin: Yea48Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth: Yea49Maria E. Hadden: Yea50Debra L. Silverstein: Nay

SO2024-0007838: the roll call, the timeline and the documents

The Council has since approved individual HED-funded deals by wide margins, including the Deeply Rooted Dance Center in Washington Park, 50 to 0 in September.

The co-op model has been before the Council. At a September 2024 hearing of the Committee on Economic, Capital and Technology Development, a leader of ChiFresh Kitchen, the VOLTS co-op where CrossTreats started, described it as a worker cooperative that hires formerly incarcerated people and offers a path to ownership (watch at 2:02:04). Ald. Michael Rodriguez (22nd) asked how worker co-ops, employee stock ownership plans and employee ownership trusts differ in building wealth (1:10:31).

Non-congregate shelters are a recurring ask. At the 2025 budget hearings, Ald. Andre Vasquez (40th) described the Haven on Lincoln non-congregate shelter and asked how the model could be scaled (watch at 7:43:49). In February 2025, the Finance Committee advanced up to $15 million in tax increment financing for a Franciscan Outreach non-congregate shelter on West 21st Street (4:33:36).

What's next

The Department of Planning and Development and the Department of Family and Support Services, which runs the shelter system, testify at the Council's budget hearings on Nov. 4 and Nov. 6 (schedule).