Chicago Construction News staff writer
La Casa Norte has broken ground on a City-supported project that will convert the former North Hotel in Humboldt Park into a non-congregate shelter for young adults experiencing homelessness.
The North Hotel, at 1622 N. California Ave., will provide 40 private rooms for youth ages 18 to 24. Each unit will include a private bedroom, en-suite bathroom and mini kitchenette.
“Supporting our youth by providing safe, private and dignified housing is at the center of our administration’s commitment to building a safer, more affordable Chicago,” Mayor Brandon Johnson said. “La Casa Norte’s North Hotel will help support Chicago’s shelter system while ensuring disadvantaged youth have access to critical support resources.”
The project is part of the Johnson administration’s efforts to expand housing options and employment opportunities for disadvantaged youth while increasing the city’s shelter capacity.
La Casa Norte acquired the former hotel and is rehabilitating the property. Residents have already begun moving into the building, while work on the main floor is underway and is expected to be completed by the end of 2027.
The main floor will include a community and service area created from vacant retail space. Residents will be able to access workforce development, career planning, physical and mental health care, family reunification assistance and other support services.
The shelter will operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with services focused on helping residents transition to long-term housing stability, self-sufficiency and independence.
“As a former educator and child of Humboldt Park, this project is personal,” Ald. Fuentes said. “La Casa Norte’s North Hotel will be the life-giving sanctuary that my most vulnerable former students could have benefited from.”
La Casa Norte CEO Jose M. Muñoz said the facility will give young people experiencing homelessness a private space to recover while connecting them with support.
“Youth come to La Casa Norte in crisis, unsure of what the future holds,” Muñoz said. “The North Hotel youth non-congregate shelter gives them a space of their own to heal, and a team dedicated to helping them dream again.”
The project is being supported by $4.09 million through the Chicago Neighborhood Recovery Program, along with $2 million from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity and $500,000 from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
The Chicago Department of Housing said the acquisition funding has already helped young people access shelter and support through La Casa Norte.
“DOH is incredibly excited to be a part of a growing movement across the country to move towards non-congregate shelters,” said DOH Commissioner Lissette Castaneda. “The rehabilitation of this property would not have been a reality without collaboration with our partners at HUD and DCEO.”
The Chicago Department of Family and Support Services also worked with the Department of Housing and La Casa Norte on planning, site selection and acquisition of the facility.
“Residents experiencing homelessness need more than a roof over one’s head,” said DFSS Commissioner Angela Green. “It will create a foundation for stability, connection, and hope among young Chicagoans experiencing homelessness.”
The project is particularly significant in Humboldt Park, where residents have faced gentrification and displacement in recent years. As part of the funding agreement, the property must remain a shelter, permanent supportive housing or affordable housing for at least 30 years.
The North Hotel project builds on non-congregate shelter models developed during the COVID-19 pandemic, when private accommodations were used to provide safer shelter and greater access to support services.
Through its Non-Congregate Shelter Acquisition program, the city is working to convert approximately 300 traditional shelter beds into non-congregate settings.
The model is intended to provide people experiencing homelessness with greater privacy and dignity while connecting them with services aimed at achieving long-term housing stability.
