Photo: Franz Bachinger | Pixabay
The Niles Township Respite Center was created in 2022 in the basement of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Skokie, Illinois. It's a daytime space for people experiencing homelessness. A little over a year ago CBS News Chicago visited the center; it was a great place, but sorely in need of an update, new appliances, flooring, and more. But since the first visit, so much has happened, and the folks at the center said CBS News Chicago's story got the ball rolling. "The story that you all did … it reached some very generous people with compassionate hearts, and donations started pouring in," Township supervisor Bonnie Kahn Ognisanti said. They've since gotten a new oven, stovetop, and a brand new refrigerator and freezer. Beyond those improvements, new flooring was installed, walls painted and a respite room was enlarged to provide more space for guests to relax in comfort. Multiple businesses came together and donated the materials and labor for these improvements, saving the township an estimated $70,000-$100,000. "This has always been a community effort and it only exists because we live in a community that wants to see this work done," Ognisanti said. "But now, I know that community's even larger than I thought it could ever be."
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