UPTOWN — The Inspiration Corporation will close its social enterprise restaurant, Inspiration Kitchen, in Uptown.
The restaurant at 4715 N. Sheridan Road, which helps people exit homelessness or poverty through job training in the culinary industry, will officially close its doors after brunch on July 31. Its Garfield Park location, 3504 W. Lake St., will remain open, according to a note on its blog written Tuesday by CEO and Executive Director Shannon Stewart.
"We are so proud of the amazing staff at the restaurant — many of whom are graduates of our Foodservice Training program — that has worked hard to serve up delicious food and superb customer experience, earning glowing reviews and universal praise," Stewart said in the note.
"Like many other nonprofit organizations in the state, we are struggling to meet the increasing demand for services with diminished resources, and we have been forced to make painful cuts to ensure that we are spending our limited funds on the programs that provide the greatest possible benefit for homeless and low-income Chicagoans," she said.
Over the last three years, the kitchen has struggled to remain viable as public support for homelessness and low-income persons has dwindled.
The problems only got worse in 2014 when the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development made significant cuts nationwide and ceased funding for standalone programs such as job training. Without funding, the location "just became a restaurant," said Evan Cauble-Johnson, Chief Development Officer for Inspiration Corporation.
In 2015, with the company under significant financial stress already and the state's budget in limbo it became to difficult to justify. Instead, the company will focus resources towards its catering service, which just received a large grant from Impact 100, to improve its quality and train more people, Johnson said.
Despite the closure, the corporation, which has helped more than 500 low-income or homeless job-seekers find a career through its training program, will "remain committed to using social enterprise as a vehicle to help people build new careers and brighter future," the note said.
Inspiration Corporation also runs the Inspiration Cafe at Wilson Avenue and Broadway, which will remain open.
Next year, it hopes to open a new Inspiration Kitchen with a new concept in Uptown, the note said.
Residents should expect farewell events as a thank you to the community for its support over the years, Cauble-Johnson said.
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