NEAR NORTH SIDE — Determined to expand the services available for young adults who are homeless or nearly homeless, Mayor Rahm Emanuel Tuesday celebrated the opening of a new shelter in the former Lawson House YMCA in the shadow of Holy Name Cathedral.
The shelter — operated by Covenant House — will offer young adults ages 18 to 24 somewhere to go during the day after traditional shelters close, officials said. The new facility will offer breakfast, lunch, showers, lockers and a place for them to do laundry — in addition to medical care, substance abuse treatment, job training and legal aid.
"We have a responsibility to these young lives," Emanuel said at the shelter at 30 W. Chicago Ave. "None of them chose to be homeless."
The shelter expands the city's capacity to serve homeless young adults by 13 percent, officials said.
About 500 Chicagoans ages 16 to 24 are homeless on any given night, according to the 2016 point-in-time homeless count conducted by the city.
Covenant House CEO Kevin Ryan said the shelter was designed to provide "sanctuary" to young adults who may have no choice but to couch surf with friends or spend the night outside.
"This will be a place to exhale," Ryan said.
Later this year, the shelter will add 20 overnight beds. Eventually, the shelter will offer 60 beds to young adults, officials said.
