A transformative project is underway in Cicero, Illinois, as a new transitional housing shelter prepares to open its doors in the southwest suburbs. This initiative, spearheaded by BEDS Plus, aims to provide much-needed support to the local community.

The organization is repurposing a motel into a shelter, offering a lifeline to those in need. With 55 rooms being renovated, the facility is set to accommodate nearly 600 individuals, helping them regain stability. The comprehensive refurbishment includes the addition of a laundry room, kitchen, and green space, marking a significant step towards meeting the area’s housing needs.

ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watch

Tyneshia Giles, a past beneficiary of BEDS Plus, shared her experience, expressing the despair she felt before finding assistance. “Everything just felt like you’re just never going to get out of the situation that you’re in,” she recounted.

However, with the shelter’s help, Giles’s outlook transformed. “Once I got a room here, then everything just started falling into place,” she said, highlighting the positive impact of the support she received.

With help, Giles made it through.

“Once I got a room here, then everything just started falling into place,” Giles said.

Giles found herself on hard times, living out of her car, when she first contacted BEDS Plus for help. After a few months in the program, she’s now happy in her own apartment.

“They help you with housing. They even help you get the information that you need. Like, if you don’t have your ID, your birth certificate, different things like that, they’ll go through the process to help you get that,” Giles said.

Her story is one of thousands of those looking for housing support. With an $80,000 check, BEDS Plus is renovating a motel on 85th Street and Cicero Avenue into the BEDS Plus Cicero Avenue transitional shelter.

“We’ve been able to have 600 people be helped in this way. But we’re not getting close to the overall demand,” BEDS Plus CEO Tina Rounds said.

Rounds says the program will get nearly 1,000 walk-ins a month, forcing them to lean on renting hotel rooms for those in need.

“You need more program space. You want to take care and provide a dignified space for people that allows them to heal and allows them to independently operate,” Rounds said.

Now, the 55-room facility will include private accommodations for individuals, couples, families and people with disabilities. Each room includes a private bathroom, microwave, refrigerator and personal storage.

“I just thank God every single day that he brought these amazing people in my life. Because without them, I really don’t know where (I’d be),” Giles said.

BEDS Plus Cicero Avenue transitional shelter will open around December of this year.