Wednesday Journal: Housing Forward launches $18M renovation of Write Inn

The past six years have been anything but routine for Housing Forward. Founded in 1992, Housing Forward’s mission is to transition people from housing crisis to housing stability. The organization was based upon the PADS model of housing clients at 7 rotating temporary shelters at a network of religious organizations and staffed primarily by volunteers, throughout Oak Park, River Forest and Forest Park.

In 2020, the temporary shelter model was shut down due to concerns about the spread of the Covid virus. Under the leadership of Chief Executive Officer Lynda Schueler, Housing Forward made the first of many necessary pivots. In October 2020, the agency entered a one-year lease of the historic Write Inn Hotel at 211 N. Oak Park Ave. and began using the hotel’s 65 rooms as interim housing.