By Madhu Mayer
Affordable housing for the homeless will not be part of the plans to redevelop the former Briggs Street YMCA facility by MorningStar Mission.
Since the former Smith Family YMCA at 1350 S. Briggs St. closed in 2021, MorningStar Mission announced its plan to reopen the building housing youth programs. Smith YMCA was open for 43 years, but the Great Joliet YMCA closed the facility due to declining membership on the east side of town.
MorningStar Mission at 350 E. Washington St. provides food for the hungry, clothing, and shelter for homeless men, women, children, and families. By dropping housing from its plans, MorningStar instead will ask the City of Joliet for approval possibly next month to house a day care center, Head Start programs and summer day camp at the former YMCA site.
Sandi Perzee, executive director of MorningStar Mission, told city officials that the programs her agency intends to offer are comparable to services the YMCA previously provided to residents in east side of Joliet. She said MorningStar plans to work with the Greater Joliet YMCA to operate the after-school program and summer day camp.
The Joliet Zoning Board earlier this year rejected the affordable housing component of the project, citing 10 permanent supportive housing units for people who have been homeless will be too close to a facility for children. Recognizing there is no support at the city level, she said the housing component of the plan was scrapped. Perzee said MorningStar now intends to work with the State of Illinois to offer financial assistance for parents who need help paying for day care.
Kathy Wozniak, who lives near the former Smith YMCA facility, said she is glad the plan for affordable housing has been scrapped.
“Thank God because I support what MorningStar does, but the thought of this scares me and my neighbors,” she said. “The idea of housing 10 homeless people on a permanent basis does not sound good to us.”
Madhu Mayer, reporter – mmayer@thetimesweekly.com
