In a dramatic reversal of position last night, the Kankakee City Council voted 11 to 1 to approve a proposal by Fortitude Community Outreach to operate a 5 night a week homeless shelter for the winter in a building on the grounds of St. Paul Lutheran Church in downtown Kankakee. Last year, the council voted 12-2 against a similar proposal with more than one council member saying it was unacceptable to locate such a facility in the downtown area while the community was trying to foster economic growth and development. Now Mayor Chris Curtis was among the 12 last year that denied the shelter. He explains why he changed his mind.
Fortitude has firm plans to work on creating a permanent homeless shelter on property at one of two possible sites either on Washington Avenue or Kennedy drive and have it up and running by October 2022.
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