Interfaith Action of Evanston Adds Warming Center, Porta Potties

EVANSTON – Even as the temperature falls and snow piles up, Evanston neighbors experiencing homelessness have new options for keeping safe and comfortable as the result of two new initiatives by Interfaith Action of Evanston, a consortium of diverse faith communities serving those who are homeless or hungry.

The first initiative is a new daily afternoon warming center at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 1509 Ridge Ave., providing a safe and warm space for those without homes to congregate between 3 and 8 p.m. The second is the addition of new Porta-Potties at four church locations around Evanston.

Both efforts are intended to address new challenges facing those experiencing homelessness during the Covid-19 pandemic, says IAE Executive Director Sue Murphy.

“Because of the pandemic, many of the places that once provided respite from the cold are not available, or are limited in availability,” Murphy says. “Our Hospitality Center provides a place for people to be in the mornings and the soup kitchens we support offer meals at noon and on some evenings. Our Emergency Overnight Shelter offers a warm place to sleep at night during the cold months of the year. But there was a gap in time when people really had nowhere to go to be warm.”

The Warming Center at St. Mark’s – which also houses IAE’s Hospitality Center – is filling that gap, Murphy says. The space allows for socially distancing to meet Covid-19 precautions and all those attending are masked. The center is open seven days a week.

Staffing for the Warming Center is being funded by a grant from the Evanston Community Foundation.

“We are very grateful to the ECF and to St. Mark’s for helping make this possible,” said Anne Heinz, president of the Interfaith Action Board of Directors. “It is a wonderful complement to our other services.”

Another issue for those who don’t have homes during the pandemic is access to bathroom facilities. Public buildings which house such facilities are not all open at this time or have limited availability, Murphy says. Working with the Evanston Interfaith Clergy and Leaders and four member churches, IAE has now been able to locate four porta potty facilities that provide safe access to restroom facilities in the downtown Evanston area.

The portable toilet facilities are available at Lake Street Church, the Unitarian Church of Evanston, St. Paul’s Lutheran Church and First Congregational Church. Funding for the facilities was provided by members of the EICL.

“This is a great partnership effort to provide much-needed assistance to neighbors experiencing homelessness during these very difficult times,” Heinz comments. “We are grateful to the Evanston Interfaith Clergy and Leaders for helping us meet a very practical need.”

Interfaith Action of Evanston is a volunteer-based not-for-profit community organization. It operates a year-round Hospitality Center, providing breakfast, computer access, job counseling and more; regular soup kitchens; access to fresh food through a monthly ProduceMobile; an Emergency Overnight Shelter nightly during cold-weather months and other services as needed. For more information, contact ia@interfaithactionofevanston.org or visit the website, www.interfaithactionofevanston.org.