Photos by Kayla Bailey
Connections started operating at the Margarita in March 2020 after Governor Pritzker issued a mandatory shelter-in-place order due to the pandemic. This arrangement was initiated at the behest of the City of Evanston and was a catalyst to Connections, eventually sheltering more than 300 individuals at three hotels throughout the city. Hotel-based shelter is a new, innovative model for providing shelter using Housing First principles.
