Haven On Lincoln Offers ‘Dignified Privacy’ For Chicagoans Experiencing Homelessness
Haven On Lincoln Offers ‘Dignified Privacy’ For Chicagoans Experiencing Homelessness
Publish Date: 2026-05-08 09:02:00
Source Domain: blockclubchicago.org
LINCOLN SQUARE — The former Diplomat Motel on Lincoln Avenue has been converted into innovative transitional housing.
After the city acquired the 5230 N. Lincoln Ave. property in 2024, officials spent $14 million renovating it into the 37-room Haven On Lincoln. It’ll now serve as “bridge housing” for Chicagoans experiencing homelessness and untreated physical and behavioral health conditions.
The Haven will also offer trauma-informed health and social services provided by nonprofit Cornerstone Community Outreach.
Perhaps most importantly, the facility offers private rooms for residents, as opposed to congregate housing where residents share rooms, officials said.
“Residents will have access to primary healthcare, intensive case management and behavioral health support,” Mayor Brandon Johnson said at a Thursday ribbon-cutting ceremony for the facility. “By addressing these needs head-on and ensuring that the people that come through the Haven have access to tools, resources and opportunities, we are creating a more effective pathway from homelessness to permanent housing.”
Mayor Brandon Johnson speaks at the May 7, 2026 ribbon cutting for the Haven On Lincoln. Credit: Alex V. Hernandez/Block Club Chicago
Sen. Dick Durbin, who has spent the past few weeks traveling across the state, told Block Club that people have repeatedly told him there is a need for better housing options.
“Over and over again, the issue is housing. Housing for workers, housing for students and housing for people with special needs,” Durbin said.
Mayor Brandon Johnson (center left), Cornerstone Executive Director Andrew Winter (center) and Ald. Andre Vasquez (40th) (right) were joined by other city officials for the May 7, 2026 ribbon cutting of the Haven On Lincoln. Credit: Alex V. Hernandez/Block Club Chicago
The conversion of the Diplomat Motel into “classy living arrangements” with support services is an…
