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The McGaw YMCA on Monday revealed a model room for its updated Men’s Residence, an important component of its capital campaign to raise $12.6 million for the renovation of the 156 single room occupancy units in its building at 1000 Grove St.

The Men’s Residence, on the third, fourth and fifth floors of the structure, has not been updated since the McGaw Y moved to its present address 92 years ago. On Monday, guests were given a tour of the inside and outside of the building to visualize where the renovated spaces would be and what they would look like.

“It feels brand new to be back in this room, seeing people face to face,” said a smiling Monique Parsons, McGaw Y Chief Executive Officer, as she addressed invited guests.

The Thomas F. and Susan P. Moran Family Foundation provided a grant of $1.6 million to underwrite the pre-development costs of the project, which includes a new front entrance and lobby/communal area, renovated and modernized bedrooms and restrooms and updated heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems.

If all goes according to plan, Chief Development Officer Jodi Wickersheimer said, the Y hopes to begin work on the renovation sometime next summer.

The new covered entrance will be exclusively for residents. It includes an existing stairwell that will be renovated to include a lift for those who use wheelchairs. The lower lobby area, currently a drop-in child care area, will be reconfigured and renovated to include a welcome center, staff offices, individual mailboxes, bike storage and a large community room for classes and workshops, as well as televisions for entertainment.

The classes and workshops for residents will include programs on financial literacy, credit recovery, food security, job training and placement, future life planning and establishing medical care.

The model room shown to reporters was spacious, well-thought out for space utilization and designed with a modern yet timeless style. It includes new furniture (a single bed, desk, chair, desk lamp and mini refrigerator) and custom, built-in millwork that doubles the current storage space provided to residents.

Each unit will include new fire-rated Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant doors. The nearly antique windows will be replaced with energy-efficient windows with screens and window treatments for privacy.

Architectural drawings for the restrooms on each floor show facilities that will be completely renovated, modernized and made ADA-compliant. Instead of open, communal showers, there will be six private stalls with changing rooms on each floor. In addition, more counter space and sinks will be added along with eight toilet stalls.

Throughout the Men’s Residence, the HVAC systems, lighting and stairwells will be updated and made more energy efficient. Each floor will include a refuse and recycling center, kitchenettes with two sinks and four microwaves, and a laundry room with two washers and two dryers. Currently, the residence has one kitchenette on the third floor and laundry facilities on the fourth floor.

McGaw Y staff and board members have included current residents in the planning process through focus groups and community meetings. They’ve encouraged questions and discussion of topics such as the physical plans, temporary living quarters during construction and the timing of the project. Maintaining the privacy, dignity and comfort of the residents is a priority. A staff member on Monday relayed one comment from a resident that reinforced the need for expanded kitchen facilities: “I just want to be able to wash my dishes where it’s not the same place I brush my teeth and shave.”

Affordable, temporary housing has been part of the Y’s mission from its beginning. The Evanston YMCA was founded in 1885 as a boarding house for men “in transition” from one place to another. Today the Y staff emphasizes bridge housing, case management and social services for residents until they can secure permanent housing. Roland Fouché, the Senior Director of Residence/Housing, and his staff help the men look to and prepare for the future.

Each resident pays an average of $560 per month, an affordable rent helped in part by charitable gifts to the Y. The average monthly rent in Evanston is $1,376, according to Y officials.

According to information provided by the Y, 232 men reside at the McGaw YMCA in a typical year and the facility has an average occupancy rate of 98%.

Some demographics: Of the residents, 7% served in the armed forces and 14% were homeless prior to coming to the Y. More than half the residents (54%) have lived there up to nine years and 12% have been there 30 years or more. The largest age group, 47% of residents, is 65 and older; only 12% of residents are between 18 and 40. About 49% of residents are Black and 43% are white; the remaining 8% are Asian, Native American or some other category.

The McGaw Men’s Residence offers a sense of community and caring, a focus on health and wellness and support for residents’ employment goals. The Y staff hope living in a renovated space will add to that sense of community and well-being and will enhance residents’ dignity and self-esteem.

Wendi Kromash is curious about everything and will write about anything. She tends to focus on one-on-one interviews with community leaders, recaps and reviews of cultural events, feature stories about... More by Wendi Kromash

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The men’s residence at the McGaw YMCA is a unique program that serves the single male community, well. It is a model program, over the years of the commitment of the “Y” to provide low-income housing. Other organizations can learn from this as the community looks at a model for single women. Thank you donors and McGaw leadership for taking on re-modeling the Men’s Residence.

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