The Haven on Lincoln

Overview

Opportunity

Solution

Impact

Team

A former motel becomes a trauma-informed transitional shelter where private rooms, integrated care, and research-driven design support Chicagoans experiencing homelessness.

Location

Chicago, Illinois

Client

City of Chicago, Department of Housing and Economic Development

Expertise

Wellness Residential Building Transformation & Adaptive Reuse Brand Design

Opportunity

Chicago needed a more dignified shelter model, one that gives people experiencing homelessness privacy, stability, and direct access to supportive services as they transition to permanent housing.

Men represent nearly 70% of Chicago’s unhoused population but have access to less than 25% of available shelter beds. Traditional congregate models can also create barriers to engagement and reinforce previous trauma. Building on lessons from Chicago’s pandemic-era hotel shelter program, the City of Chicago sought a scalable non-congregate model that provides private accommodations, wraparound services, and stronger pathways toward permanent housing.

Why This Matters

01
Scalable Adaptation
The project demonstrates how underused buildings can be adapted to address urgent housing needs while making strategic use of existing structures and infrastructure.
02
Beyond Shelter
Integrating healthcare, social services, and supportive programming creates a more connected environment for people navigating a critical transition.
03
Dignity First
Private rooms and bathrooms give residents greater autonomy and control, creating conditions that support safety, comfort, and engagement with care.

The Haven on Lincoln is a testament to what is possible when we prioritize the physical and mental well-being of our residents. By reviving this space and returning it to the community, we are providing stability while ensuring our most vulnerable neighbors have the resources and the respect they need to feel at home in our City.

Solution

Adaptive reuse and trauma-informed design transform a former motel into a place where housing, healthcare, and everyday life work together.

Developed with Chicago’s Department of Housing and Department of Public Health, and now operated by Cornerstone Community Outreach, the design uses the motel’s existing configuration to give each resident a private room and bathroom while replacing institutional cues with residential-scale spaces. A living-room-like lobby, flexible dining and therapy areas, and medical rooms bring everyday life and care together. Outdoors, a healing garden provides space for respite, and connection to nature. A midcentury-inspired palette draws from the original motel while creating a sense of familiarity and calm.

From brief to build: how research, practitioner collaboration, and the existing motel structure shaped a new approach to stabilization housing.

The design process was grounded in post-occupancy research from North Side Housing & Supportive Services and collaboration with medical and behavioral health practitioners. The team studied how privacy, choice, access to nature, and thoughtful design could support relationships between residents and staff. The motel’s individual rooms and exterior circulation already supported a non-congregate model, allowing the team to adapt rather than rebuild the structure. Principles of trust, collaboration, and empowerment guided decisions — from resident rooms and wayfinding to shared spaces, materials, and outdoor environments.

Motel as Foundation

The original midcentury motel’s individual rooms and exterior circulation provided spatial framework for a non-congregate housing model.

Impact

The Haven on Lincoln establishes a new model for Chicago’s stabilization shelters, grounded in privacy, care, resilience, and trauma-informed design within an existing neighborhood building.

By reusing an existing motel, Haven delivers private housing and integrated care while extending the building’s life and reducing the need for new construction.

What Changed Because of This

01
Residential Experience
Private rooms and bathrooms, individual environmental controls, and residential-scale shared spaces give residents greater privacy, autonomy, and control over their surroundings.
02
Care Within Reach
Healthcare, social support, and community spaces are integrated into the facility, connecting residents with resources that support stability and permanent housing.
03
Energy as Resilience
As the Midwest’s first all-electric shelter, Haven pairs solar generation with battery storage to maintain critical operations during grid disruptions.

The Haven on Lincoln demonstrates how design can strengthen public projects and expand dignified pathways to housing.

Recognition

01

Chicago Sun-Times

Architecture critic Lee Bey spotlighted The Haven on Lincoln’s transformation in a feature that landed on the cover of the daily print edition.

02

Block Club Chicago

Coverage highlighted Gensler’s trauma-informed redesign of the former Diplomat Motel, emphasizing private rooms and dignified, non-congregate housing.

03

Urbanize Chicago

Coverage of The Haven’s ribbon cutting highlighted the adaptive reuse of the former Diplomat Motel and its focus on dignity, healing, sustainability, and resident support.

Team

Project Leadership

[FPO] Sean McGuire

Placeholder for office leadership name "Sean McGuire" — no matching pagePeople yet. "pnpm migrate resolve-stubs" swaps this for the real page once it exists.

[FPO] Hao Phung

Placeholder for office leadership name "Hao Phung" — no matching pagePeople yet. "pnpm migrate resolve-stubs" swaps this for the real page once it exists.

[FPO] Krystian Gardula

Placeholder for office leadership name "Krystian Gardula" — no matching pagePeople yet. "pnpm migrate resolve-stubs" swaps this for the real page once it exists.

[FPO] Em Meurer

Placeholder for office leadership name "Em Meurer" — no matching pagePeople yet. "pnpm migrate resolve-stubs" swaps this for the real page once it exists.

FAQ

01

How can adaptive reuse help address housing shortages?

The Haven shows how an existing motel can be repositioned for non-congregate housing, using its existing room configuration to accelerate implementation and reduce construction impacts.

02

What makes trauma-informed design important in transitional housing?

Trauma-informed design prioritizes safety, privacy, choice, and connection to nature, helping create environments that support stability and engagement with care.

03

How does the project support residents beyond providing shelter?

Healthcare, social services, community spaces, and coordinated partnerships give residents access to resources that support health, stability, and transitions to permanent housing.

04

Why were private rooms prioritized in the design?

The motel’s existing configuration provided a natural foundation for private rooms and bathrooms, giving residents greater autonomy, personal control, and separation from congregate sleeping environments.

05

How did research inform the design of Haven on Lincoln?

Post-occupancy research from another shelter and input from behavioral health practitioners informed decisions around privacy, choice, staff-resident relationships, wayfinding, and access to nature.

06

Why is the building all-electric?

All-electric systems, solar generation, and battery storage support reliable operations during grid disruptions, making energy resilience part of continuity of care.

Related Work

project

OhioHealth Neuroscience Wellness Center

Perched at the edge of a forest preserve, a first-of-its-kind wellness center supports people with neurological conditions through holistic, nature-connected care.

project

[FPO] DignityMoves Brookfield Senior Gardens

Placeholder — not migrated yet.

project

DignityMoves Cherry Avenue

DignityMoves Cherry Avenue provides 136 San Jose residents experiencing unsheltered homelessness with secure shelter, wraparound services, and a supportive community that restores stability and dignity.

Related Expertise

Wellness Residential Building Transformation & Adaptive Reuse Brand Design

A former motel becomes a trauma-informed transitional shelter where private rooms, integrated care, and research-driven design support Chicagoans experiencing homelessness.

Chicago needed a more dignified shelter model, one that gives people experiencing homelessness privacy, stability, and direct access to supportive services as they transition to permanent housing.

Why This Matters

Adaptive reuse and trauma-informed design transform a former motel into a place where housing, healthcare, and everyday life work together.

From brief to build: how research, practitioner collaboration, and the existing motel structure shaped a new approach to stabilization housing.

The Haven on Lincoln establishes a new model for Chicago’s stabilization shelters, grounded in privacy, care, resilience, and trauma-informed design within an existing neighborhood building.

What Changed Because of This