Getting help from DuPagePads in DuPage County.
DuPagePads has been working to end homelessness in DuPage County, Illinois since 1985, and it operates the largest network of interim and permanent housing services in the county. This is a plain-English guide to the various housing resources operated by DuPagePads, the Empowerment Center and other services as well as details on where to start, including at the Access Center.
DuPage County is frequently perceived as an affluent suburban area — and much of it is. But homelessness exists here at a scale many residents don't realize. DuPagePads will often help hundreds of children per year, over a 100 veterans, and hundreds of survivors of domestic violence. About one in three people DuPagePads shelters on any given night is a child — most of them under the age of five.
The organization's Access Center is located at 703 W. Liberty Drive, Wheaton, IL 60187. The main phone number is 630-682-3846. The website is https://dupagepads.org/.
The Interim Housing Center: a new model for emergency shelter
The most significant change in DuPagePads' services in recent years is the Interim Housing Center (IHC), which opened in 2022 when DuPagePads purchased and converted a former hotel in Downers Grove — the first hotel-to-interim housing conversion in Illinois. This fundamentally changed how emergency shelter works in DuPage County.
The IHC is a centralized location. Each guest has their own room. The facility accommodates approximately 300 people per night across 115 rooms and operates year-round, 24 hours a day. Meals are provided — over 300,000 meals annually. Case managers are on-site to connect guests with services and work toward permanent housing. Children enrolled at the IHC are connected to local schools.
The IHC is in Downers Grove. To access shelter, contact the Access Center as noted immediately below.Walk-in assessments are also available at the Access Center during business hours.
The Access Center: daytime services and entry point
The Access Center, located at 703 W. Liberty Drive, Wheaton, IL 60187, is the only daytime facility for people experiencing homelessness in DuPage County. It serves as the entry point for DuPagePads services — coordinating intake, connecting people to case managers, and providing immediate basic needs while longer-term housing solutions are arranged.
At the Access Center, individuals and families can access showers and laundry facilities, meals, a mailing address for mail receipt, and basic needs items. Coordinated intake means that anyone arriving without housing can be assessed and connected to appropriate shelter or services. For those not yet staying at the IHC, the Access Center is where the process starts.
During winter months, the Access Center also operates as an overnight warming center, open daily from 4 p.m. to 8 a.m. Anyone in DuPage County who is unsheltered and at risk in cold weather is welcome. Police departments and other agencies can bring people directly. Call 630-682-3846 for current warming center status.
The Empowerment Center: case management, employment, and education
Located in Downers Grove, four blocks from the IHC, the Empowerment Center is where the deeper work of addressing the causes of homelessness takes place. Each individual or family served by DuPagePads is connected with a case manager who serves as their housing ally — providing one-on-one support and facilitating access to workshops and programs until they reach stable housing.
Services available through the Empowerment Center include help finding higher-paying employment, credit and budget counseling, and financial literacy workshops. Additional support is around entitlements enrollment assistance (including SSI, SSDI, VA benefits, food stamps, and Medicaid), connections to medical care, substance use treatment referrals, mental health service referrals, and transportation assistance.
Education support at the Empowerment Center includes GED instruction in partnership with College of DuPage and literacy classes offered through Literacy DuPage. Employment services include employment readiness workshops, resume and interview preparation, one-on-one career coaching, and connections to job leads. The goal is to help each person not just find a job, but find a job with sufficient income to sustain housing in DuPage County's rental market.
Street Outreach: finding people where they are
DuPagePads' Street Outreach team goes into the community to connect with individuals who are unsheltered but not yet accessing shelter. The team operates in coordination with police departments, businesses, and community-based organizations, and can be notified by anyone who observes someone experiencing homelessness in DuPage County.
Outreach workers provide emergency supplies, share information about available shelter and services, offer case management and follow-up support, and assist with benefits enrollment. To notify the Street Outreach team of someone in need, call 630-682-3846.
Permanent housing: for those who have been homeless longest
For individuals and families who have experienced chronic homelessness — generally defined as being homeless for one year or longer with a documented disability — DuPagePads administers Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH). This federally-funded program provides 127 apartments spread across DuPage County, paired with ongoing case management.
PSH is designed for people whose disabilities — which may include mental health conditions, physical health challenges, or substance use disorders — have made it difficult to maintain stable housing without ongoing support. Once housed, participants receive continued case management to help with employment, healthcare, and personal goals. This is the end of the path DuPagePads is trying to move every guest toward.
DuPagePads also manages a small number of Tenant-Based Rental Assistance apartments and Rapid Rehousing apartments (through the New Beginnings program) for people in different circumstances. See our DuPage County homeless prevention page.
How to get help
If you or someone you know is experiencing homelessness in DuPage County, call 630-682-3846 to speak with someone at the Access Center and receive a shelter assessment. Walk-in assessments are also available at 703 W. Liberty Drive, Wheaton, IL 60187 during business hours. The Access Center is generally open Monday through Friday; call ahead to confirm current hours.
If you observe someone unsheltered in the community, call 630-682-3846 to notify Street Outreach. During extreme cold, the overnight warming center at 703 W. Liberty Drive is available from 4 p.m. to 8 a.m. For more information on all programs and current availability, visit dupagepads.org.
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