Sarah’s Circle is a non-profit agency with a mission of serving women who are homeless or in need of a safe space. Located in Chicago’s Uptown community, Sarah’s Circle has provided support for thousands of women over the course of its 30-year history.

Today, Sarah’s Circle offers several services including comprehensive physical services, permanent supportive housing, a network of resources and a community to over 600 women a year who are affected by homelessness. They encourage women to empower themselves by rebuilding both emotionally and physically and realizing their unique potential as women. Life-sustaining physical services include a daytime shelter, lunch and dinner (five days a week), laundry facilities, lockers, bathroom facilities (including showers), an address and telephone number (for job applications), daily toiletries and clothing.

Our Chicago office is assisting Sarah’s Circle in creating a new home, just one-half block north of their present location in the Uptown neighborhood, at Sheridan Road and Lawrence Avenue. A 3-story building that was once a furrier’s showroom with shopkeeper apartments above is completely rehabilitated to house the agency offices, day time service facilities and 10 studio apartments. Creative adaptive reuse of the existing building allows Sarah’s Circle to continue their mission in the new home while remaining readily available to the community they serve.

The proposed design includes demolition and reconstruction of portions of the existing building that abut the main 3-story structure. The existing basement is just four feet below street level and is extended to maximize the usable area on the site. A new street facade establishes a visual presence for the agency and its transparency provides exposure to natural daylight and views to the expanded lower level where the day time service programs are focused. Roof decks provide useable outdoor space for the residents of the studio apartments with either vegetated roof systems or container gardens.