What Pads Lake County does

PADS Lake County is a private 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered at 1800 Grand Ave., Waukegan, Illinois, that operates the only emergency shelter system in Lake County, IL. Founded in 1972 as a 24-hour telephone crisis hotline, the organization has evolved into a five-program continuum-of-care provider serving individuals and families experiencing homelessness: a Day Resource Center (entry point for intake, case management, and basic needs), rotating/hotel-based Emergency Shelter (October–April), a community Outreach Program (street engagement), Prevention & Diversion (rental assistance to keep at-risk households housed), and Supportive Housing (25 chronically homeless adults with disabilities under a Housing First model). In 2024, PADS served more than 2,500 individuals and families, provided over 166,000 shelter nights, moved 500+ people into permanent housing, and engaged 100+ unsheltered individuals through outreach, with a Homeless Healthcare Access Program achieving 75% medical-home enrollment within 5 days for clients without one.

The organization's technology footprint is minimal — standard nonprofit website (padslakecounty.org), social channels (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube), and email newsletter — consistent with a community-based service model rather than a tech-enabled platform. PADS does not charge clients for services; all revenue is derived from individual donations, corporate sponsorships, foundation grants (United Way of Lake County, Lake County Community Foundation, Chicago Community Trust, Healthcare Foundation of Highland Park, Healthcare Foundation of Northern Lake County), in-kind contributions, and volunteer support from 60+ faith and community organizations and 15 shelter host sites. Distribution is exclusively direct-to-consumer through physical infrastructure in Lake County.

Go-to-market is community-led: clients reach PADS through the Day Resource Center, 24/7 crisis hotline (847-689-4357), street outreach teams, and partner referrals (211 services, police, hospitals). Strategic priorities include transitioning emergency shelter to 100% hotel-based individual accommodations and pursuing a fixed-site shelter in Gurnee. The organization is governed by a Board of Directors with executives drawn from Caterpillar, AbbVie, First Bank, Rosalind Franklin University, and NorthShore, and is led by Executive Director Allen Swilley (previously secured $7M for DuPage Pads' largest fixed-site shelter) alongside a Director of Development, Director of Programs, and Director of Finance & Operations.

Name

Pads Lake County

Legal name

PADS Lake County

Website

https://padslakecounty.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1972

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

PADS Lake County is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating the only emergency shelter system in Lake County, Illinois. Founded in 1972, it delivers a five-program continuum of care — Day Resource Center, Emergency Shelter, Outreach, Prevention & Diversion, and Supportive Housing — to individuals and families experiencing homelessness.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Homeless Services

NAICS

Community Housing Services (62422), Temporary Shelters (624221)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Housing Assistance & Homeless Services (BPAGAEAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Homelessness Prevention, Shelter & Supportive Housing Services (BPAIANAC)

Keywords

• Homeless shelter services
• Emergency housing assistance
• Supportive housing programs
• Homeless outreach services
• Homelessness prevention programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Waukegan

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: The organization accepts one-time and monthly gifts from individual donors. Donations support shelter operations, case management, and client services including meals, housing assistance, and healthcare access programs.
2. Corporate Partnerships: Corporate sponsors and business partners invest in PADS through monetary contributions, in-kind donations, and employee volunteer programs to support community housing initiatives.
3. Foundation Grants: Private and family charitable foundations support PADS through grants and contributions, including support from organizations like United Way of Lake County and numerous named foundations.
4. Religious & Community Support: Churches, community organizations, and schools provide volunteer support, facility access for shelter sites, and in-kind contributions including meals and supplies.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

PADS Lake County operates a coordinated system of homeless assistance services for individuals and families in Lake County, Illinois, including a Day Resource Center for intake and case management, overnight emergency shelter (transitioning to hotel-based accommodations), street outreach, prevention and diversion services, and permanent supportive housing following a Housing First model. All services are provided free of charge to clients.

Product overview

PADS Lake County is a homeless assistance nonprofit organization offering a comprehensive, integrated system of services to individuals and families experiencing housing crises. The organization operates as a coordinated entry system with five core service programs: the Day Resource Center (entry point providing assessments, case management, and basic needs), Emergency Shelter (overnight accommodation via hotels/motels), the Outreach Program (community-based engagement connecting people to housing), Prevention & Diversion (early intervention preventing homelessness), and Supportive Housing (permanent housing with case management for disabled individuals). These programs are supported by the Homeless Healthcare Access Program which addresses health barriers to housing stability. The organization serves as Lake County's sole emergency shelter system, operating year-round with seasonal overnight shelter from October through April.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Day Resource Center The primary intake location where clients receive assessments, basic needs support (hygiene products, mailing address), case management, counseling, housing planning, and healthcare access. Located at 1800 Grand Ave., Waukegan, IL.
• Emergency Shelter Overnight emergency shelter provided through rotating hotel/motel accommodations (transitioning from church-based shelters), operating October through April, offering meals and hospitality for individuals and families experiencing homelessness.
• Outreach Program Street outreach services that engage unsheltered persons experiencing homelessness in the community (tents, libraries, abandoned buildings) to connect them with housing solutions and case management services, often bypassing the shelter system entirely.
• Prevention & Diversion Early intervention program providing rental assistance, landlord negotiation, connections to emergency financial resources, and alternative housing arrangements to prevent at-risk individuals and families from entering the shelter system.
• Supportive Housing Permanent supportive housing following a Housing First model, serving chronically homeless individuals with physical or mental disabilities, providing long-term housing with ongoing case management and supportive services.
• Homeless Healthcare Access Program (HHAP) Healthcare coordination program providing clients with access to medical, prenatal, pediatric, vision, dental, and podiatric care, including transportation assistance, prescription support, and connection to healthcare services.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2,500+ individuals and families served in 2024
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• United Way of Lake CountycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor foundation supporter providing grants and community funding to support PADS operations and programs for Lake County homeless services.
• United Protestant Church of GrayslakecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerReligious organization partner that hosts shelter sites and provides volunteer support for PADS shelter operations.
• First Presbyterian Church of WaukegancoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChurch shelter host site partner that has provided overnight shelter facilities since the first shelter opened on Christmas Eve 1987.
• NICASAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBehavioral health services partner providing mental health and substance abuse treatment referrals and services for PADS clients.
• Catholic CharitiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner agency providing Rapid Re-Housing program services and collaborating on client housing placements.
• Rosalind Franklin University Interprofessional Care ClinicmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealthcare partner providing primary care services for PADS clients with medical needs, working with healthcare coordinator to manage client pain and provide essential medical care.
• Cost Per Copy Consultants, Inc.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSmall business owned by board member Shelley Majewski's family, operating in Lake County for over 30 years and providing event support.
• Advocate Health CaremajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSilver sponsor ($1,000) for SleepOut 2023, healthcare partner providing medical services and support for homeless individuals.
• Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSorority introducing board member Kiearrah Lawrence to PADS through volunteerism, providing community volunteer support.
• First Presbyterian Church of LibertyvillecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing church partner that has been making lunches for PADS and hosting volunteer shelter activities for many years.
• Highland Park Presbyterian ChurchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChurch partner with long history of supporting PADS through meals and volunteer programs.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Lake County Coalition for the Homeless: The Lake County Continuum of Care is the regional HUD-recognized homelessness planning body for the same county PADS serves. While more of a coordinating/funding body than direct service provider, it is the primary public-sector counterpart that allocates much of the federal funding flowing into PADS' programs.

Direct peers

• DuPage Pads: DuPage Pads operates the most directly comparable shelter system in suburban Illinois, using the same rotating-site PADS model that PADS Lake County was founded on. Executive Director Allen Swilley previously served as Director of Interim Housing and Outreach at DuPage Pads, where he helped secure $7M for a fixed-site shelter, making this the closest functional and historical peer.
• Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago: Catholic Charities is an existing PADS partner (providing Rapid Re-Housing) and operates parallel emergency shelter, housing stabilization, case management, and homelessness prevention programs across Lake County and greater Chicagoland. Its comparable scope of housing + social services makes it a direct functional peer.
• A Safe Haven: A Safe Haven is a Chicago-based nonprofit providing emergency shelter, transitional housing, permanent supportive housing, and workforce development to homeless individuals, closely mirroring PADS' Housing First supportive housing model. It serves as a directly comparable Chicagoland peer.
• Thresholds: Thresholds provides permanent supportive housing, mental health services, and homelessness outreach in Chicago and surrounding counties, with a strong Housing First focus similar to PADS' supportive housing program. Its integrated behavioral-health-plus-housing model parallels PADS' case management + healthcare access approach.

Broad incumbents

• Heartland Alliance: Heartland Alliance is one of Chicago's largest anti-poverty organizations, operating shelter, supportive housing, and refugee/immigrant services across the region. Its broad housing + social services portfolio overlaps heavily with PADS' integrated homelessness response.
• The Salvation Army Metropolitan Division: The Salvation Army operates emergency shelters, transitional housing, and supportive housing programs across Chicago and Lake County, including seasonal shelter capacity that overlaps with PADS' October-April emergency shelter window. As a much larger national incumbent, it is a broader peer in the same housing/homelessness services category.
• Volunteers of America Illinois: Volunteers of America operates emergency shelters, permanent supportive housing, and veteran-specific housing programs across Illinois, including a veterans adult day program (matching one PADS adjacent code category). Its statewide shelter + housing footprint makes it a broad-incumbent peer.

Others

• All Chicago: All Chicago is the HUD Continuum of Care lead agency for Chicago and is a major grant-making and coordinating body for homelessness funding flowing into Cook and surrounding counties. While primarily a funder/coordinator, it is a strategic peer because it controls significant capital that flows toward PADS' peer organizations.
• Housing Action Illinois: Housing Action Illinois is a statewide policy and capacity-building intermediary that supports homelessness prevention, supportive housing, and shelter operators across Illinois including Lake County. As an ecosystem enabler rather than direct provider, it is a thematically adjacent peer relevant to PADS' operating environment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCjPNQ8OuHwlAOKFwVoxYBUw
• Facebookfacebook.com/PADSLakeCounty
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pads-lake-county1
• Instagraminstagram.com/padslakecounty
• Xx.com/PADSLakeCounty1

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Pads Lake County