Neighbor describes safety, nuisance concerns after Fortitude Outreach Center opens; city staff says overnight sheltering requires conditional use

Martha King, a Kankakee resident, told the Planning Board on July 15 that she lives next to Fortitude Outreach Center at 970 East Court Street and described repeated incidents she said occurred after the facility opened, including finding people sleeping on adjoining property, frequent visitors leaving donations at her door and vans and a bus parked near her bedroom window. The concern came during the Planning Board’s “other business” public-comment period. King said a Fortitude employee initially told her the building would be used for office space only and that showers might be provided during the day, and that she later spoke with Alderman Michael Prude and Alderman Cheryl Malone Marshall about the site. King said neighborhood contacts later told her Fortitude had been housing people in vans "on…