Last week, Foundation for Homan Square (FHS), which serves as an umbrella organization over a tapestry of community resources in Chicago’s North Lawndale neighborhood, and IFF’s Community Development Solutions team celebrated the past, present, and future housing opportunities in Homan Square. Notably Homan Square Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH), a new affordable, accessible housing development of 21 rental units across three sites, and the Home Sweet Homan homeownership initiative – 20 new affordable single-family homes on previously vacant lots, which will be sold to individuals and families who live, work, or worship on Chicago’s West Side creating wealth building opportunities for existing and returning North Lawndale residents. Click here to learn more about the initiative.
The event welcomed city, state, and county representatives, along with community members, and featured remarks by FHS Executive Director Kevin Sutton, 24th Ward Alderwoman Monique Scott, City of Chicago Department of Housing Commissioner Lissette Castañeda, Illinois Housing Development Authority Executive Director Kristin Faust, Cook County Land Bank Executive Director Jessica Caffrey, and IFF’s Executive Director for the Chicago Metro Region Vickie Lakes-Battle.
Following the ceremony, attendees were taken on a trolley tour of the neighborhood highlighting several significant sites, including: the Homan Square campus and Nichols Tower; PSH developments; Homan Square’s first single-family homeownership effort as well as the newest effort, Home Sweet Homan; Homan Harrison gateway, a proposed new construction, mixed-use commercial building; large-scale vacant sites for future development opportunities; and more.
The trolley tour also showcased Homan Square’s commitment to equitable transit-oriented development (ETOD). Since 2017, IFF has worked closely with Elevated Chicago to facilitate ETOD that chips away at longstanding disinvestment in communities of color by focusing on transforming the built environment in a half-mile radius around train and bus stops through community-driven development projects. Homan Square is one of the seven original focus neighborhoods for Elevated Chicago.
FSH and IFF formally partnered in 2018 to maintain and expand the array of community resources built up in the area over the last 20 years and are currently working to implement the long-term strategic plan for Homan Square, which includes developing quality housing across the spectrum of affordability.
