For nearly 15 years, IFF’s in-house development group, Home First, has been tasked with establishing new models of housing for people with disabilities while revitalizing vacant or underutilized properties in Illinois. This work has resulted in more than 320 units of accessible, affordable, and community-integrated housing across 10 distinct project sites, reflecting IFF’s belief that everyone has the right to live in a safe, affordable, and independent setting that meets their needs and enables them to fully participate in their communities.
Over the summer, the Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA) announced that Home First will receive 9% Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC) to continue to expand access statewide to quality housing for residents with disabilities through Access Madison County, a 28-unit new construction development in Edwardsville, IL. LIHTC is a pivotal federal program that incentivizes private investment in affordable housing. Developers leverage these credits by selling them to investors, generating equity that supplements other public and private financing. The LIHTC award for Access Madison County, along with a private first mortgage, Capital Magnet Funds, and an allocation of Congressionally Directed Funding from Senator Tammy Duckworth’s office, will bring this new project to the community in 2026.
“There’s a significant need across the state of Illinois for quality housing that’s affordable, accessible, and provides residents with disabilities with the opportunity to live independently in their communities of choice,” says Dena Bell, executive director of Home First. “Home First is one of the few developers in the region with the expertise, scale, and motivation to create this type of housing, and we’re excited to build on our work since 2011 with Access Madison County.”
The start of development for Access Madison County will coincide with the completion of Home First’s current project, Access South Cook in Park Forest, IL. Under construction since September 2024, Access South Cook is currently more than 50 percent complete, with construction on track to be completed by June 2026. Leasing is set to begin in November for the property’s 44 rental units which, in addition to an affordable and accessible place to live, will provide residents with on-site amenities like shared greenspace and a community building. Residents will also benefit from nearby retail businesses, government offices, banks, a prairie garden, restaurants, and a farmer’s market.
To see the progress on Access South Cook to date, check out the time-lapse video below from the construction site: