Chicago Housing Authority delivers affordable units

The Chicago Housing Authority (CHA) and its partners delivered 1,026 units last year and began construction on another 1,115, according to its recently released 2023 Impact Report. CEO Tracey Scott said the housing authority – third largest in the U.S. – has also received 473 new vouchers, the largest allotment in many years.

CHA serves 65,239 households, or 135,000 individuals, in all 77 Chicago neighborhoods, up from 62,452 households in 2015.

The 473 new vouchers will break down as follows:

• 165 for people experiencing homelessness

• 155 for young adults transitioning out of foster care

• 103 for individuals at risk of homelessness

• 50 for people with disabilities

A highlight of the past year was Lawson House, 30 W. Chicago Ave., whose rehab was completed this spring. Opened in 1931 as a YMCA, it was once the largest Single Room Occupancy hotel in Chicago. The building was remodeled into 409 studio apartments with bathrooms and kitchens ensuite in partnership with Holsten Real Estate Development. CHA provided 130 project-based vouchers for its 130 units, for $72 million in rental assistance over the next 30 years. One in 4 of the apartments (25%) is fully accessible.

“With this building, the people who live here are being shown the care and dignity they deserve,” Scott said. “Healthy, thriving communities are for everyone. The Gold Coast isn’t just for those with gold.”

Encuentro Square, adjacent to the 606 Trail at 3745 W. Cortland, is expected to be complete at yearend 2024. Developed in partnership with LUCHA, Evergreen Real Estate and the City of Chicago, its 89 apartments will include 55 CHA project-based vouchered units, an investment of $20 million. Almost all are family-sized, two or more bedrooms.

Located in the formerly vacant Magid Glove Factory site, Encuentro will be two concrete cast-in-place buildings, according to the Leopardo Construction website. Amenities will include 57 parking spaces for tenants alone, outdoor recreational space, a teaching kitchen and a computer lab. Financing included Low Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC), tax increment financing (TIF) and federal HOME funds.

Another building, nearly complete, is 4715 N. Western Ave. in Lincoln Square, which will have 63 apartments: 16 CHA units, 47 other affordable. In addition to ground floor retail, the building will have second-floor parking with 36 spaces: 18 for the public and 18 for residents.

The building replaces a city-owned parking lot on the northeast corner of Leland and Western Avenues adjacent to the CTA Brown Line station at Western. Ald. Matt Martin (47th ward) said on his website that use of city-owned land kept costs down. According to chicagoyimby.com, the City sold the six parking lot parcels, valued at $4.925 million, for $6. LIHTCs, TIF and a bridge loan were also part of the funding mix for the $43.35 million project.

Martin said that the goals for the building were to foster small business and expand affordable housing. Lincoln Square has lost 11.3% of its affordable apartments in the last five years. The building was vetted in a multi-year process that involved almost 1,000 people, Martin noted. It has the approval of the Lincoln Square Ravenswood Chamber of Commerce, Heart of Lincoln Square Neighborhood Association, Greater Rockwell Association and Lincoln North Neighbors.

Set to open this fall are the Foglia Residences at Chicago Lighthouse, 1134 S. Wood St., which will have 76 studio, one- and two-bedroom apartments. It is the first project in the U.S. to be financed exclusively with LIHTCs specifically for people who are blind or visually impaired. The CHA is contributing 19 project-based vouchers for its 19 apartments.

CHA also launched a Down Payment Assistance (DPA) program that offers qualified residents who are first-time home buyers forgivable grants of up to $20,000; 15 families used it to buy homes last year. DPA supplements CHA’s Choose to Own program, which allows residents to use their subsidies toward mortgages for up to 15 years; 43 families closed on homes with it last year.

-Suzanne Hanney, from online sources

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