Current Projects

Bronzeville Lakefront Development

JCUA awarded a $200,000 loan to Chicago Neighborhood Initiatives for the Bronzeville Lakefront Development, an 80-acre multi-phase development on the site of the former Michael Reese Hospital. The loan will cover predevelopment costs for the first phase of the ten-year project, which will include the creation of 300 units of affordable housing for seniors.

ChiFresh Kitchen

JCUA awarded a $200,000 loan to ChiFresh Kitchen to cover costs associated with the rehabilitation of its new 6,000 square foot home in the Greater Grand Crossing neighborhood. ChiFresh is a Black-owned worker cooperative providing culturally sensitive nutritious meals to schools and senior centers throughout the city. ChiFresh was incubated at the Hatchery in East Garfield Park (a former CVP partner) and developed this new facility to accommodate their continued growth.

Humboldt Park United Methodist Church

JCUA awarded a $100,000 loan to the Humboldt Park United Methodist Church (HPUMC) in Logan Square to pay for remediation of code violations identified by the City. The majority of the violations relate to the repair of the envelope of the building — the parapet walls, coping tiles, chimney reconstruction, and tuckpointing. The repairs will be done to the portion of the property that contains 12 apartments which provides affordable housing to low- and very- low income households.

IMAN Health Center

JCUA awarded a $200,000 loan to Inner-City Muslim Action Network (IMAN) to cover predevelopment costs associated with the expansion of IMAN’s Federally Qualified Health Center in Chicago Lawn. The IMAN Health Center fosters access to comprehensive, culturally competent, quality health care services for low-income individuals in the service area regardless of age, health status, ability to pay, or any other characteristic. When complete, the expanded Health Center facility will grow from 3,400 to 23,400 square feet and allow IMAN to offer fully integrated primary care, behavioral health, and wraparound services. The new facility will also include a critical community gathering space for local organizations and members of the broader community.

Janet L. Smith Apartments

JCUA awarded a $75,000 loan to Interfaith Housing Development Corp. (IHDC) for the West Pullman Apartments. The loan will cover predevelopment costs for 39 units of permanent supportive housing. This development will serve families who were formerly homeless, many of whom have household members with disabilities. The Smith development will meet all Passive Home requirements, meaning that its airtight design will decrease the building’s reliance on fossil fuels. This is CVP’s first project in West Pullman.

JumpStart Housing Cooperative

JCUA awarded a $200,000 acquisition loan to JumpStart Housing Cooperative to purchase a building in Bronzeville as part of the first phase of a multi-site affordable housing cooperative. Using a co-ownership model, JumpStart serves Chicagoans with barriers to housing security — formerly incarcerated individuals, domestic violence survivors, and individuals aging out of the foster system. JumpStart will provide membership opportunities to households earning 60% AMI or below. During the first phase, the co-op will purchase a multifamily building to meet the immediate housing needs of ChiFresh Kitchen members (worker-owners) and their network.

Pilsen Housing Cooperative

JCUA awarded a $100,000 loan to Pilsen Housing Cooperative (PIHCO) – a limited-equity, scattered-site housing cooperative for longtime residents of the Pilsen community – to cover predevelopment costs associated with the expansion of the cooperative to two new properties in the neighborhood, 1716 S. Morgan and 18th & Peoria. PIHCO is currently comprised of 18 households across 3 buildings, and is working to counter displacement and maintain the long-term affordability of housing in Pilsen through these expansions.

The Margarita Inn

JCUA awarded a $200,000 loan to Connections for the Homeless to cover predevelopment costs associated with the purchase and rehabilitation of the Margarita Inn in Evanston for use as a permanent, non-congregate shelter offering emergency housing. The facility will house up to 63 people of all genders and family configurations and include robust, onsite services rooted in evidence-based approaches. Connections has been renting rooms at the hotel to house their guests since the beginning of COVID and will continue these services through the purchase and rehabilitation of the facility.

PODER Learning Center

JCUA awarded a $200,000 to PODER to cover costs associated with the buildout of its new 5,938 sq ft space located in Chicago’s Gage Park neighborhood. PODER provides ESL classes, Spanish literacy classes, job training, and job placement services to the Latine community throughout the Chicago region. This development is an adaptive reuse project that will renovate and add to the existing structure to serve as a neighborhood anchor for the Gage Park community.

RefugeeOne

JCUA awarded a $200,000 loan to RefugeeOne to build its new facility in Chicago’s West Ridge neighborhood. RefugeeOne is the state’s largest resettlement agency, creating opportunities for refugees and immigrants to build new lives of safety, dignity, and self-reliance. The space will provide office space, pro-bono wellness services and dental care, English language classes, employment services, and after-school activities. JCUA and RefugeeOne are also proud organizing partners in the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR).

SACRED Apartments

JCUA awarded a $100,000 loan to Interfaith Housing Development Corp. (IHDC) and Claretian Associates for SACRED Apartments. The loan will cover predevelopment costs associated with the construction of 81 units of affordable housing and 6,000 square feet of commercial rental space in the South Chicago Neighborhood of Chicago. SACRED Apartments – which stands for Sustainable Affordable Commercial Real Estate Development – will achieve Enterprise Green Community certification.

South Side Home Repair Program

JCUA awarded a $200,000 loan to Neighborhood Housing Services (NHS) to support  the administration of the City of Chicago Home Repair Program and Illinois Critical Home Repair Improvement Program. The programs fund home repairs, including roof and porch replacements and hazardous lead abatement, for low-income homeowners south of 55th street. JCUA’s loan serves as gap financing to pay small neighborhood-based contractors who perform the work while NHS is awaiting City and State reimbursements.

Wabash YMCA

JCUA awarded a $100,000 loan to The Renaissance Collaborative (TRC) to cover predevelopment costs for the rehabilitation of the Wabash YMCA, a 101-unit Single Room Occupancy property in Bronzeville. First opened in 1914, the Wabash YMCA was one of 25 YMCAs supported by Julius Rosenwald and served as an important social center within Chicago’s Black Metropolis area. CVP provided a loan to TRC to help save the Wabash Y more than 20 years ago, and we’re thrilled to partner with TRC once again to support the facility’s rehabilitation and long term affordability.

The Write Inn

JCUA awarded Housing Forward with a $200,000 loan to cover the predevelopment costs associated with the development of a 65-unit interim housing and medical respite center in Oak Park, Illinois called the Write Inn. Each year, Housing Forward assists 2,000 individuals and families each year with services that are tailored to their immediate needs. The building requires capital updates and improvements including a new roof, new windows, external façade repair, as well as interior modifications to redevelop the property as a fixed site permanent shelter.