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.
Lawndale Christian Development Corporation
JCUA awarded a $70,000 interest-free loan to Lawndale Christian Development Corporation (LCDC) to cover acquisition costs associated with the development of a family recreation center in North Lawndale. LCDC is committed to improving the lives of North Lawndale residents by providing affordable housing, addressing economic challenges, promoting homeownership and facilitating community organizing. Modeled after the Pullman Community Center, North Lawndale’s MLK Family Recreation Center will offer a year-round indoor space for sports, recreational, and educational opportunities for youth and neighbors of all ages.
Levy House
JCUA awarded a $200,000 loan to Preservation of Affordable Housing (POAH) to cover a portion of the predevelopment costs associated with the rehabilitation of Levy House, a 57-unit rental building located in Rogers Park. The future affordability of the building had been the subject of much high-profile debate, with the prior owner planning to sell the building to market rate developers. With the effective mobilizing of the housing advocacy community, POAH, along with CHA and the City of Chicago, have created a plan to maintain 100 percent of the units as affordable senior housing for the long term. The rehabilitation will be completed without displacing any residents.
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 their Home Repair Program — a project to provide up to $25,000 in home repairs to up to 150 low income homeowners on the South Side of Chicago. NHS Chicago is the administrator of the City-funded program. CVP funds will be used as gap financing to pay small neighborhood-based contractors who perform the work while NHS is awaiting City reimbursement.
Star Farm Chicago
JCUA awarded a $100,000 loan to Star Farm Chicago to support the buildout of its new space in Chicago’s Back of the Yards neighborhood. Launched in 2016, Star Farm provides produce to local residents at low-or no-cost, sells at nine farmer’s markets and operates a successful City-wide Community Supported Agriculture program that sells retail seasonal produce. Last year they provided more than 20,000 pounds of local organic produce throughout the City. Star Farm plans to host a Fresh Market and Community Kitchen at its new site, creating five full-time and two part-time new living wage paying jobs for local residents.
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.