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Real Life Stories
Profile: AHP Grant Aids Chicago “Sanctuary”
Product: Citibank (West), FSB, sponsored a $682,500 AHP grant to develop 69 units of permanent affordable housing for women transitioning from homelessness, substance abuse, domestic abuse, and incarceration.
Partners: Citibank (West), FSB, and Interfaith Housing Development Corporation of Chicago
To some, the two-building complex onChicago ’s West Side is just another apartment building. To those that call it home, Sanctuary Place represents an opportunity to overcome obstacles like homelessness, substance abuse, domestic abuse, and incarceration.
“Everyone deserves a second chance,” says Belinda, who arrived at Sanctuary Place shortly after being released from prison and is looking forward to being reunited with her children. “I feel bad about things that have happened in my past, but all I can do is move forward and try to do better from here.” Her resilience is indicative of the development of Sanctuary Place and the surrounding West Chicago neighborhood. The neighborhood has made significant strides in its effort to bounce back from the violent crime and rampant drug dealing that had plagued the area for years. “Things are a lot different and much better in this neighborhood,” says Charmaine, another resident of Sanctuary Place who has successfully reunited with her children after being separated from them because of homelessness.
The development of the 63 single-room occupancy units and six townhouses that compose Sanctuary Place was not without obstacles. The 40,000-square-foot site used to be a vacant, blighted structure before Interfaith Housing Development Corporation of Chicago (IHDCC) bought it from a private party. The property had an $85,000 City of Chicago demolition lien against it, but IHDCC was successful in getting the lien removed. Neighborhood residents were leery of a special-needs facility being built in their already beleaguered neighborhood. “People who have already been marginalized have a big problem with NIMBYism,” says Gladys Jordan, IHDCC President. IHDCC partnered with the West Humboldt Park Family and Community Development Council to work with existing residents in the neighborhood to explain the nature and value of Sanctuary Place. Once the community opposition was overcome, IHDCC set out to build something that would serve the needs of its population and fit well into the neighborhood. “We were aware that we had to pay close attention to aesthetics and livability,” says Ms. Jordan. “We weren’t interested in just putting up four walls and a roof.”
The finished product goes far beyond “four walls and a roof.” Sanctuary Place is one of the few completely “green,” or environmentally friendly, developments in Chicago. Twenty solar panels on the roof heat more than 1,000 gallons of water per day, providing 75% of the residents’ hot water needs. The interiors of the living spaces were painted with non-toxic paint and outfitted with non-toxic linoleum floors made of all-natural materials. The project received Chicago Mayor Richard Daley’s GreenWorks Award for Residential Projects in 2004.
In addition to the green aspects, the complex also features brick accents and sits on a beautifully landscaped campus, which features abundant open space with lush grass and a community garden teeming with fresh vegetables. The high ceilings and large windows enhance the spacious feel of the SRO units, which include private bathrooms and kitchens in each unit. Three “family units” with full kitchens and space to sleep six people are available for women who have overnight visits with their children as the families strive toward reunification.
A separate building consists of six 1,300-square-foot, three-bedroom townhouses that feature eat-in kitchens, dishwashers, and washer/dryer units. Each townhouse has a porch and a small yard that opens into common space. These larger units are earmarked for women who have recently been reunited with their children. All rents are subsidized through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Shelter Plus Care Program. In return, tenants must use the social services that are available to them through the on-site interdisciplinary team, which comprises three case managers, a nurse practitioner, a certified alcohol and drug counselor, and a licensed clinical social worker. The services are managed and administered by Interfaith Council for the Homeless (ICH), a community-based support services provider to the homeless, and are designed to address the overarching needs of the residents, including family reunification, mental health, child behavioral issues, addiction, life skills, employment training, and successful transition to independence.
The supportive environment at Sanctuary Place has helped Rosemary in her battle with substance abuse. “I’m better now, and I can see that life is worth living,” she says. “And if I’m going through something, I can talk to the staff here. They are like family to me.” John Hobbs, Executive Director of ICH, is proud of the impact Sanctuary Place has had. “We want the place to live up to its name and be a sanctuary.”
August 2005
Back to Real Life Stories
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Real Life Stories
Profile: AHP Grant Aids Chicago “Sanctuary”
Product: Citibank (West), FSB, sponsored a $682,500 AHP grant to develop 69 units of permanent affordable housing for women transitioning from homelessness, substance abuse, domestic abuse, and incarceration.
Partners: Citibank (West), FSB, and Interfaith Housing Development Corporation of Chicago
To some, the two-building complex on
Chicago ’s
West Side is just another apartment building. To those that call it home,
Sanctuary Place represents an opportunity to overcome obstacles like homelessness, substance abuse, domestic abuse, and incarceration.
“Everyone deserves a second chance,” says Belinda, who arrived at
Sanctuary Place shortly after being released from prison and is looking forward to being reunited with her children. “I feel bad about things that have happened in my past, but all I can do is move forward and try to do better from here.” Her resilience is indicative of the development of
Sanctuary Place and the surrounding
West Chicago neighborhood. The neighborhood has made significant strides in its effort to bounce back from the violent crime and rampant drug dealing that had plagued the area for years. “Things are a lot different and much better in this neighborhood,” says Charmaine, another resident of
Sanctuary Place who has successfully reunited with her children after being separated from them because of homelessness.
The development of the 63 single-room occupancy units and six townhouses that compose
Sanctuary Place was not without obstacles. The 40,000-square-foot site used to be a vacant, blighted structure before Interfaith Housing Development Corporation of Chicago (IHDCC) bought it from a private party. The property had an $85,000 City of
Chicago demolition lien against it, but IHDCC was successful in getting the lien removed. Neighborhood residents were leery of a special-needs facility being built in their already beleaguered neighborhood. “People who have already been marginalized have a big problem with NIMBYism,” says Gladys Jordan, IHDCC President. IHDCC partnered with the West Humboldt Park Family and Community Development Council to work with existing residents in the neighborhood to explain the nature and value of
Sanctuary Place. Once the community opposition was overcome, IHDCC set out to build something that would serve the needs of its population and fit well into the neighborhood. “We were aware that we had to pay close attention to aesthetics and livability,” says Ms.
Jordan. “We weren’t interested in just putting up four walls and a roof.”
The finished product goes far beyond “four walls and a roof.” Sanctuary Place is one of the few completely “green,” or environmentally friendly, developments in
Chicago. Twenty solar panels on the roof heat more than 1,000 gallons of water per day, providing 75% of the residents’ hot water needs. The interiors of the living spaces were painted with non-toxic paint and outfitted with non-toxic linoleum floors made of all-natural materials. The project received Chicago Mayor Richard Daley’s GreenWorks Award for Residential Projects in 2004.
In addition to the green aspects, the complex also features brick accents and sits on a beautifully landscaped campus, which features abundant open space with lush grass and a community garden teeming with fresh vegetables. The high ceilings and large windows enhance the spacious feel of the SRO units, which include private bathrooms and kitchens in each unit. Three “family units” with full kitchens and space to sleep six people are available for women who have overnight visits with their children as the families strive toward reunification.
A separate building consists of six 1,300-square-foot, three-bedroom townhouses that feature eat-in kitchens, dishwashers, and washer/dryer units. Each townhouse has a porch and a small yard that opens into common space. These larger units are earmarked for women who have recently been reunited with their children. All rents are subsidized through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Shelter Plus Care Program. In return, tenants must use the social services that are available to them through the on-site interdisciplinary team, which comprises three case managers, a nurse practitioner, a certified alcohol and drug counselor, and a licensed clinical social worker. The services are managed and administered by
Interfaith Council for the Homeless (ICH), a community-based support services provider to the homeless, and are designed to address the overarching needs of the residents, including family reunification, mental health, child behavioral issues, addiction, life skills, employment training, and successful transition to independence.
The supportive environment at
Sanctuary Place has helped Rosemary in her battle with substance abuse. “I’m better now, and I can see that life is worth living,” she says. “And if I’m going through something, I can talk to the staff here. They are like family to me.” John Hobbs, Executive Director of ICH, is proud of the impact
Sanctuary Place has had. “We want the place to live up to its name and be a sanctuary.”
August 2005
Back to Real Life Stories
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