Projects in the Works
Abrams Intergenerational Village
This project is currently in the pre-development stage, with an expected construction date of Fall 2024.
H.O.M.E. is working with The Renaissance Collaborative (TRC) to build a new intergenerational building on the south side of Chicago, currently in the pre-development phase. H.O.M.E. has long dreamed of expanding our family-style “Good Life” housing, in which seniors, younger Resident Assistants, and families share meals and socialize together. TRC, meanwhile, had long aspired to create a community that wraps around households of “grandfamilies,” or grandparents raising children, as a complement to its 15-year-old “Abrams Intergenerational Village,” a 70-unit senior building in Washington Park. For H.O.M.E. and TRC, this represents the fulfillment of the heart and soul of our approach, which is to give new life to an old social concept: that people of all ages thrive living together in the “village.”
Watch the video above to learn more about the building’s proposed design from our Architect, Moody Nolan.
Project Summary
Provides housing for 44 seniors, 6 younger people working as resident assistants, and 21 grandfamilies (older people raising minors as dependents)
Available units will include studios, 1-bedroom, 2-bedrooms, and 3-bedroom apartments
30-60% AMI (Area Median Income)
Amenities will include supportive services, recreational activities, health services, and more
Multipurpose community room, library, computer room, fitness center, laundry room and lounges on each floor, enclosed rooftop, rooftop garden, on-site security, off-street parking, program rooms, and a playground
Pledge your support
Do you want to help increase housing affordable housing options for seniors and grandfamilies with low incomes in Chicago? Make a donation pledge to support Abrams Intergenerational Village using the form below. This gift may be eligible for Illinois Affordable Housing Tax Credits (IAHTC) equal to 50% of your donation payments by the time of project financing closing.
Please note: Pledges will not be collected until project financing closing, projected Fall 2023. If you have any questions, please contact Gail Schechter, Executive Director, at GailS@HOMEseniors.org
Meet our Partners
The Renaissance Collaborative
To bring this dream to life, H.O.M.E. is partnering with The Renaissance Collaborative, Inc. (TRC), a minority-led and community-based social impact organization established by four historic churches in 1992 to save the Historic Former Wabash YMCA from demolition and convert it into supportive housing for the homeless. TRC’s mission is to promote self-sufficiency through an innovative and comprehensive network of supportive housing, employment, and educational services. TRC strives to build healthy communities where all people, regardless of background, have hope in a better future. This hope will then inspire people to set and achieve their goals and share their gifts with others to build a stronger, happier Chicago.
Prim Lawrence Group
H.O.M.E. has also engaged a consultant, Teresa Rufaro Prim of Prim Lawrence Group, to train staff in the building development process and help facilitate the partnership with TRC. Prim Lawrence Group is a community economic development and real estate development consulting firm based in Chicago, Illinois. The firm is committed to the economic empowerment of economically disadvantaged people and building the capacity of organizations to respond to the needs of their constituency through comprehensive economic development strategies. The firm specializes in providing technical assistance in community based economic development strategies including but not limited to: housing development, business development, organizational development, planning, program design and implementation, workforce strategies, and worker/consumer owned cooperatives.
Moody Nolan
Moody Nolan is the largest African American owned architectural firm in the country and a leader in the design of mixed-income housing developments. We practice equitable housing design—creating healthy, affordable, and safe housing that empowers people to reach their full potential.
For us, diversity isn’t a program, an initiative, or a recruiting plan—diversity is who we are. Our firm is diverse by design with a staff comprised of 46% women and 43% minorities. Equity and inclusion shape our firm culture and guide our decisions, creating design solutions that inspire positive social change. As the recipient of the 2021 American Institute of Architects (AIA) Architecture Firm Award, our projects garner awards from industry-leading organizations including The American Institute of Architects and The National Organization of Minority Architects.
Lilo Salmon Garden Room at Nathalie Salmon House
In the spirit of Lilo Salmon's vision of "life encompasses all age groups" we plan to re-design and elevate the garden room into a space for intergenerational sharing, healing, and create more opportunities to bring the outside community inside to our beloved community.
The refreshed space, to be named after H.O.M.E.’s late founder, Lilo, will support small social events such as art classes, small gatherings, and areas for quiet contemplation. In 2020, H.O.M.E. partnered with renowned architect Paul Alt of Alt Architecture to lead a series of focus groups with residents to determine their vision for the space -- a room that will swirl with life!
