Building Futures

In late April, Housing Forward reached an exciting organizational milestone — we broke ground on a new construction project which will create 16 units of permanent supportive housing to serve individuals and families who are homeless or at risk of homelessness and have a long-term disabling condition. This residential building will house up to 22 people and includes dedicated units for veterans and youth aging out of DCFS care.

“This is an exciting and important step in Housing Forward’s commitment to addressing the complex needs of individuals and families who are experiencing homelessness and housing crisis,” said Heidi Vance, our past Board President. “The development is our first building project and demonstrates the evolution of our organization as we work to end homelessness in West suburban Cook County.”

This project marks the nonprofit’s first venture into developing and owning a residential building. The three-story, mixed-use development is in Broadview and will provide a home for up to 22 people, including four two-bedroom units for families and 12 one-bedroom units for individuals, with additional common space for tenants. Four of the units will be handicapped accessible and one will be designed to accommodate sensory, hearing, and visually impaired individuals. The property will also include an outdoor terrace and community garden and is accessible to public transportation and area amenities.

Bulley & Andrews has made a lot of progress on the construction in the past 11 weeks! As of today, the development is reported to be 22% finished!

“Broadview prides itself on being an inclusive community and we are thrilled to welcome this Permanent Supportive Housing project,” said Mayor Katrina Thompson. “This is a new project for the village, but the circumstances are not different. More and more individuals and families are living paycheck to paycheck. This project will provide the necessary assistance to provide stability and keep families together, which is so important and why I’m lending my support.”

Permanent Supportive Housing serves highly vulnerable people with a history of homelessness and a long-term disabling condition. It combines housing with voluntary support services designed to build independent living and tenancy skills and connect people with community-based health care, treatment, and employment services. Last year, Housing Forward’s scattered site permanent supportive housing program assisted 269 individuals with 90,441 nights of housing in community-based apartments throughout West suburban Cook County.

We look forward to providing ongoing updates on our progress with this development that will bring urgently needed supportive housing to suburban Cook County, which has been made possible with the support of government agencies, private foundations, and the support of the community. 

In this video, Craig explains how housing combined with support has given back his quality of life.