Project Chicago
Partnering to build a community where everyone has access to housing and economic opportunities.
Revitalize Chicago
Chicago is an international hub for finance, culture, commerce, industry, education, technology, telecommunications, and transportation. The Chicago area has one of the highest (GDP) in the world, generating $689 billion in 2018. Home to several fortune 500 companies, the economy of Chicago is diverse, with no single industry employing more than 14% of the workforce. Chicago is not without problems; however, crime rates, drug addiction, and poverty are concentrated into the south side of the city. Further investment into people and business infrastructure is needed.
Homelessness
Estimates show that over 86,000 people are homeless in Chicago. 22,000 people access homeless services in Chicago. Too little affordable housing, insufficient living wage work, limited access to medical care, drug abuse, mental illness, and domestic violence are some of the reasons people face homelessness, and only a fraction of those experiencing homelessness are able to access shelter and transitional housing. 60,000 people experiencing homelessness in Chicago are left behind, with no access to homeless services.
We are redeveloping commercial and mixed-use blighted properties to make way for new business. This will create local jobs and economic opportunity. We will be offering reduced rents on some of the space created to new or existing disadvantaged businesses along with business development assistance.
Rebuilding Housing
We invest in blighted housing to create clean, safe housing for rent and sale to low-moderate income participants. Our end goal is to maximize homeownership. We provide down payment assistance as well as credit counseling for our participants. We are also actively researching affordable options for providing a real solution to homelessness. Depending on the shelter and services provided, it can cost anywhere from $10,000-$36,000 per year to house 1 person. Our solution is to build more permanent housing that people can live in that anyone can afford. Together we can put everyone into a more permanent safer situation. It costs society more to not provide permanent housing.
Providing Resources
Poverty is a difficult problem to solve, and we are currently identifying problems in the community and implementing programs to provide much needed critical resources. We collaborate with other local non-profits to cause Inner City Change.
How You Can Help
We are always looking for volunteers for training, fundraising, and collaboration. We are always in need of construction equipment, vehicles, tools, and building materials. If you would like to help our cause, contact us. We would love to work together to create a larger impact.
