Lake County United (LCU), Illinois
On July 28th, a hot day in the dead of summer, 475 leaders gathered by United Power met with Chicago's Mayor Brandon Johnson, U.S. Representative Mike Quigley, U.S. Representative Jesus Garcia, State Senator Collins, three state representatives, and two city alderpersons to celebrate 75 new affordable homes completed and sold, and 75 more homes under construction. Many of the new homeowners have become active leaders in this effort. Leaders gathered on the historic site of the Back of the Yards Neighborhood, where 20 homes have been completed and sold, and 28 are under construction. The Mayor committed to the following:
- He announced the Deputy Mayor as the new point person to expedite the process of cleaning up the 500 city lots committed for homeownership
- Work with United Power to get $25M in bonds for funding this effort
- Prepare and clean up 25 more city lots
- Meet with United Power again to celebrate progress.
The state legislators were recognized for their support in securing $10 million in new funding for Reclaiming Communities in the next budget. Senator Collins stated that United Power Reclaiming Chicago is the most powerful investment in Chicago. This was a critical step to moving toward 2000 affordable homes for homeowners in the 2 most historically divested communities in Chicago.
Metro-IAF affiliates Lake County United, DuPage United, and Fox River Valley Initiative leveraged letters of support from their state senators for the $10 million in the state budget for this effort. This is part of a larger strategy to create both more affordable rentals and affordable homes for homeownership. Affordable rents enable people to save money for a home purchase, as well as afford transportation to secure and maintain employment. Stable housing leads to better health and educational outcomes, as well as stronger families overall.
LCU Housing Teams are exploring properties for affordable rentals. In partnership with a developer, properties have been identified. In one location, initial plans have been presented to the new Waukegan Mayor. LCU leaders are in the early stages of another property in Lake County. LCU recently met with State Senator Johnson to keep her updated on the status of this effort to find the most viable location to use the $3 million LCU leverage from the state for housing in Lake County
A group of clergy from Libertyville, Vernon Hills, and Lake Forest is exploring ways to support the ongoing efforts to expand affordable housing in Lake County.
