Humboldt Park Health is getting into the affordable housing market.
The health system, which broke ground on its new $25 million wellness center on Monday, wants to develop about 300 affordable housing units in the West Side neighborhood to help curb gentrification, Crain’s reported.
“Housing is a critical component of the social determinants of health,” Humboldt Park Health President Jose Sanchez told Crain’s. “We’ve got people living in spaces where they have no room. Five and six people living in two-bedroom apartments.”
Sanchez told Crain’s he was meeting with Chicago Housing Commissioner Marisa Novara about a preliminary plan for the first 100 units.
The health system owns about 60% of the land available around the new wellness center bound by Division, California, Augusta and Sacramento streets. That includes empty buildings Humboldt Park Health is no longer using as well as empty lots.
“We own the land, we could put up the land in partnership with a developer, to build affordable housing with financial support from the federal and state governments,” Sanchez said.
Sanchez said the plan has both local and federal support, including Alderman Roberto Maldonado, state Sen. Omar Aquino and state Rep. Delia Ramirezn as well as the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development.
About $19 million of funding for the wellness center, which will increase access to preventative care in the predominantly Latino community, is from Rebuild Illinois infrastructure funding allocated by Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker.
[Crain’s] — Miranda Davis
Read more
Residential
Chicago
Affordable housing landlord under fire for conditions at apartments in Chicago’s Kenwood neighborhood
Residential
Chicago
Affordable housing project in Lincoln Square delayed due to battle over parking