Paving the Path to Homeownership for Housing Choice Voucher Holders
Since the mid-20th century, homeownership has been one of the most important vehicles for building wealth in the United States. According to research from the…
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Our Grantmaking Strategy
For more than 100 years, The Chicago Community Trust has convened, supported, funded, and accelerated the work of community members and changemakers committed to strengthening the Chicago region. From building up our civic infrastructure to spearheading our response to the Great Recession, the Trust has brought our community together to face pressing challenges and seize our greatest opportunities.
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Grant Recipient
La Raza Chicago, Inc.
La Raza’s Hispanic Homeownership Educational and Advocacy Toolkit (HHEAT) is a multimedia journalism initiative aimed to increase homeownership literacy, information, and opportunities; to reduce misconceptions about access to mortgages; and to document testimonials, actions and policies of individuals and organizations working towards increasing access to and equity in homeownership. All with a specific focus on the Chicago Hispanic community and the Spanish speaking population that experiment a significant lack of information, resources, and opportunities to own a house. Homeownership is critical for family and community wellbeing, with the additional importance that homeownership is the pillar of transgenerational wealth and to increase the opportunities of economic stability and progress. This is especially relevant for underserved communities that are affected by factors such as low homeownership rates, low income, job insecurity, lack of credit and of access to mortgages, lack of financial education, and by insufficient affordable housing, gentrification and property tax hikes, interest rate increases, discriminatory practices, and limitations such as lack of immigration status, criminal record, or misconceptions about homeownership and lending. However, homeownership is possible, and La Raza wants to help our community to get high-quality, culturally competent, fact-based, and actionable information, testimonials, discussions, and tools to increase their possibilities to become homeowners and to enjoy the benefits that homeownerships provide to individuals, families, and communities. We also want to document the negative effects that low rates of homeownership have on our community and the solutions to attend and solve them. This will increase awareness on the fact that homeownership has holistic implications and that owning a home opens the way to a lot of individual and collective benefits and helps to reduce wider problems and disparities. La Raza’s HHEAT will include the following Spanish content and activities: 1) news features addressing problems and solutions regarding homeownership in Chicago, access to mortgages, and other housing issues and possibilities, to be published in print and online; 2) a podcast series including key tips and topics regarding homeownership, published and promoted in our digital platforms; 3) an online discussion panel series to bring experts to explain homeownership topics and engage the audience, published and promoted in our digital platforms; 4) an online and print compilation of the more relevant resources that will serve as a useful guide about homeownership in Chicago. Some of the key contents may be also available in English, but the focus is to generate Spanish content to mitigate the lack of useful information about homeownership in that key language for our community. Also, La Raza’s HHEAT will contribute to increase advocacy to and awareness among financial institutions about Hispanics’ needs and possibilities regarding lending and access to mortgages, and to motivate banks to interact more with our audience and to provide additional support to our programs. With 53 years serving the Chicago Hispanic community, La Raza’s currently publish 35,000 copies in print with 124,000 print Latino Readers according to a recent survey by National Association of Hispanic Publications (NAHP), plus around 80,000 social media followers and 45,000 monthly web users, and a potential combined reach (according to NAHP) of more than 300,000 Readers Latinos. In addition to reporting and interviewing individuals, local leaders, and experts, we plan to reach banks, credit unions, realtors and community organizations working to increase homeownership that serve the Chicago Hispanic community to invite them to collaborate with relevant content and to support La Raza’s HHEAT. Financial institutions such as Bank of America, JP Morgan Chase, Wintrust, Fifth Third Bank, CIBC, PNC, and others, and organizations such as Spanish Coalition for Housing and the Chicago Housing Authority have been La Raza’s advertisers and now HHEAT will provide them with a window to collaborate with us, to support La Raza, and to participate in our goal of increasing homeownership awareness and opportunities to benefit the Chicago Hispanic community.
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Grant Recipient
Illinois Public Interest Research Group Education Fund
Illinois PIRG Education Fund is a recognized leader on issues ranging from affordable utilities to consumer protection in the insurance and financial marketplaces. We have led the charge to restore meaningful gas utility oversight and rein in wasteful utility spending. We pushed for the “Rider QIP” to sunset as planned at the end of 2023. This surcharge has been fueling wasteful gas utility spending and driving up rates. In a victory for ratepayers this January, Peoples Gas declared they will not try to extend this surcharge past 2023. However, there is still more work to be done to challenge rate hikes by all major utility companies in the state. Our work on car insurance reforms contributed to winning regulatory oversight of rate hikes in the health insurance market. We have consistently demonstrated an ability to convene and lead coalition efforts and to meaningfully contribute to coalition efforts led by others. With the generous support of the Chicago Community Trust, we’ve made significant progress on our policy priorities over the past several years. The coming year presents exciting opportunities to defend and build upon our progress: both Chicago utilities are proposing record breaking rate hikes, and we have new opportunities to advance car insurance reforms after this spring’s progress in the health insurance market. We plan to continue to add value to shared efforts and strengthen partnerships for longer term success. Partnerships, in particular with community organizations, ground our work in the lived experience of those most impacted and are crucial to winning and defending reforms.
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Grant Recipient
NORTHWEST SIDE CDC
Northwest Side CDC (NWSCDC) will work with partner agencies, Foundation of Little Village and Onward House, to support newly established and emerging businesses through a series of workshops, training, professional service support, and one-on-one advising sessions. Program participants will take part in a several-month cohort. NWSCDC, Foundation of Little Village, and Onward House will use internal and external resources to provide technical expertise to businesses in several subjects, including technology, capital access, and social media support. The goal of this collective work is to increase access to capital for BIPOC business owners while supporting resiliency building and increasing income.
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Grant Recipient
The Chicago Community Foundation/Elevated Chicago
Elevated Chicago is a coalition of organizations advancing Equitable Transit-Oriented Development (ETOD) to unlock the potential of transit hubs to connect people and attract development that is racially equitable in terms of climate resilience, health and cultural indicators. In partnership with local community-based organizations, Elevated Chicago seeks to transform the 1/2-mile radius around CTA, Metra, and Pace hubs and corridors into community-focused centers of commerce and culture by 1] removing barriers that hinder innovation near station areas; 2] equipping residents with resources to make these areas a community and civic priority; and 3] aligning, cultivating, and deploying capital for development near transit stations, to become areas where the built environment and programming converge to create nodes of connection and opportunity.
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Grant Recipient
Network for Young Adult Success
UtmostU is a comprehensive program designed to empower young adults from marginalized communities in Chicago who have been negatively impacted by systemic inequities. Our primary objective is to support these individuals in achieving their post-secondary education and career aspirations, ultimately working towards closing the racial and ethnic wealth gap in Chicago. Understanding the unique challenges faced by these young adults (fellows), UtmostU is fully committed to providing them with the necessary support and guidance for success. Through our extensive network of coaches in schools and community-based organizations, we offer a wide range of tools, partnerships, knowledge, resources, and efficiencies that strengthen community capacity and help students earn the credentials they need to reach their goals. At UtmostU, we prioritize ongoing engagement between fellows and coaches, who play a crucial role in propelling them forward as they transition into the post-secondary space. To ensure their success UtmostU revolutionizes the educational landscape by streamlining a comprehensive system that equips post-secondary coaches with the necessary tools, training, and engagement tactics to quickly identify and assist college students including: • Monthly fellow survey analysis to identify their needs in real time • Structured one-on-one, long-term coaching • Emergency persistence funding • Monthly social-emotional assessments with referrals to mental health counseling • Access to a private peer-to-peer social network • Professional experience access and career support Since 2023, UtmostU has expanded to include an impressive network of 16 sites, supported by a dedicated team of 30 coaches. Together, we passionately guide and mentor 850 young people on their journey to fulfill their post-secondary educational goals and pursue successful careers. We see the impact of social and economic trauma and adjust our systems to address their needs. Not ours.
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Grant Recipient
North Lawndale Employment Network
North Lawndale Employment Network (NLEN) is a place-based, nonprofit workforce development organization whose mission is to increase the earnings potential of the North Lawndale community of Chicago through innovative employment initiatives that lead to economic advancement and an improved quality of life. NLEN is more than a workforce development agency; we are a social justice organization that uses innovative employment initiatives to undo the devastating impact of historic disinvestment on Chicago’s West Side. Through our neighborhood-based employment initiatives that address the root causes of poverty, NLEN works to bridge the racial wealth gap and serves as a driving force for social equity and racial healing on Chicago’s West Side. NLEN is committed to solving the problem of unemployment among men and women with criminal backgrounds and individuals impacted by poverty and gun violence. As an experienced practitioner and trusted subject matter expert, NLEN collaborates with community stakeholders to lift families and communities out of poverty to reduce gun violence and recidivism. Our 24-year history of successfully managing placed-based initiatives that deliver employment and supportive services to residents recovering from the effects of mass incarceration and chronic exposure to gun violence has proven to interrupt the cycle of violence. NLEN provides integrated job readiness, employment training, career pathway development, job placement, and retention services – with wraparound and barrier reducing support – that begin with a comprehensive orientation and enrollment process, participant assessment, and individual employment plans (IEPs); and continues with case management, supportive service coordination, and occupational skills training. Our unique programming leads to upskilling and certifications for participants, ensuring program graduates are equipped with the hard and soft employment skills, along with industry-recognized credentials, which lead to family-sustaining jobs, long-term employment success, and economic advancement. NLEN assesses each program participant to customize the wraparound support needed to address barriers to program participation, training, and sustained employment. Supportive services include healthcare and mental health support, financial coaching and services, housing and homeless prevention services, civil legal aid, transportation, work uniforms, tools, supplies, tuition, books, and digital literacy training. As a core component of our job readiness program, occupational skills training, and job placement services, NLEN’s Financial Opportunity Center (FOC) contributes to the bundled support of program participants, supporting their financial wellness and economic advancement. The FOC team includes certified financial wellness coaches that lead the intake and assessment process; work closely with our Client Solution Specialists to coordinate wraparound supports; provide one-on-one coaching to establish financial goals and create and implement financials plans; and provide financial and digital literacy workshops.
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Grant Recipient
Womens Business Development Center (WBDC)
As we plan for Year Four of the Fund for Equitable Business Growth BSO Collective Impact Initiative, our ultimate objective is to prepare entrepreneurs of color to advance their businesses and grow their assets. For the proposed Expanding Minority Business Access, EMBA – Building Pathways, the Women's Business Development Center (WBDC) team will build social and knowledge capital by continuing the work with the same five organizations we partnered with during 2023, plus one new organization. With the solid working relationships we developed in Year Three, EMBA will work toward a more customized and focused era of building learning pathways for diverse entrepreneurs. During Year Three, the WBDC learned much about sharing information between organizations. Our team worked with a fantastic group of Business Service Organizations (BSOs), and we're starting to understand each of our unique strengths, skills, talents, and areas of expertise. This is critical for the new stage EMBA intends to pursue during Year Four.
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Grant Recipient
ABCD Institute
ABCDI is proposing to support the Safe and Peaceful Community Grantees by building their capacity/ providing technical assistance to grantees in a virtual and/or in person learning community. The cohort will learn tools and theory behind asset-based community development, learn from each other's gifts and skills and learn how to engage their broader community in their efforts.