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…
Grants
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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. Today, that means confronting the racial and ethnic wealth gap.
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Grant Recipient
Metropolis Strategies NFP
ILJP is requesting funding to support our general operations, to support the Illinois Reentry Council’s ongoing work to implement public sector investments for the creation of affordable housing for returning residents, and to support the creation of a Director of Reentry position at the Illinois Department of Human Services. The Illinois Reentry Council is working to get government to invest more time and resources into creating opportunities for people exiting jails and prisons. Outgoing Secretary Grace Hou and Incoming Secretary Dulce Quintero at the Illinois Department of Human Services are are in the process of hiring someone to serve as DHS’s Director of Reentry to lead the agency’s reentry work. They and their team are utilizing the normal channels of government to create a full-time position in the department, but it will take 12 months for them to work with Central Management Services (CMS) to post the job, interview candidates, and hire a person. Both the incoming and outgoing Secretaries of the Department want to start right away, and we are raising money to hire a person who would report to the Illinois Reentry Council and would work with and support the department while it goes through the process of creating the position and hiring. It will cost $143,000 to support the position. They would have to pay for their own benefits for 12 months. A grant from the Chicago Community Trust would be used to help fund this initiative. Other resources from the MacArthur Foundation are likely to be secured. And we are engaged in discussions with other funders who are interested in supporting this project. The second use of the grant would be for reentry housing. This is related to the Illinois Reentry Council’s ongoing work to create reentry housing opportunities for people exiting jails and prisons across the state. The Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA) released its first Request for Applications for the Housing for Justice-Involved Persons program in January of 2022. The program was designed to be flexible and to support new and emerging affordable housing providers, including growing organizations and those led by people with direct experience with the criminal legal system. When IHDA announced the first round of awards in the summer of 2022, the agency committed to funding projects that would create almost 500 new beds for people exiting jails and prisons. However, since the grantees were announced, many, including some IRC members, have run into some difficulties with implementation. More specifically, many grantees are experiencing challenges during the predevelopment phase. Issues related to zoning approval, land use, lack of legal representation, and lack of support on project planning have arisen all over the state including and in Chicago. To help mitigate these challenges, we tapped our network to find real estate attorneys and consultants, land use consultants, and people with development experience in this field to support IRC members working through these challenges. However, the real estate services industry cluster is short on firms that are willing to do this work on a pro bono basis. We are working on a long-term solution with IHDA personnel, who are going to issue another round of funding next year, but it will be at least a year until we are able to implement the recommendations that we are working on. In the meantime, many grantees are struggling to either close on their projects, or to obtain the necessary zoning approvals needed to start developing, rehabbing, and operating the homes. There are at least 5 to 6 IRC member organizations that would benefit from support in these areas. A typical real estate attorney costs $20,000, and we understand that a land use consultant costs half as much. The grant funding would provide critical resources to organizations that need these services to create housing units. The remainder of the grant would be used to support the ongoing operations of the Illinois Justice Project, which works on a broad range of criminal legal system reform issues in the juvenile and adult space, including diverting and deflecting people from the system, accelerating and supporting successful release for people to leave the system, changing policies and practices for those in the system, and integrating an understanding of and services to address the impact of trauma on those touched by the system.
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Grant Recipient
Still Point Theatre Collective
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Grant Recipient
Awakenings Art
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Grant Recipient
3Arts, Inc.
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Grant Recipient
Enlace Chicago
Quality of Life Planning in Little Village is a dynamic process aimed at enhancing the overall well-being of the community. This comprehensive approach involves various stakeholders and is driven by a shared vision for a healthier, safer, and more prosperous neighborhood. The planning process actively engages community leaders, residents, and organizations, uniting them to identify and address key priorities. These priorities encompass areas such as arts and culture, economic development, education, green spaces, health, housing, immigration, and safety. In 2023, the community is intensifying its focus on these priorities through an intersectional approach, leveraging collaborative networks and partnerships. Increased focus on built environment and development opportunities will expand the impact of this plan over previous versions. Evaluation is also weaved into the planning process with an understanding that by intentionally thinking through evaluation and developing capacity now, will increase the quality of ongoing, meaningful evaluation efforts throughout implementation.
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Grant Recipient
South Shore Drill Team & Performing Arts Ensemble
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Grant Recipient
Reader Institute for Community Journalism Inc
The Reader Institute for Community Journalism respectfully requests $75,000 to support a digital strategy project that will support growth and increased engagement of its audience. Increased engagement with local news media is conducive to greater civic engagement and strengthens democratic outcomes.
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Grant Recipient
Artists Cooperative Residency and Exhibitions Project