HODC News

Spruce Village Ribbon Cutting on 11/10/2020

Posted on by Melani Kaplan Posted in Uncategorized
3 story apartment building with green and white siding, and red brick. Pink flower in the forefront.
Spruce Village, Palatine

On Tuesday, November 10, 2020 at 3:00 PM, HODC will celebrate the completion of construction on it’s newest building, Spruce Village at 560 Spruce Drive, Palatine, IL 60074. Join HODC’s executive director, Richard Koenig, Palatine Mayor Jim Schwantz, and other community leaders as they cut the ribbon on this 44-unit affordable housing development.

The ceremony will be live-streamed on HODC’s Facebook page at 3:00 PM. Due to COVID, we encourage you to join us online. Stay after the ceremony for a one-on-one virtual tour of the building with Richard!

For those who join the celebration in person, building tours will be limited to 2 people at a time and spaced apart in order to maximize social distancing.

Spruce Village is supportive housing for people living with disabilities. Residents will have access to a full spectrum of supportive services which encourage independent living and are tailored to their individual needs. Under the coordination of HODC, services will be made available through a network of community-based service providers, including case management, life and parenting skills, and employment support.

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Virtual Groundbreaking in Evanston Scheduled

Posted on by Melani Kaplan Posted in Uncategorized

Thursday, October 29, 2020 at 3:30 PM

Floor plan of 2-bedroom, 1-bath apartment. Colors highlight key areas: pink in bedrooms, blue in bathroom, aqua in kitchen, and green in stairs.
Floorplan for the second floor unit of the accessory dwelling unit in Evanston.

You can celebrate with HODC by watching the groundbreaking as it is live-streamed online on the HODC Facebook page!

HODC’s executive director, Richard Koenig (HODC) will celebrate HODC’s exciting new project with Robin Rue Simmons (Evanston 5th Ward Alderwoman), and Dick Co (Evanston Development Cooperative). Remarks will be shared about the exciting significance of this accessory dwelling unit (ADU) project in Evanston.

Construction will soon begin on a 2-bedroom, 1-bath unit over a 2-car garage. It will be added to a lot owned by HODC that currently has a 2-flat home at 1930 Jackson Avenue. This affordable housing ADU will be rented to qualified tenants earning less than 60% AMI and found through the City of Evanston’s Centralized Waitlist for Affordable Housing.

Constructed by the Evanston Development Cooperative (EDC), this revolutionary project heralds Alderwoman Rue Simmons’ years of hard work and Evanston’s commitment to increasing affordable housing options in the city by changing zoning to permit additional types of ADUs. Patented Eco-Panels will be used to frame the home, making the building safer and more energy-efficient.

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Transformation Instills Hope and Dignity in Evanston

Posted on by Melani Kaplan Posted in Uncategorized
A sunlit room with red brick walls, light wooden floors, light grey ceiling, and furniture with clean lines and cool blue, grey and green tones.
The newly transformed library at HODC’s Claridge Apartments in Evanston.

This year, Designs for Dignity selected HODC as a recipient for an Impact Grant to make over the library room at Claridge. Designs for Dignity transforms non-profit environments through pro bono design services and in-kind donations.

HODC’s Claridge Apartments provides affordable housing for 48 low-income individuals, most of whom work in Evanston. The single room occupancy building is located in Evanston’s Lakefront Historic District.

While COVID temporarily delayed completion, we’re incredibly grateful to the staff and volunteers at Designs for Dignity for seeing this project through safely and with such beautiful results!

HODC is grateful and proud to share these before and after images of this amazing transformation.

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HODC’s 2019 Annual Report

Posted on by Melani Kaplan Posted in Uncategorized
2019 HODC Annual Report cover. Adult hand placing small wooden house in child's hands. Green bar on left with title of HODC 2019 Annual Report and HODC logo.
2019 HODC Annual Report cover. Adult hand placing small wooden house in child's hands. Green bar on left with title of HODC 2019 Annual Report and HODC logo.
The Power of a Stable Address

View HODC’s 2019 annual report to see what we have accomplished in the last year thanks to the support of our dedicated board, donors, and other partners.

Since 1983, HODC has been driven by a vision that everyone has access to a home they can afford in a community of their choice. Celebrate our latest achievements driven by our mission to develop, manage, and preserve housing that is affordable to low and moderate income households primarily throughout Chicago’s northern suburbs.

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Cary Senior Living Receives Green Certification

Posted on by Melani Kaplan Posted in Uncategorized
Three-story apartment building.
Cary Senior Living, Photo by Rich Chapman

HODC is pleased to announce that Cary Senior Living has been granted the National Green Building Standard (NGBS) Bronze Certification by Home Innovation Research Labs. To earn this certification, Cary Senior Living must meet rigorous criteria in six categories – Lot Development; Resource Efficiency; Energy Efficiency; Water Efficiency; Indoor Air Quality; and Operation and Maintenance.

The benefits of affordable housing being Green include lower utility costs, a healthier indoor environment, and increased durability. In particular, lower utility costs expands housing affordability for low-income households such as seniors with limited income.

Cary Senior Living is a new development that opened in December 2019. The three-story building offers 62 affordable apartments for residents 62 and older. It provides modern residences, affordable rents, and a range of amenities. The need for this kind of housing is critical as the demand for affordable age-restricted rental housing in the area far outpaces the available supply.

HODC’s Coach House in Evanston Will Happen!

Posted on by Melani Kaplan Posted in Uncategorized
Rendering of small 2-story coach house. 2 garage doors on the first floor. 2 windows on the second floor. White siding and dark tile roof.
The Coach House to be constructed for HODC by the Evanston Development Cooperative (EDC).

HODC is delighted to announce that it has been awarded funding to build a new coach house on its property at 1930 Jackson Avenue in Evanston. On Monday, 4/13/2020, the City of Evanston’s Planning & Development Committee voted unanimously to approve funding under the City’s HOME Investment Partnerships grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The property currently has a two-flat with two 3-bedroom affordable housing rental units. The forgivable HOME loan will enable HODC to construct a coach house on the back of the property. It will include parking for two vehicles on the ground level and a 2-bedroom apartment on the second story. The coach house apartment will be an affordable housing rental unit for a low income household.

HODC will contract with the Evanston Development Cooperative (EDC) for this project. It will be the first coach house in Evanston using EDC’s pioneering structural insulated panels (SIPs). EDC’s pre-engineered wall panels replace traditional stick frame construction and are rapidly assembled on-site. The structure will exceed HUD energy efficiency goals for new housing construction and help maintain affordability through lower operating costs.

Keep an eye out for future Evanston Coach House updates!

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Spruce Village Groundbreaking

Posted on by Melani Kaplan Posted in News
Smiling people wearing hard hats and holding shovels.
State and village officials, the developer, architect, and builder at the groundbreaking for Spruce Village in Palatine, Illinois. Pictured from left are: Carl Hauert, Project Manager, Henry Bros. Co.; Rachel Rhodes, Vice President Regional Manager, Central, National Equity Fund; Scott Britton, Cook County Board Commissioner (14th District); Richard Koenig, Executive Director, Housing Opportunity Development Corporation; Tom O’Brien, Vice President of Project Development, Henry Bros. Co., Laura Novick, Associate Architect, Cordogan Clark & Associates; John Clark, Principal, Cordogan Clark & Associates; Ann Gillespie, State Senator (27th District); Hugh Brady, Co-President of The North/Northwest Suburban Task Force On Supportive Housing for Individuals With Mental Illness; and Palatine Mayor Jim Schwantz.

HODC broke ground on December 5, 2019, in Palatine on a new development. Spruce Village will provide 44 supportive affordable housing units to adults living with disabilities. Spruce Village residents will be linked with supportive services designed to encourage independent living. The building will fill a need in the suburbs for local housing opportunities for persons with disabilities who need to be near their families and support networks to remain independent. Completion is expected in December of 2020.

“The struggle for people living with a disability to find stable housing is complicated by lack of affordability,” says HODC’s Executive Director Richard Koenig on the occasion of the Spruce Village groundbreaking. Koenig adds: “Permanent supportive housing is a cost-effective solution to help lower income households with disabilities improve their quality of life and have money to spend on other important things like health care and other services to stabilize chronic conditions.”

Spruce Village is being developed by Housing Opportunity Development Corporation who will own and manage the project. The building was designed by Cordogan Clark & Associates and is under construction by Henry Bros Construction. HODC’s funding partners for Spruce Village are the Illinois Housing Development Authority, National Equity Fund, Federal Home Loan Bank, Village Bank & Trust, N.A., Housing Authority of Cook County and ComEd.

HODC Opens New Senior Living Building in Cary

Posted on by Melani Kaplan Posted in Uncategorized
Smiling developers, officials, and community members are ready to cut the green ribbon in front of Cary Senior Living.
Village officials, developers, builders, funders, future tenants, and members of the public gather to officially cut the ribbon and open Cary Senior Living, a new 62 unit affordable housing rental community for residents aged 62 and older.

The Housing Opportunity Development Corporation (HODC) and PIRHL Developers celebrated the completion of their new building, Cary Senior Living, on Tuesday, December 3rd.  The Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA), Cary Mayor Mark Kownick, and other local officials were on hand to help cut the ribbon.

The three story building is an affordable rental community for residents who are 62 years or older. It offers 38 one-bedroom and 24 two-bedroom apartments. Seven of those apartments are reserved for seniors who are eligible for assistance from the McHenry County Housing Authority.

Cary Senior Living is Passive House Certified through the Passive House Institute U.S. This means that the building meets state-of-the-art energy standards that are designed to reduce the environmental impact of the development and to enhance the long term comfort and livability of the community. Units also include energy-efficient appliances.

This development comes at a time when the demand for affordable housing in the area is far greater than the available supply. Accessibility and adaptability features are also included to help residents stay independent. Residents will also enjoy access to a fitness center, library and game room, and on-site management.

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Richard Koenig Presents Mobile Workshop

Posted on by Melani Kaplan Posted in Uncategorized

HODC Executive Director Richard Koenig presented a mobile workshop “Planning for Affordable & Supportive Housing” as part of the 2019 APA-IL State Conference today. The annual conference brings together professionals from around Illinois to share ideas, grow professionally, and discover solutions to today’s challenges in urban planning.

Participants toured HODC’s own Axley Place, a supportive housing development in Glenview.

People talking in apartment.
Richard Koenig answers questions during tour of Axley Place.
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HODC’s Front Door: Fall 2019 Newsletter

Posted on by Melani Kaplan Posted in Uncategorized

Click here to view HODC’s Fall 2019 newsletter!

The first page of HODC's Front Door: Fall 2019 newsletter.
https://conta.cc/2lrOO40
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