Affordable Housing in Englewood
My first “The Money Tree” post was an analysis of the TIF funds distributed to different community development projects throughout Chicago, which I had the pleasure of being able to observe via being a Documenter. The program can train documenters to attend municipal meetings and either do live coverage on Twitter/X or create a note-taking document to equip your community with the goings-on of city government. Initially, my goal was simply to get some training as a journalist and gain some XP, but little did I know it would deepen my devotion to my community and a newfound respect for how politics and government can potentially make our lives better or worse. During my last post, I delved into the total amount of TIF dollars and the opposition to Mayor Johnson’s 1.25 billion dollar economic development bonds. However, it also allowed me to take notice of a project that specifically helps out my community and similar communities.
In the March meetings, a project in Englewood, The Earle School Family Residences, will create economically viable living options. This project will utilize a school closed during Rahm Emmanuel’s time in office. Part of my astonishment in these meetings was the amount of money that was being used for good at a time when government spending was being heavily criticized for how it was inequitably distributed, especially regarding the Black community. Having lived in Englewood for a large portion of my life, I will dive into this project to analyze the optics, the potential impact, and how the partnerships created for these projects could show a model of equitable community development.
Earle School Family Residences
With the affordable housing project in Englewood, I thoroughly applaud the project, the process, and the finalization of the funding. Block Club Chicago’s Atavia Reed and Jamie Nesbitt Golden have covered the project thoroughly since it got the highlight of their publication. Golden’s coverage spoke on how it is a $22 million project that started with 63 affordable housing units, its original goal of being a senior housing unit, and how the Phoenix Foundation would provide wraparound social services for the residents. Golden stated that the market president, Ron Clewer, claimed it would have “housing, an event space, and a project that would create jobs for the community.” With the more recent coverage by Ree,d she pointed to the fact that Gorman bought the building for $200k, how the rent would be based on a 15-60% AMI of just over $22k per year, and how there is a goal to create 20 townhomes with a nearby vacant lot. Seeing this coverage made my coverage during the meeting much easier, as well as my preexisting knowledge due to my involvement in the community and taking one of the surveys distributed by Teamwork Englewood and RAGE on what the community would like to see the schools closed by Rahm Emmanuel transformed into.
Teamwork Englewood and RAGE are community organizations that lead community engagement, amongst many other community initiatives. I got involved with both organizations through Americorps Vista, where I led a literacy program in a homeless shelter and coordinated outreach for Chicago Hopes 4 Kids. These organizations were community partners and leaders regarding volunteerism and community engagement, and it was essential to make sure my non-local host organization aligned with community initiatives in housing and education. Both of these organizations led me to the Englewood Quality of Life Initiative, which created task forces that focused on tackling issues in the community and bringing forth community-led solutions; after attending one of RAGE’s village meetings and joining the education task force, I became aware of the effort from the community to repurpose the schools that were closed in 2013. So once I attended my first committee on finance meeting in February, it was exhilarating to see something that the community talked about become a reality.
So, the project was on the agenda at the first finance meeting I attended, but it wasn’t handled until March. During the March meeting, I got to hear from Clewer, with Gorman and Company, Sherry Allen-Reeves, executive director of the Phoenix Foundation, speak on the project’s intentions and how their expertise will bring about social impact. Clewer spoke first, saying, “I understand that most people in Englewood don’t look like me,” and pointed to how the Phoenix Foundation would have 51% ownership as co-developer and most construction work would be done by “BIPOC” contractors. Sherry Allen Reeves spoke on her organs focus on supporting those going through homelessness, recovery addiction, and ending generational homelessness; the Phoenix Foundation is not only led by a black woman, but 4 out of 5 members of the executive board are minorities. The committee’s only criticism of the project was the cost of affordable housing units compared to market-rate units. That inquiry concluded that affordable housing units are often held to a higher standard than market-rate units. This was my first and only interaction with the organization, and it set the precedent for further research.
Once I realized that Gorman was also the developer who has been working with the Go Green on Racine initiative, a community-driven effort to revitalize the neighborhood through sustainable practices, and was the developer for The Regenerator, another transformation of a closed school, I can firmly attest that this wasn’t simply an effort to gentrify and drive out community residents with unaffordable rental options. Upon further inspection of the development plan, many things stood out to me: the project would create 117 construction jobs and 20 permanent jobs, The Regenerator was a 15-minute walk away, Lori Lightfoot’s Invest South/West kicked off the funding, Alderman Raymond Lopez approved, there were 9 schools within a mile, and there access to multiple bus stops and train stations within a mile. When it came down to the nitty gritty, the cost of the apartments would range from $276 to $1100 per month for studio, 1-bedroom, and 2-bedroom apartments. With EG Woode’s The BeeHyyve being the architect behind this project, I see community involvement from the beginning of outreach efforts dating back to 2013 all the way to the creation of the community this housing development will create.
My Conclusion
Initially, I would cover another project in a different community, but my lack of community dynamics would make this feel like backseat driving. Every community has issues, and each should be treated according to its history and issues. Englewood is one of the poorest and most disinvested communities in Chicago, and my understanding allows me to have a relevant opinion on whether community development projects make sense and are equitable. I’ve dealt with living with slumlords, homelessness, and how the community creates and fights for its solutions to those issues. Though I care for all the disinvested communities in my city, it would be a disservice to chime in on something I know nothing about.
Regarding the Charles Earle Family Residences, this is making the most of our assets and meeting the community where they are. Other communities have different issues, but my understanding of the socioeconomic issues in Englewood isn’t just a regurgitation of data I found on a developer agreement. Chicago’s median income compared to Englewood’s is a tragedy, and I know that my education background and last year of taxed income since I joined the military in 2021 put me in the top 10% of the community when I barely made $50k and only had a bachelor’s degree. The most expensive apartment in the project would take up over 25% of my income that year, and I am not sure who a project like that was designed for. The community collaborative efforts by the whole initiative must be commended and emulated. Still, the truth is that money for developers isn’t going to transform Englewood and eliminate the socioeconomic obstacles they deal with in a city with so much promise as Chicago.
CTGV 