HODC developed this building in collaboration with the nonprofit organization WilPower. WilPower is a social service organization located in Northfield that provides housing and services for adults coping with mental illness.
In June 2001, HODC and WilPower combined forces to submit a grant application to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (“HUD”) for Supportive Housing Program funds. The building’s four-bedroom units are very large, each containing a spacious living room, full dining area, and eat-in kitchen.
HODC and WilPower began rehab in January 2003. Rehab included installing a new kitchen on the first floor, replacing flooring throughout the building, and renovating the basement to include office space for WilPower staff. The building is now home to eight WilPower clients. HUD provides funding for supportive services and 24-hour case management staff.
HODC is partnering with Turnstone Development Corporation, a nonprofit affordable housing developer, to develop this building. The property had an expired rental assistance contract and was put on the market by the owner. The Village of Morton Grove supported saving the building as affordable senior housing and provided bond cap to finance the mortgage. HODC took over management upon acquisition in August 2003.
The building provides homes for 56 low-income senior citizens, many of whom moved in when the building was constructed in 1980. Since the building has project-based rental assistance, tenants pay just one-third of their income towards rent with the remainder covered by HUD. HODC provides flexible management services so that tenants can continue to live independently and with dignity.
Rehab included replacing the building's roof, kitchens and windows. Additionally, the community room
was reconfigured to make it more spacious and the building manager's office moved adjacent to the lobby to improve visibility and safety.
