Reclaiming Chicago
Rebuild, Reclaim and Repopulate the City’s core neighborhoods for and with everyday working people and working-class families.
The Goal
Build 2,000 HOMES ON THE SOUTH and THE WEST SIDES of Chicago, strategically and at scale BLOCKS AT A TIME so that we can replace vacancies, violence, and decades of disinvestment with affordable homes, safe streets, and OPPORTUNITIES FOR FAMILIES, especially families of color, TO BUILD WEALTH AND EQUITY.
Build
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homes on the west side of Chicago
Build
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homes on the south side of Chicago
Where We Are
We have made significant progress:
NEW HOMEOWNERS
- 57 HOMES SOLD with families moving into those homes
- 83 BUYERS with pre-approved mortgages
NEW HOMES
- 150 HOMES UNDER DEVELOPMENT across five neighborhoods
- 500 LOTS FOR DEVELOPMENT committed by City at a pace of 125 per year
NEW MONEY
- $32 MILLION COMMITTED to date for home construction
- $50 MILLION ALREADY DEPLOYED creating jobs, new homes and new homeowners
- $25 MILLION COMMITTED from the state of Illinois to provide homebuyer subsidies
Creating generational wealth through homeownership.
Where We're Going
United Power members organized over 1,200 people to meet with newly elected Mayor Johnson and he committed to work with us:
- COMMITED 500 CITY-OWNED VACANT LOTS
We have identified over 500 lots across the three city wards (9th, 20th and 24th) that our anchor member institutions are ready and waiting to get working on. The first 70 of these lots were conveyed in Fall 2024.
- CUT THE RED TAPE
We have identified a number of ways for the city to free up the land and allow us to build as quickly as possible. The Mayor appointed his Chief of Staff John Roberson to be our point person to enact these efficiencies.
- MONEY TO CLEAN-UP THE LAND
To offset the cost cleaning up vacant land, often vacant for decades and to return it to useful life including shoring up the city’s long-term tax base, we want the city to commit subsidy dollars to offset the cost of the land improvement to ensure the homes remain affordable to working families We want the city to commit at least $10 million this year to offset that cost.
- STATE SUBSIDY
Last year’s state budget had a line item for $10 million to IDHS to provide United Power with grant funds to be used for homebuyer subsidies for this effort. We want a line item in the state budget again increased to $15 million to allow more progress to be made in 2025.
Where We Started
- Began with Reclaiming Southwest Chicago.
- In 2019, began to expand the effort to the west side
- Secured $215 million in the state capital budget funds for affordable housing; $15 million directly allocated to Reclaiming Southwest Chicago and Reclaiming North Lawndale
- 1251 people met with newly elected Mayor Lightfoot. Won commitment to work on Reclaiming Communities
- Seeking city and state commitments for three key geographies in Chicago: Chicago Lawn and Back of the Yards on the southwest side and North Lawndale on the west side
Led by Proven Local Institutions
Past Initiatives
RECLAIMING SOUTHWEST CHICAGO
United Power member, The Southwest Organizing Project (SWOP) has led a strategic and concentrated effort to reclaim Chicago Lawn from 11,000 foreclosures and over 700 vacant properties. Since 2012, SWOP has helped over 650 families save their homes from foreclosure and has transformed dozens of vacant properties into over 100 homes and apartments. In this reclaimed neighborhood crime is down by over 70%, vacant properties have been reduced by over 50%, and school quality has dramatically improved. SWOP is now actively working to acquire and rehab another 100 homes and apartments to continue this effort to create affordable homes, safe streets, and good schools.
RECLAIMING NORTH LAWNDALE
A dozen United Power member institutions are leading the effort to rebuild North Lawndale, including Lawndale Christian Development Corporation (LCDC), North Lawndale Community
Coordinating Council (NLCCC), and the North Lawndale Homeowners’ Association (NLHOA). In 2005-06, United Power and Lawndale Christian led the effort to build over 100 Ezra Homes on city-owned
vacant lots in North Lawndale. The Ezra Homes still stand today—owned by active community residents, helping families build wealth and equity, and serving as testaments to what can be. The Ezra Homes are part of LCDC’s track record, bringing $100 million worth of commercial and residential development to the community. LCDC and Chicago Neighborhood Initiatives (CNI) are
leading the effort to build 250 affordable new homes on city-owned vacant lots in the first phase of Reclaiming North Lawndale.
In the Media
>Block Club Chicago: Modular Homes Are Coming To Roseland To Help More People Become Homeowner
> WTTW Chicago Tonight: Roseland Initiative Works to Promote Homeownership, Revitalize Communities Using Modular Homes
Associated Initiatives
NEHEMIAH HOMES – NYC
East Brooklyn Congregations (EBC), an affiliated entity of United Power, has constructed 5,000 affordable homes in East Brooklyn for working class and working poor households—rebuilding areas that were once as vacant and disinvested as the south and west sides of Chicago. These efforts have created over $2 billion in wealth and equity for first-time homebuyers (mostly people of color). And the foreclosure rate has been less than a fraction of 1%
Recent Actions
> April 1: Description
> March 15: Description
