News Articles

By Lourdes Duarte, WGN Chicago | August 1st, 2025 (Click Here For Original Article and To See the Video Broadcast) CHICAGO — A step was taken Friday to address the lack of affordable housing in the Chicago area. Crews broke ground on the Reclaiming Chicago project that will deliver 10 new homes in the next six months. Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle touted the initiative led by the Hope Center Foundation and Cook County Land Bank Authority. In the majority of the cases, the land bank provides the vacant lots. Crews use that land to build 1,600-square foot homes [...]

By Violet Miller, Chicago Sun-Times | August 1st, 2025 (Click Here For Original Article) The community-led campaign has drawn $40 million in support from public and private lenders with the goal of building 2,000 homes on the South and West sides. James Williams Jr. and his wife got married last year, and within 12 months had the keys to their first home — something he never imagined was possible. “My mother and father never owned a home, so I had no reference,” Williams said. “It was something I could never dream of.” The effort was part of the community-led Reclaiming Chicago [...]

By Ariel Parrella-Aureli, Block Club Chicago | July 7th, 2025 (Click Here For Original Article) Modular house company Inherent Homes is also building six single-family homes and one two-flat building on vacant Humboldt Park land in partnership with the city. HUMBOLDT PARK — Two plots of vacant land in Humboldt Park have been transformed into houses, the first set of completed factory-built homes for the neighborhood under a pilot program. The homes at 822-824 N. Homan Ave. were built by Inherent Homes, a modular home company with a factory in North Lawndale that’s one of the few developers building affordable homes [...]

By Abby Miller, Chicago Sun-Times | July 2nd, 2025 (Click Here For Original Article) COOK COUNTY, IL — Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle joined the Cook County Land Bank Authority, representatives from Inherentance and other elected officials today to announce the completion of the first two homes that are part of the Cook County Modular Homes Pilot Program. The $12 million initiative is focused on the Humboldt Park neighborhood in Chicago, Chicago Heights and Proviso Township, all communities with limited new home construction. The Cook County Bureau of Economic Development’s Department of Planning and Development is leading this pilot program, which will see [...]

BMO, Austin Coming Together, By the Hand Club for Kids and public officials are partners in the project By Jessica Mordacq, Austin Weekly News | April 9th, 2025 (Click Here For Original Article) Habitat for Humanity has broken ground on its first project in Austin. On April 7, the national housing nonprofit, Austin-based partner organizations and public officials gathered at 5320 W. Ferdinand St. to celebrate the start of construction on four affordable homes there, plus three in the 400 block of North Lockwood Avenue. All homes will be 1,800-square-foot, two-story structures. Each will have four bedrooms, a two-car garage and [...]

By Dave Marzullo, WGN Radio 720 | March 7th, 2025 (Click Here For Original Article and Listen to the Recorded Discussion)

By Darius Johnson & Edie Kasten, CBS News Chicago | January 3rd, 2025 (Click Here For Original Article and To See the Video Broadcast) CHICAGO (CBS) -- In life, making the wrong decision can often lead you to the wrong places, but a Chicago non-profit believes everyone deserves another chance, and two people are living proof that Cleanslate changes lives. "I went to prison for fraud for a long time. I was a real estate broke. I closed my office in I believe it was about '92, '93, and I started doing fraud," said Sam Lovett, senior manager of business [...]

By Esther Yoon-Ji Kang, WBEZ Chicago | October 4th, 2024 (Click Here For Original Article)

By Atavia Reed, Block Club Chicago | October 7th, 2024 (Click Here For Original Article) AUBURN GRESHAM — When local developer Tytus Henry bought a home from the Cook County Land Bank Authority to remodel in 2021, he had one request.  “I wanted it to be a challenging project,” Henry said.  Standing outside the refurbished Auburn Gresham home Thursday morning, Henry dabbed sweat from his forehead with a small towel while peering up at his creation. “And this was definitely what I asked for.”  Local officials and leaders at the Cook County Land Bank Authority joined Henry Thursday to celebrate the [...]

By Delaney Nelson, Austin Weekly News | October 3rd, 2024 (Click Here For Original Article) If you want to become a homeowner, but don’t think you can afford it, the Cook County Land Bank Authority wants to help. The Homebuyer Direct program, launched by the CCLBA in 2017, connects prospective buyers with below market-rate houses in need of renovation. The program aims to remove barriers that come with fixer-upper properties through grants up to 6% of a home’s purchase price, capped at $20,000. “[Program grants] allow them to buy, rehab and ultimately move into the home of their home of [...]