News

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 operations for Cleanslate.

After two years in state prison, Lovett went to federal prison.

“When the federal judge sentenced me to the five years, he put something on my mind,” he said. “And I really thought about it. I’m going to end up dying in prison if I come back, so I made a determination that I was going to change.”

Lovett found that change when he was released in 2017 at the age of 57. That change was Cleanslate.

“Cleanslate, it means a new start to me, a new start, a clean slate, because a lot of individuals coming home don’t believe they will get a second chance,” he said.

Cleanslate is a non-profit that provides training and salaried transitional jobs. Participants earn an income while developing skills they need for permanent employment.

“We work with over almost 100 or more employment partners, where we help get them to a permanent job. We work directly with employment partners like CTA Second Chance, ADM, Lurie Children’s Hospital,” Lovett said. “You start in the workforce program, where you develop the competencies of time management, communications, and things of that nature.”

In the end, they earn a full-time job, but the path can be challenging.

“It wasn’t easy. I had to humble myself out in the street with a broom and dustpan, and with a shiny vest,” Lovett said.

Cleanslate participant Joshua Phillips now wears the same kind of vest.

“I went to prison. First, I was outside. I was selling drugs, doing whatever I was doing, and went to prison, ended up going to jail for a gun case,” he said.

In 2023, after nearly two decades in prison, Phillips knew he couldn’t go back to the same hustle or lifestyle in Englewood.

“When I got out of jail, I ended up running into Cleanslate and Cleanslate made my life change. They gave me a job, they provided housing,” he said.

For the first time, he was creating a new life, a different life, but not just for himself.

“I have to have something for my family. You know, I got kids, so I need an endgame. You know, you gotta have an endgame. There was no endgame at first, but Cleanslate provided that,” he said.

It also provided him with a broom to sweep two days a week, and a notebook to attend class.

Now he’s cleaning homes provided to Cleanslate by the Cook County Land Bank Authority, which focuses on remodeling vacant, abandoned, and tax delinquent properties in disinvested neighborhoods.

“We get those properties, and we make them available for developers, non-profits, and community members to revitalize them and make them back into productive use,” Cook County Land Bank Authority executive director Jessica Caffrey said.

Throughout the 10-year partnership, Cleanslate has become one of the Land Bank’s biggest vendors, with over 400 properties that have provided more than 250 jobs.

“Together we’re reducing recidivism, we’re allowing traditional jobseekers to get jobs, we’re giving people a second chance,” Caffrey said.

Lovett worked his way up within Cleanslate, and now seven years later he’s the senior business manager of operations.

“I elected to stay instead of moving forward, because I thought, well I knew that I could help other people, and that was my goal, so I stayed at Cleanslate,” he said.

He’s helped many people, but not all of them make it. Phillips has, and the two men have become good friends.

“I’m proud of him, I’m proud of him. He stuck with the program,” Lovett said.

“My wife tells me, my kids tell me, my mother tells me. So yes, I’m very proud of myself,” Phillips said.

Both Lovett and Phillips know they’re now in the right place.

“When you get sick and tired of doing the same thing every day, you’re gonna change, and that’s what happened,” Phillips said.

“Never give up hope,” Lovett said. “There was a second chance for me, and at 57. So there is a second chance for everyone.”

Cleanslate and its parent organization, Cara Collective, have helped more than 15,000 people find jobs and a new path. For more information, visit the Cleanslate website.

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 completion of the single-family home at 8514 S. Peoria Ave. 

The four-bedroom, four-bath Victorian home is the 2,000th Cook County Land Bank Authority property to be redeveloped in the organization’s 10-year history. 

The Cook County Land Bank Authority bought the vacant property in 2019. The 4,500-square-foot home was built in 1890. 

Henry, owner of Lion Heart Construction, bought the home from the land bank in 2021 for $40,000, he said. He began working on the property at the end of 2022 after completing projects for other investors. 

What followed over the next two years was “blood, sweat, tears and a lot of sleepless nights,” Henry said. 

“Tytus worked to turn this abandoned, dilapidated home into a beautiful place that we stand in today,” said Jessica Caffrey, executive director of the Cook County Land Bank Authority.  “In the process, he created jobs, helped launch careers, created tax revenue and put a jewel right here on this block in Auburn Gresham.”

The house needed to be “built from the ground up,” Henry said. That meant adding new studs, electrical wiring, plumbing, HVAC units and flooring to the four-story home. Henry invested about $225,000 in the property, he said. 

Henry grew up with eight brothers and a father who was a carpenter, he said. His father taught him how to work in the trades to complete construction projects, and knowing those skills “cut down a big cost.”

Along the way, Henry had assistance from local youth in the YouthBuild and Bridge to Construction programs offered through Metropolitan Family Services. 

YouthBuild, an alternative education opportunity for people ages 18-24, and Bridge to Construction, a pre-apprenticeship program, help young people learn occupational skills so they can find well-paying jobs. 

At the Peoria Avenue home, Henry taught youth like 19-year-old Nehemiah Triplett and Keyshawn Shuford carpentry skills like house framing and plumbing and electrical work. Triplett and Shuford learned fence posting and how to pour concrete. 

“He made sure we understood what we were learning and took time to teach us,” Triplett said. “It’s not easy work to build a house, but I kept coming back because I knew it was also building my character and helping me build a career.” 

Triplett hopes to become a real estate agent. Working with Henry “gave me another outlet to help further what I want to do to become better,” Triplett said. 

When Henry finishes a project, “all someone has to do is come in, drop their keys and start living in the house without any headaches,” he said. He puts his “heart and soul” into the process.

Henry added a black-and-white color scheme to the Auburn Gresham home “because everyone is doing gray,” he said. The home features a full slab countertop, a butler’s kitchen and a wall-mounted electric fireplace.

Henry completed renovations on the home last month, he said. A new buyer is closing on the home Friday. 

Thursday’s 2000th home celebration coincided with the release of the Cook County Land Bank Authority’s 10-year Economic Impact Analysis. 

In the past decade, the Cook County Land Bank Authority has created over 1,400 jobs, generated more than $58.1 million in community wealth and added over $1.8 billion in economic impact throughout Cook County, according to the study. 

The homebuyer who bought the Peoria Avenue property will receive $20,000 in purchase assistance from the Cook County Land Bank Authority, Caffrey said. 

“The Lank Bank is the key to reversing some of the historic wrongs that have created such extreme inequities in our city and our county, including here in Auburn Gresham,” said county board President Toni Preckwinkle. “Because when we’re talking about home ownership, we’re really talking about safety and shelter, a place to nurture a family, a way to grow generational wealth that can be passed down to future generations.”

Construction on the Victorian home “was a monster, but it was well worth the journey,” Henry said. 

Meeting local young people who “listened, learned and asked a million questions all day and night” was one of the most fulfilling aspects of the project, Henry said. 

Tierra Montgomery, a Roseland native, was inspired by Henry to start a construction company, she said Thursday.

T&C Infinite Remodeling — named after her sons — launched last month. Montgomery is already completing renovations for a client in Morgan Park, she said.  

“It’s rare to be a woman who owns a construction company, and I want to mentor others the way I was mentored,” Montgomery said. “This is a career I truly love, and there’s no shortage of opportunities for someone like me who has a strong work ethic and big goals.”

Henry has three remodeling projects lined up for homes in Auburn Gresham and Englewood, he said. He hopes to launch a nonprofit called Raising Lions to continue mentoring youth in the construction industry. 

“I hope the future homeowner will feel proud that some young people worked on the house,” said Triplett. “Not only does this house look professional, but they can have a peace of mind knowing that we’re not on the streets. We have our own jobs lined up.”

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 their dreams,” said Darlene Dugo, deputy director of the CCLBA.

In 2024, the program expanded to assist buyers in purchasing developer-owned renovated properties or newly built properties on former land bank plots. The grant is only available for property that will become the owner’s primary residence.

Homebuyers may use grant funds to finance renovations, contribute to a down payment or closing costs or pay for things related to property transactions, like insurance or inspection fees. In addition, buyers must contribute at least $1,000 or 1% of the home purchase price, whichever is less.

There are two ways to participate:

For buyers interested in purchasing a fixer upper directly from the land bank, search the CCLBA’s interactive property viewer for available properties. Buyers may show their interest using the “apply” button on the property’s listing. From there, a representative from the agency will take potential buyers on a property tour and talk them through needed renovations.

The second option is to purchase from a developer. A list of qualifying properties can be found on the CCLBA’s website under “equity fund program.” This includes both developer-renovated properties and previously vacant land bank lots on which developers have built new property. Application documents are also listed on the website.

In either case, buyers must be mortgage-ready to apply for the grant money. That may mean going to homebuyer counseling, meeting with a lender and getting pre-approved for a mortgage.

Darlene Dugo, deputy director at the CCLBA, said the homebuyer direct program intentionally has few limits, aside from mandating the property be owner-occupied for a minimum of three years.

“We don’t impose any income restrictions, we don’t impose any credit score requirements. Essentially, we’re letting the applicant know, ‘Follow your lender’s guidelines, because they’re going to direct you,’” Dugo said. The program’s purchase assistance can be layered with other purchase assistance or down payment assistance programs, she added, as long as the buyer’s lender allows it.

Cook County President Toni Preckwinkle, first elected in 2010, has led a charge to investigate and create solutions for historic disinvestment. The CCLBA, which, aside from this grant program, acquires vacant, abandoned and foreclosed properties and develops them in a way that’s consistent with community stakeholder priorities, is a branch of Preckwinkle’s work.

In addition to making home buying more affordable and accessible, the land bank’s grant program “continues its mission of promoting redevelopment and reuse of vacant, abandoned, foreclosured, tax delinquent property,” Dugo said.

“Imagine having one delinquent property on your street and the havoc that that causes,” said Dugo. “That impacts everyone on that block’s property values. What we want to do is turn these properties into an asset for that neighborhood.”

In the past decade, the CCLBA’s partnerships with private developers have done just that: created jobs, built affordable housing and aided in the revitalization of disinvested communities across Cook County, according to the organization’s ten-year impact report. At a cost of just over $185 million since 2014, the CCLBA’s programs generated $9.77 for every dollar spent.

In Austin, CCLBA’s reach extends beyond homeownership. On Oct. 10, PCC Community Wellness will host a ribbon cutting ceremony for its Austin Primary Care Pavilion, which was built on former Land Bank plots. The center will offer medical care, job opportunities, an urban farm and workforce development programming. And earlier this year, local developer Leodus Thomas Jr. unveiled a newly restored eight-flat residential building in Galewood. It includes five affordable residences and was also built on plots purchased from the Land Bank.

By Evelyn Holmes, ABC 7 News | February 23, 2024 (Click Here For Original Article and View the Video Broadcast)

CHICAGO (WLS) — The South Side neighborhood of Ashburn is stronger as a community Friday as they celebrated the opening of Jerk Soule restaurant.

“This is beautiful, this is so needed,” said resident Angel Harrell.

The grand opening of the Jamaican-soul food fusion eatery near 82nd and Kedzie is the dream of self-proclaimed serial entrepreneur Judith Smith as a way to honor her late father, who was a soul food cook, and her love of Jamaican food.

“He was a cook and it was my dream to always do something for him,” she said.

Smith was able to grow her restaurant from a food truck to a brick and mortar diner because she was able to purchase a vacant building through the Cook County Land Bank Authority.

“In the past, buildings like this would have sat vacant for 10 or 15 years, but now with visionaries like Judith, it’s now a community asset,” said Jessica Caffrey, executive director of the CCLBA.

Over the last 10 years, the CCLBA has acquired vacant and tax distressed properties which it then sells to buyers willing to invest in the area.

“We don’t want to see vacant properties in our communities because it brings down our property values,” said 18th Ward Ald. Derrick Curtis.

Not only are Chef Orlando Currie’s traditional Jamaican favorites like oxtails and curried goat on the menu, Chef Marty Cunningham is also serving up mac and cheese, collard greens and fried chicken.

Jerk Soule is also the new home of Rib Jibz bbq sauce, the first time the sweet and tangy sauce is available in store.

“This is blessing just to have it inside a physical building until I can get my own building,” said Doretha Ferguson.

Friday afternoon the restaurant was packed, and the investment in the community is already paying off. There’s a Black-owned nail salon down the street already open, and Judith hopes to be able to expand buy another property pretty soon. She wants to turn it into an event space or jazz club.

By Trey Arline, Block Club Chicago | April 12th, 2023 (Click Here For Original Article)

WEST GARFIELD PARK — Elaine Bell-Quinn’s mother and father came to Chicago separately during the tail end of the Great Migration, looking for more opportunities.

The two met and married, raising their family — including Bell-Quinn — in West Garfield Park. But as Bell-Quinn grew up, the neighborhood struggled with disinvestment.

Now, Bell-Quinn’s helping to revitalize the neighborhood and reclaim her family’s legacy — starting with her family’s home block.

Earlier this month, the Cook County Land Bank Authority awarded Bell-Quinn the deed to the land at 4738 W. Monroe St., which is next to her family’s longtime home at 4742 W. Monroe St. The deed was free as part of a community wealth initiative to restore struggling neighborhoods and incentivize investment in them.

Bell-Quinn and her partner, Brian Quinn, plan to establish the Kitteh Soup Kitchen & Garden on the vacant plot to grow fresh produce for the neighborhood and beautify the area. It will also serve as a cat sanctuary for stray felines.

Bell-Quinn, who lives in Logan Square with her partner, said she saw a need to return to her childhood home and create a positive legacy.

The home, which has stood since the 1920s, has been set ablaze twice: once during the 1991 Chicago Bulls championship and again during 2020’s unrest, Bell-Quinn said. But Bell-Quinn’s project is reimagining the house and the land next door, turning it into a space that can feed neighbors.

The garden will be up and running by this July.

“There are still good people that live in these communities,” Bell-Quinn said. “We need to remember where we came from in order to know where we’re going. I’m just blessed, humbled and filled with so much gratitude.”

Bell-Quinn’s parents were both from Mississippi, but they didn’t meet until her mother moved to Chicago in 1960. Bell-Quinn, 50, was born, and her parents bought the Monroe Street home West Garfield Park with help from the Department of Housing and Urban Development, she said.

Bell-Quinn’s family was close: She remembers the way her dad taught her to make frozen pizza with the cardboard, and her mother shared her love of gardening.

Bell-Quinn left Chicago in 1990 to go to the University of Tulsa. Afterward, she lived in Louisville, Kentucky, and throughout the East Coast before returning to Chicago in 2000.

Bell-Quinn then worked as a stage actress and director throughout the United States — but she was always based in Chicago.

Bell-Quinn’s family had sold the Monroe Street home, but she and her partner bought it back in 2015 with big dreams of moving in.

Over the years, West Garfield Park had suffered from systemic neglect, Bell-Quinn said. There were vacant lots, a lack of food healthy food options and abandoned properties.

The couple began work to revive the family home. They’re doing a gut rehab: replacing the flooring, piping, stairs, doors, wiring and more.

As they’ve worked on the revival, they also set their sites on the property next door, they said.

The lot at 4738 W. Monroe St. had once held a two-flat that had been vacant for years, officials and Bell-Quinn said. It was set on fire during unrest in 2020 and demolished.

Bell-Quinn and Quinn learned they might be able to secure the deed to the land through an auction in 2021, they said.

The Land Bank hosts auctions for properties that are severely delinquent on taxes; eventually, the person who wins the auction can acquire the property through a complicated process. The idea is to restore the properties to the tax rolls and put blighted or vacant land and buildings into the hands of residents who can restore them.

The West Garfield Park land was given to Bell-Quinn through the group’s Holiday Sale initiative — which is providing her and 10 others with land for free.

“We’ve witnessed firsthand the impact when we empower community members and local developers to reclaim and resurrect abandoned parcels that depress home values and drain community wealth in Cook County’s Black and Brown neighborhoods,” Cook County Land Bank Authority officials said in a statement. “The sale is one step in the right direction toward putting these properties into the hands of residents and community organizations.”

Bell-Quinn had dreamt about owning the two plots when she was a little girl. Now, it’s reality — allowing her to strengthen her community rather than sever ties with it.

“I just want to be an inspiration as much as I can so that we can move in the right direction,” Bell-Quinn said. “It’s people that are the largest resource that’s missing from our community. It’s important that we are proud of who we are and where we come from.”

Though the area is struggling, Bell-Quinn’s happy memories from her youth give her hope, she said.

“We want to give people more than just blight,” she said.

Bell-Quinn has long prided herself on her love of nature; now, as an adult, she’s delved into sustainability work, making her own soap and other cleaning products while gardening, she said.

Bell-Quinn credits her green thumb to her family’s roots as sharecroppers who were experts at working the land in Mississippi. Her mother, who lives in North Lawndale, still gardens today at 81.

But converting the long-neglected land at the house in West Garfield Park into a thriving garden has been a large project, costing about $5,000 in seeds, fertilizer, tools and other needs, Bell-Quinn said.

But Bell-Quinn and Quinn plan to distribute the food they grow to neighbors throughout the area.

“It’s very lovely to go grocery shopping in your backyard,” Bell-Quinn said.

Sustainability for the garden is also important to Bell-Quinn, given the systemic pollution on the West Side. She hopes to have a net-zero environmental impact and wants to install solar panels.

“We’re not treating the Earth right, so I’m doing my duty as a human citizen to have a positive impact on my environment,” Bell-Quinn said. “What we do with our lives and how we treat things is not sustainable.”

Bell-Quinn and Quinn said the community is grateful for the garden, as West Garfield Park has become a food desert in recent years. They’ll grow raspberries, strawberries, onions, peppers, asparagus, thyme, elderberries, gooseberries, turnips, beets, collards, kale, tomatoes and corn, helping to nourish their neighbors with fresh produce.

The garden has also become home to 17 stray cats. It is designated as a cat colony by Cook County, and the couple is certified to train and assist others with animal spay and neuter work.

Bell-Quinn hopes their level of investment in the garden inspires others to invest in the communities’ health, she said.

“I can see the negligence and what the lack of care does to us,” Bell-Quinn said. “It’s in my roots to care for Mother Earth. I am just doing my due diligence as a human being to take care of whatever I’m doing to not have a negative impact on this Earth.”