More homes for families coming soon: CHA Board of Commissioners approves contracts to renovate 60 apartments in four vacant buildings as part of its Restore Home initiative

The Chicago Housing Authority (CHA) continues to make steady progress on its Restore Home initiative, fully restoring and leasing several multi-family buildings and single-family homes that were previously vacant due to extensive repair needs.

Announced in late 2023, Restore Home is a major capital effort to renovate and rehabilitate vacant buildings in the small and medium-sized apartments portfolio (commonly known as “scattered sites”). Approximately three dozen small and medium-sized vacant apartment buildings around the city have been targeted for renovation, with more than 175 units brought back into leasable condition by mid-2025. An additional 40 single family homes are being renovated and made available for leasing or affordable homeownership opportunities.

CHA pledged to invest up to $50 million over eighteen months under Restore Home.

At Thursday’s meeting, CHA’s Board of Commissioners approved contracts totaling more than $17 million dollars to renovate four additional buildings that will bring 60 apartments back into leasable condition. These include:

• A 1920s brick six-flat building located at 4834-36 North Kimball Avenue in Albany Park, near the Kimball Brown Line station.
• A 1960s brick three-story/ 24-apartment building located at 4008-14 S. Prairie Avenue in Bronzeville.
• Two vacant properties in the North Lawndale neighborhood: a six-apartment building located at 1500 S. Christiana Avenue and a 24-apartment building located at 1404-1414 S. Homan.

Work on these buildings is expected to be completed by mid-2025.

As of August 31, 2024, under Restore Home: 

• Five multi-family buildings are complete with sixteen apartments occupied.
• Two multi-family buildings are complete and will be occupied by the end of September (four apartments).
• Eleven multi-family buildings are currently under construction (29 units). All are expected to be completed and fully occupied by the end of the year.
• One single-family home completed and occupied; one single-family home is completed and set to be occupied shortly; and one single-family home is under construction;
• Renovation is set to begin on 16 single-family homes shortly.

“Today’s Board action demonstrates that CHA is doing what we said we would do - providing quality living environments in strong communities that help families move forward. We are proud of the progress that we’ve made on the Restore Home initiative to date and are excited to begin this next phase of work,” CHA CEO Tracey Scott said.