CHA announces progress on major Restore Home initiative

In just a few months, the Chicago Housing Authority (CHA) has made significant 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 has pledged to invest up to $50 million under Restore Home.

As of April 30, 2024:

• Two multi-unit buildings are complete and fully occupied (five units total). Three single family homes are complete and pending occupancy.
• One seven-unit building is nearing completion and expected to be ready by mid-May.
• Fourteen buildings have been assigned to contractors and eight buildings are in the design phase and have architects assigned.

Shavon Nowell was one of the first residents to occupy one of the renovated scattered site units under Restore Home. She previously lived with her grandmother, who provided the financial support for housing. But when her grandmother died in November, Nowell and her three children were suddenly desperate for housing. Because of Restore Home, her name came up on the CHA wait list and she was housed by April.

“It was a weight lifted off my shoulders, because I was worried about where we were going to go,” Nowell said. “I thought we were going to be homeless.”

“This is what we do. This is what we are focused on at all times - providing quality living environments in strong communities that help families move forward. This is just an example but we do it every single day and will continue to do so,” CHA CEO Tracey Scott said.

Nowell said the program is definitely working and is thankful for her new housing. “CHA, you are doing what you said you were going to do,” she said.

Click here to see video of Shavon’s story.