Humboldt Park Health will soon get into the affordable housing market.
In this article, I will discuss Humboldt Park Health’s planned 300 affordable housing units. This affordable housing development is part of the hospital’s advocacy to help the Humboldt Park community by building a Wellness District in the neighborhood.
Here you will learn more about:
1. What is Humboldt Park Health?
2. Why is Humboldt Park Health planning affordable housing?
3. What type of affordable housing will Humboldt Park Health offer?
What is Humboldt Park Health?
Formerly known as Norwegian American Hospital, Humboldt Park Health was established in 1894 and is a nonprofit safety net hospital in Humboldt Park, Chicago. It is a 123-year-old safety-net hospital in the Chicago neighborhood of Humboldt Park that is dedicated to offering high-quality, reasonably priced, and compassionate healthcare services by working in collaboration with patients and their families, its staff, and doctors. They consider that it should treat and prevent disease, as well as promote wellness through health education, prevention, and early intervention, as the main provider of community health care in Humboldt Park.
Humboldt Park Health officials said, “Rather than reacting to illnesses, we’re really focusing on wellness for the community.”
So let’s get down to it. Why is Humboldt Park Health planning affordable housing?
Why are they planning to get into affordable housing?
They want to help residents in the West Side neighborhood in the fight against gentrification and displacement.
Humboldt Park Health President Jose Sanchez said, “Housing is a critical component of the social determinants of health. We’ve got people living in spaces where they have no room. Five and six people live in two-bedroom apartments.”
So what type of affordable housing will Humboldt Park Health build?
What type of affordable housing will Humboldt Park Health offer?
Humboldt Park Health will build 300 affordable housing units, a senior center, and commercial buildings in the area surrounding the hospital in the coming years.
Households earning 30% to 60% of the region's median income will be able to afford apartments.
The health system owns almost 60% of the land surrounding the new wellness facility, which is bounded by Division, California, Augusta, and Sacramento streets. This contains vacant buildings and lots that Humboldt Park Health no longer uses.
The Department of Planning and Development approved Humboldt Park Health’s application to rezone the site from Planned Development #599 and an RS-3 Residential Single-Unit (Detached House) District to a C1-2 Neighborhood Commercial District and then to PD #599.
They praised the non-profit’s planned design as it promotes economically beneficial development patterns that are compatible with the character of existing neighborhoods.
The plan has both local and federal support, including Alderman Roberto Maldonado, state Sen. Omar Aquino, and state Rep. Delia Ramirez as well as the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development.
Conclusion
The 300 affordable housing units are part of the Humboldt Park Health Wellness District, a redevelopment plan that also includes workforce development, a hospital extension, and a mixed-use area. The first part of this redevelopment is the Humboldt Park Health Wellness Center which broke ground in June 2022.
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