We believe everyone should have a good place to live at a price they can afford. As the North of Howard neighborhood has gentrified we have made a commitment to be good neighbors and to create a solid enough anchor to prevent the total displacement of low-income families. Most of the 500 people living in GNP housing would have lost their housing if we were not partnering with one another. Part of GNP’s commitment to the neighborhood is that none need be homeless unless they so choose. Since the early ‘90’s there have been no homeless people North of Howard because we’ve kept this commitment. 

New Life Interim Housing

Homeless women and children usually join us at New Life; our interim housing that is networked with Chicago’s Department of Family and Support Services. At New Life each family creates a goal plan with specific action steps that need to be taken each week to accomplish family goals including long-term affordable housing.

The Jonquil Residence

Others begin partnering at the Jonquil, which we believe to be the best SRO (single room occupancy) in Chicago, because of the love, vitality, energy and hope growing here.  It is a remarkable community of healing and care.  Approximately one-third of the 130+ people living at the Jonquil hope and expect it will be their permanent home. Another one-third live in the city’s most affordable SRO for two to eight years in order to save enough money to do something great in their lives they could not otherwise afford.  Many of the remaining one-third are at the Jonquil for a short respite while they prepare to move on.

The Lloyd Rental Apartments

When larger families are ready to move from New Life or the Jonquil SRO some have the opportunity to move to one of our 1, 2, or 3 bedroom subsidized rental apartments.

Cooperative and Rental Apartment Buildings

But most of our housing focuses on our co-operative housing where families without enough income or positive credit history to buy a used car are able to begin buying their own house. Over the years we have found this to be our most effective investment to help people work out of poverty. We’ve been blessed to partner with at least 148 families who came to us homeless, worked hard, built up equity in one of our co-ops, and used that equity as down payment to buy their own home.