Local nonprofit awarded $100,000 to aid work rehabbing Harvey’s abandoned homes

One nonprofit is getting a boost to transform Harvey’s vacant properties and promote homeownership.

The Southland Development Authority accepted a $100,000 check at a ribbon-cutting ceremony last Friday celebrating the completion of a property on 155th St.

“What they’re funding is the development of the fund that we will be able to make investments and return money to use that will allow us to be sustainable,” SDA President Bo Kemp said.

Nicor Gas’ new nonprofit arm Northern Illinois Community Initiatives presented the money as part of a $700,000 effort to spur regional development and racial equality. NICI, founded in 2021, was launched through a $20 million endowment from Nicor’s parent company, Southern Company Gas.

“We take a place-based approach [….] because we wanted to make sure our resources are going to where it’s needed most,” said NICI Executive Director Tovah McCord.

The SDA is currently transforming abandoned homes in Harvey. Two years ago, the City Council approved SDA’s $2.1 million acquisition of ten city-owned properties to renovate.

The group completed its first home back in October 2023 on 153rd St. and Honore St., a few blocks away from UChicago Medicine Ingalls Memorial Hospital. 

The homes are priced at $175,000. In the event they don’t sell at that price, the groups lower the sale price. In the event they’re still not purchased, they are rented until a buyer is found. The South Suburban Housing Center is offering up to $15,000 in down payment assistance.

“At this point, we’ve agreed to sell this to an Ingalls employee,” said Jay Readey, Vice President of the Harvey Housing Initiative with NeighborScapes and MetroAlliance, a co-developer in SDA’s efforts.

The first three homes for completion are near Ingalls to dovetail with infrastructure upgrades on Wood St. and redevelopment plans Ingalls’ nonprofit arm has to address community needs. 

One of those homes, located on 156th St., has a goldfish pond in the backyard to act as a water reservoir to address flooding issues on the property, Readey said.

The groups have identified seven other properties in the downtown Harvey area but still have to secure capital to transform them, Readey said.

SDA has committed to using construction workers of color, including Black woman-owned Pink Hat Construction Development Group, to ensure “for every dollar we spend, we get two to three positive impacts as opposed to just one,” said SDA President Bo Kemp.

Philanthropy is a critical component to developing the nonprofit’s business model, Kemp said, with aims of being 40 to 60 percent reliable on philanthropic funding, while diversifying its revenue streams.

The SDA launched in 2019.