NHS of Chicago for Roseland Place

For years, Roseland residents worked the blast furnaces and smelting pots of the South Side steel plants, earning respectable wages, which they invested back into their homes and local businesses. The mills are now long gone, replaced by abandoned lots, vacant buildings and a vastly diminished economy. But many of the aging residents remain and are intent on staying put. Where to live in comfort and safety? Enter Neighborhood Housing Services of Chicago (NHS), which seized the opportunity to meet housing needs while anchoring community revitalization. After carefully assessing the needs of older residents, NHS developed Roseland Place, a five-story, 60-unit apartment building for senior living on a two-block former brownfield site along South Michigan Avenue at 104th Street. The L-shaped structure is adjacent to the “Grandfamily” building, a two-story, multigenerational affordable apartment building also developed by NHS. Together with the existing supportive living facility, they form the Roseland Senior Campus – a LEED certified development featuring solar hot water, Energy Star appliances and low flow plumbing. To ensure the sustainability of the new community, an onsite coordinator links tenants to formal education classes and social services, while a meeting room with a warming kitchen, billiards center, computer lab, library and hair salon enhance the development of “community.” For creating a welcoming, home-style environment that improves the quality of life for Roseland seniors and the entire community, Neighborhood Housing Services of Chicago wins this year’s Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Award for Outstanding Non-Profit Neighborhood Real Estate Project.