A Safe Haven Foundation Announces Final Closing on 90 Units of New Veteran Studios in Chicago's West Side, Sponsored by US Department of Housing and Urban Development

CHICAGO, April 23, 2020 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- A Safe Haven Foundation* is proud to announce the closing on the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Funded 90 Unit Apartment Project called The Rauner Family Veteran Studios by A Safe Haven Foundation.

The development is a 90-unit Supportive Housing building in Chicago, Illinois. In partnership with HUD and the US Department of Veterans Affairs the studio apartments will be made available to low income, senior and disabled military veterans who are referred to A Safe Haven by The U. S Veterans Administration and the Chicago Housing Authority. Onsite services will include supportive housing, individualized case management and peer support services. A groundbreaking ceremony is being planned for next early May 2021.

In addition to over $20 million in Federal HUD/VASH project based rental housing tax credits, bond volume and other financing secured from the Illinois Housing and Community Development Authority (IHCDA), former Governor of Illinois and venture capitalist, Bruce Rauner and his wife, Diana Rauner, have generously gifted $1,000,000 to A Safe Haven Foundation to support financing and long-term ongoing support.

To make this development a reality the leadership team at A Safe Haven Foundation has worked with KMA Companies as the development partner and the City of Chicago and the State of Illinois on this project for almost three years.

The Rauner Family Veteran Studios by A Safe Haven Foundation is scheduled to open in Spring of 2021. The 90 studio apartments will showcase fully furnished apartments, a flexible meeting space/community room, exercise room, computer room and lounge, laundry room, bike storage and a beautifully, professionally landscaped outdoor patio courtyard, gazebo and a rooftop garden. The five-story building will have unobstructed views of 200 acre Douglas Park located across the street and south of the building. Seventy-five of those units will be designated for Veteran Affairs Supportive voucher recipients while fourteen units will be subsidized by Chicago Low Income Trust Fund and one unit will be market rate.

The project received financial support by a portfolio of public funders such as the City of Chicago and Illinois Department of Housing Authority and support from the National Equity Fund, Bank of America the Federal Home Loan Bank, Community Investment Corporation and private financial support from Bruce and Diana Rauner, The Corporation of Supportive Housing, The Jewish Council on Urban Affairs, Home Depot and Commonwealth Edison.

To make this development a reality the leadership team at A Safe Haven Foundation has worked with Alderman Jason Ervin, and Alderman and military veteran Gilbert Villegas, real estate development, architectural, legal and construction partners including KMA Companies, Millner and Caringella, Urban Works, Applegate and Thornton, GMA and Tandem Ventures.

"Twenty-five years ago A Safe Haven Foundation set out to inspire a new paradigm and standard of care for helping to address the root causes of poverty and homelessness. A Safe Haven is raising the bar again by expanding our professionally managed real estate portfolio in our integrated continuum of housing which includes transitional, supportive, affordable, senior and military veteran housing in safe, beautiful and healthy settings," said Neli Vazquez Rowland, President of A Safe Haven Foundation. "We are so proud to have the opportunity to add another project to our network that will help build capacity among our beautiful award-winning homes for our nation's heroes and to make our vision of another new affordable veteran housing project in Chicago's North Lawndale Community, a reality. I would like to give a special thanks to A Safe Haven Foundation's Boards for their leadership and support throughout this process. We are grateful to have had the support of Governor J.B. Pritzker and Mayor Lori Lightfoot, and to have partnered with the US Veterans Administration, US Housing and Urban Development, Illinois Housing Community Development Authority, and to The Rauner Family. Bruce and Diana Rauner. The Rauners were one of our original and ongoing supporters who took the leap of faith in helping to back our cause over 20 years ago. Since we started we have helped over 20,000 military veterans in crisis and their families get their lives back on track throughout the years. We are grateful to have had the privilege of working with so many committed and caring national, and local leader and veteran advocates. We could not have done this without all of their espirit de corps commitment and support on behalf of our military veterans and communities in need."
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About A SAFE HAVEN FOUNDATION
A Safe Haven (ASH) is a social enterprise that provides a comprehensive and vertically integrated approach uniquely designed to address root causes of poverty and homelessness for social and economic development to achieve sustainable self-sufficiency. Populations served: Individuals, Adults, Families with children, Youth, Veterans and non-violent re-entry. ASH Services: Individualized case management, shelter, food, treatment, education, job training, access to employment & affordable housing. Partnership network: public/private/corporate/foundations and other entities to provide a network that can help deliver a seamless continuum of care, housing and employment and/or resources including funding to achieve financial stability & sustainability. Impact Goal: improved return on investment, efficiencies and results for all stakeholders.

*A Safe Haven Foundation was proudly co-founded by Military Veteran Brian Rowland.

SOURCE A Safe Haven Foundation