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| Kristin Faust |
CHICAGO, IL, July 14, 2021 — Evergreen Real Estate Group, Synergy Construction Group and the Chicago Housing Authority (CHA) today announced the completion of construction and start of move-ins at Ravenswood Senior Living, a 193-unit affordable rental community at 1922 W. Sunnyside Ave. in Chicago’s Ravenswood neighborhood.
The $81 million project converted the former
Ravenswood Hospital, built in 1974 and vacant since 2002, into much-needed
affordable senior housing.
It
is the first development of its kind in Illinois and one of the first in the
country to offer both independent living and supportive living for low-income
seniors in a single location.
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| Tracey Scott |
This
pioneering model makes it possible for residents to age in place as their
acuity increases, transitioning to a new, yet familiar, home if and when they
require assistance with daily tasks like bathing, dressing and making
meals.
Located between Damen and Ravenswood avenues,
the 10-story building has 74 one-bedroom independent living apartments for CHA
residents, as well as 119 units for participants in the Illinois Supportive
Living Program, an alternative to nursing home care that is administered by the
Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services.
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| Illinois State Sen. Sara Feigenholtz. |
Evergreen is managing the independent living
community, located at 4515 N.
Winchester Ave., while Asbury Healthcare operates the
supportive living community, located at 1922 W. Sunnyside Ave.
“A year and a half after breaking ground, we are
proud to announce the completion of this important and long-awaited project
that creates affordable senior housing where none previously existed,” said Jeff Rappin, founder and chairman of Evergreen
Real Estate Group.
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| Jeffrey (Jeff) Rappin |
“Ravenswood Senior Living shows that
solutions to the affordable housing shortage can be found right in our
backyard.
"With the right partners, vacant and
underutilized sites can be reimagined as low-income housing that supports the
health of communities by improving the lives of residents.”
“With its
combination of independent and supportive living for low-income seniors, this
development represents an innovative approach to affordable housing and marks
important development as an affordable option for seniors,” said
CHA CEO Tracey Scott.
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| Ravenswood Senior Living, a 193-unit affordable rental community at 1922 West Sunnyside Avenue in Chicago’s Ravenswood neighborhood. |
“Ravenswood Senior Living is the first facility of its kind in Illinois
and will provide a pathway for low-income seniors to age in place while
maintaining a high quality of life.”
“The senior population in Illinois is growing,
and IHDA is committed to increasing the supply of affordable and supportive
housing opportunities that allow families, friends and neighbors to age safely
in place in the community of their choice,” said Kristin Faust,
executive director of the Illinois Housing Development Association (IHDA).
“The
innovative redevelopment of this long-vacant hospital is a major milestone, and
we are proud to provide the financing that gave the building new life as a
community asset that brings much-needed affordable senior housing to the city.”
“I was honored to pass a piece of forward-thinking legislation that prioritizes the needs of our community members and makes good use of pooling all of the resources we have by allowing mixed-use supportive living facilities,” said Illinois State Sen. Sara Feigenholtz.
“Every
legislator knows the importance of creating affordable senior housing, and
these developments are cornerstones of our communities.
"Ravenswood Senior Living is one of the
first developments of its kind in the country. It was essential to be able to
both offer affordable, continuum-of-care housing for our community seniors and
preserve the Ravenswood Hospital building for future generations.”
Evergreen revitalized and maintained much of the
original structure, including the facade, which was cleaned and tuckpointed. All windows were replaced using
the original frames.
A small addition on the building’s north side
features a facade of metal panels whose colors complement the existing brick
and mirror the design of the adjacent Lycée Français de Chicago, a private French
international school.
Structural changes to the former hospital
include the addition of an elevator and staircase at the entrance of the
independent living community to improve accessibility for residents and guests.
Other improvements include new window
openings, updated mechanical systems and modernized elevators.
Both the independent and supportive living communities share the existing parking garage, which also is utilized by Lycée Français de Chicago and other commercial and residential buildings on the block.
On-site amenities for the independent living
community include a roof deck, community room, fitness room, library/computer
room, lounges and laundry rooms.
The adjacent supportive living community has its
own amenities, including a roof deck, dining room with meals served daily,
community room, fitness and physical therapy room, salon, library/computer
room, multipurpose/TV room and attendant stations on each floor.
In addition, the supportive living community has
an on-site doctor’s office, which is staffed by a physician up to two days a
week and offers 24-hour care provided by trained medical professionals.
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| Illinois 47th Ward Alderman Matt Martin |
Donations of books, puzzles and games for the
libraries in both the independent and supportive living communities were
provided through donation drives organized by the Ravenswood Community Council, 47th Ward Ald.
Matt Martin, Feigenholtz and
47th Ward Democrats.
Ravenswood Senior Living is owned by Evergreen Real Estate Group in partnership with Chicago-based Synergy Construction Group and the CHA.
Financial partners for the independent living community include the CHA (both capital funds and rental assistance for all 74 units), IHDA, National Development Corporation (NDC) and IFF.
Financial partners for the
supportive living community include IHDA, NDC, Key Bank, Ravenswood Community
Council, IFF and ComEd through
its Energy Efficiency Program.
Leopardo Companies
was the general contractor for the project, with Evergreen Construction
Company, a division of Evergreen Real Estate Group, serving as a subcontractor.
Applications are still being accepted for both the supportive living and independent living apartments. Individuals or couples can apply for the independent living residences at https://applyonline.thecha.org.
Those interested in the supportive living apartments can call (224) 801-2982 or email sales@ravenswoodsl.com.
CONTACTS:
Kathryn Kjarsgaard, kkjarsgaard@taylorjohnson.com,
(312) 267-4514
Abe Tekippe, atekippe@taylorjohnson.com, (312) 267-4528
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