As we age, having a comfortable and affordable place to live becomes extremely difficult.According to the American Community Survey 5-Year estimates for 2019, the median household income for older adults in Cook County was $42,287 compared to $64,660 for all households. The growing number of older adult renters with low-incomes in Cook County points to an even greater need to proactively preserve and expand access to affordable rental housing, particularly units that accommodate the needs of seniors as reported in Housing Needs and Economic Conditions of Cook County’s Older Adults, 2021 by the Institute for Housing Studies at DePaul University. And now for some seniors living in Maywood, Illinois, reasonably priced senior housing has become an affordable reality.
In September, Maywood Supportive Living officially opened with a ribbon cutting ceremony with residents, city and state leaders, funders and everyone that helped to turn this five-story, former Baptist Retirement Home that sat vacant for 17 years, into a beautiful home for seniors.
A $60 million dollar investment brought this property back to life, and CCLF contributed $5 million pre-development dollars. It will provide Maywood with nearly 70 jobs and 100 apartments (83 studio and 17, one-bedrooms). Each unit is complete with a kitchenette with refrigerator, microwave, cabinets, and sink, as well as a full bath and in-unit nurse call system. The building also has a general store, barber shop/beauty salon, activities room, theater space, patios, private party space, laundry room and a commercial kitchen and dining area. The residents will be served three chef-prepared meals a day and have access to laundry service and housekeeping.
This project took over one year to complete. The building was stripped to its foundation but left its original architectural features to be restored, including the first-floor lobby with terrazzo floors, and the stucco and brick facade.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony was led by Scott Henry, President of Celadon Partners, an affordable housing developer. He showed a promotional video of the project and discussed how the project came together and how Skender Construction, the general contractor, was instrumental in the success of this project. He acknowledged all the assistance he received from the Village of Maywood and its mayors, current, Nathaniel Booker and former, Edwina Perkins. Others who spoke at the event included Speaker of the Illinois House, Emanuel Chris Welch; Adam Moore of Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA); Daniel March of the National Development Council (NDC); Steven Sparks of Key Bank; Calvin Holmes, Chicago Community Loan Fund (CCLF) President; Nathaniel Booker Mayor of Maywood and Bishop Reginald Saffo of Proviso Township Ministerial Alliance Network (PTMAN).
“Everyone works tirelessly because we work to build a rapport, we work to build relationships of unity within the community,” explained Mayor Booker. “That is one of the biggest things that’s moving the Village of Maywood forward – us focusing on working together on how to get solutions done.”
Appreciation was shown for Cook County Clerk Karen Yarbrough, who was in attendance, as well as others who were not in attendance, including Toni Preckwinkle, Cook County Board President; Congressman Danny Davis; Illinois State Senior Kimberly Lightford; and Commissioner Brandon Johnson. Calvin Holmes, President of Chicago Community Loan Fund, stated, “Seventeen years is a long time for a property of this scale to sit vacant. We all know when a property like this sits dormant and abandoned, it actually drives away investment, so we are really excited that Celadon saw fit to seize this property and seize the opportunity to bring it back to life.”
After all the speeches were finished, the ribbon was cut to mark the official opening. Refreshments and entertainment for attendees were in the dining room. All attendees who wanted could go on a tour of the facility.
