Clare Place

Developed by New Moms Inc (NMI) – a Chicago-based non-profit social service provider that has offered a continuum of care for new and young mothers since 1983- Clare Place is NMI’s second foray into the development of permanent supportive housing. NMI’s flagship development- the Transformation Center- was completed in 2013 just east of Clare Place in Chicago’s Austin neighborhood, providing 40 apartments of permeant supportive housing for young mothers and their children and serving as NMI’s primary office space. While the Transformation Center is a great success, the demand expressed for the 40 available apartments in the years following its opening- annually turning away more than 600 young homeless families- demonstrated the immensity of the demand for supportive housing targeted at young mothers, and NMI knew more development would be needed. After taking over operations of Oak Park non-profit Parenthesis Family Center in 2016 after 36 years of operations in the Oak Park community, which had carried a similar mission to NMI’s, NMI aimed to address the need for permanent supportive housing in its new Oak Park territory and envisioned the development of something similar to the Transformation Center.

After identifying a one-story storefront lot on Chicago Avenue as a promising development opportunity, NMI acquired the property and began pursuing approximately $7.1 million in funding for the Clare Place project. As the site was already zoned with regulations that would enable Clare Place, the development was able to move forward without a zoning variation process. Further, because of the success of New Moms’ Chicago program and the need for more affordable housing options for families in the suburbs, the Chicago Housing Authority introduced Clare Place to its partners in the Regional Housing Initiative (RHI), and encouraged them to commit the Project Based Vouchers (PBVs) needed both to support the new moms and for Clare Place to leverage the other financing. After PBVs and all the other public sector financing had been secured, NMI was able to fill the remaining budget gap primarily with private donations, including a contribution so substantial from the Wheaton Franciscan Sisters that it inspired the name Clare Place—named in honor of St. Clare of Assisi. With significant support from both the community and village officials, ground was broken in April 2018 and doors opened in March 2019.

Built by McShane Construction, Clare Place is a mixed-use, 4-story, 21,700 square foot building with 18 permanent supportive homes and new office and community programming spaces for NMI. All 18 apartments are located on the top three floors, and on the ground floor are staff offices, short-term daycare, laundry facilities, and community programming space. Of the 18 total apartments, 13 are 1-bedroom/1-bathroom, and five are 2-bedroom/1-bathroom, all of which are reserved for young mothers (aged 18-24) and their children.

Unlike at NMI’s flagship facility, which restricts the amount of time that residents can stay in the housing to two years because it is considered transitional housing, residents of Clare Place are permitted to stay in their homes for as long as necessary to achieve long-term stability. In addition to permanent housing, residents receive critical supportive services, including intensive case management, life skills and parent coaching, workforce development and job skill training, parent education and support groups, and external referrals for additional support.

Since its opening, Clare Place has been wholeheartedly welcomed by the Oak Park community; 106 individuals have happily called it home, and hundreds more have received support services.