Access West Cook

Developed through IFF’s Home First Initiative- a full-service housing development group creating new models of housing for people with disabilities- Access West Cook is an IFF-owned scattered-site housing development throughout Bellwood, Berwyn, Forest Park, and Maywood, four of the five towns originally part of the West Cook Housing Collaborative which selected IFF to be its development partner. Recognizing that West Cook County had the third highest foreclosure trends in Illinois, and that most of these towns were positioned to compete with each other for County and State dollars, IFF was selected on behalf of five municipal leaders to advance a joint strategy for prioritizing neighborhoods and sites for revitalization, and for securing funding for this work. Initially, with extensive support from regional and civic leaders, the sites selected were vacant and abandoned properties that were renovated for affordable homeownership.

To help finance this significant rental development, Access West Cook recognized the need for Project Based Vouchers (PBVs), long term operating subsidies, both to assist the future tenants and to provide the predictability needed to leverage permanent financing. At the time, the Regional Housing Initiative (RHI) was a collaborative vehicle of nine public housing authorities (PHAs), providing PBVs for families through a competitive process regionwide, to ensure a more equitable distribution of these limited and valuable resources.

Comprised of 16 formerly abandoned and foreclosed multifamily properties that were then either renovated or demolished and rebuilt, this development in total created 42 permanent affordable apartments, both 1- and 2-bedrooms, 33% of which are fully accessible and carefully tailored towards people with mobility impairments. WJW Architects provided accessible and enhanced design standards, frequently touted by disability and housing advocates for the multimodal approach — new construction, urban infill, renovation and reuse. Residents pay 30% of their income towards rent, and the Housing Authority of Cook County (HACC) subsidizes the remainder through its Project Based Voucher (PBV) program. Originally, this development received 25% of its PBVs through the Regional Housing Initiative (RHI) and was always intended to be administered by HACC. To be eligible for Access West Cook, the head of the household, co-head, or spouse must have a verifiable disability.