Reclaiming Chicago

01/15/2026

As we say goodbye to 2025 and embark on a new year, we wanted to take a moment to celebrate the good work of United Power for Action and Justice and all of our Reclaiming teams and partners. Through the hard work of Southwest Organizing Project, The Resurrection Project, Hope Center Foundation of Chicago, Chicago Neighborhood Initiatives, Lawndale Christian Development Corporation - LCDC, IFF and Precious Blood Ministry Of Reconciliation, Reclaiming Chicago has completed 76 new homes across four communities – and welcomed our newest partner Sunshine Gospel Ministries who has begun work in Washington Park.

We’ve also welcomed 72 neighborhood residents into their new homes. (This is the best part!) Seventy-two new families living in beautiful homes that stand on previously vacant lots.

And we started construction on another 88 homes as we continue our work strategically rebuilding whole blocks and neighborhoods.

We could not have done it without the tremendous support we have received from our corporate and philanthropic donors this year: The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, The Richard L. Duchossois Foundation, The Chicago Community Trust, Capital One, Michael Reese Health Trust and Knight Impact Partners. We are also so incredibly grateful to our early supporters many of whom have been with us since the beginning, including the Metro IAF, Steans Family Foundation, JPMorganChase, BMO, Alvin H. Baum Family Fund, Waterton, Builders Initiative, Schreiber Philanthropy and Owens Family Foundation. Without the confidence and support of these generous donors, our work would not be possible.

And of course, we closed the year with a $10M commitment from the Pritzker Traubert Foundation as winners of the Chicago Prize! We are so grateful to the Pritzker Traubert Foundation for this recognition and could not be more excited for the opportunity to expand our work. (And thanks to Institute for Housing Studies (IHS) at DePaul University and American Marketing Services for the data and analysis that supported our application!) This grant will not only help us continue our work building on vacant lots within our neighborhoods but will help us take the next step in bringing our work to scale, constructing a new residential community with 160 new homes in Chicago Lawn. The first construction of this kind in Chicago Lawn in at least 40 years. With this development, we will more than double the number of homes we have under construction giving more Chicago families the opportunity to achieve the American Dream!

Thank you to all our generous donors and to all our partners. You are helping to make 2026 our best year yet. ’sBuildChicago!

12/16/2025

We are so excited to share that the Reclaiming Chicago initiative has been selected as the winner of the CHICAGO PRIZE by the Pritzker Traubert Foundation. The foundation for this award was laid through the hard work of United Power for Action and Justice and its members who have been working for years to rebuild our neighborhoods and help Chicago families achieve their dream of homeownership. Our goal is to build 2000 new homes affordable to working families across Chicago’s South and West Sides.

This award marks a significant milestone for Reclaiming and will help us to more than double our current construction pipeline and accelerate our work. To date, Reclaiming has constructed over 75 homes on vacant lots across four neighborhoods. Utilizing a targeted “whole block” approach, our partners – The Resurrection Project (TRP), Hope Center Foundation of Chicago, Lawndale Christian Development Corporation - LCDC. Precious Blood Ministry Of Reconciliation and the Southwest Organizing Projectt (SWOP)—have brought vacant properties back to life, filling these lots with affordable homes and helping families prepare to purchase. We’ve created over 70 new homeowners that started with over $50,000 in equity on Day 1, helping to build generational wealth for themselves and their families, while repopulating our neighborhoods.

With the support of the Chicago Prize, Reclaiming Chicago will embark on the next phase of its goal toward 2000 affordable homes – the large-scale development of single family homes on a contiguous, large vacant parcel in Chicago Lawn. Reclaiming members TRP and SWOP will partner to develop an 18-acre site in Chicago Lawn. This site will become an enclave of single-family homes creating 160 new units of housing with dedicated green space including a small park and walking path. This will more than double our current levels of production and put us on a path toward 300+ new homes and homeowners as we continue to grow.

This work is important not just for the new homeowners – but for our communities as whole. Filling vacant lots with new affordable homes will help build density, stabilize our neighborhoods, repopulate our local schools and spark economic activity in parts of our city long left behind. Not to mention the new tax dollars generated for the city as a whole.

We encourage you to join us – and learn more about our initiative at the link above. Let’s Build Chicago!!

10/02/2025

This is what Reclaiming Chicago’s mission is all about: giving families like Gerald’s the opportunity to live, thrive, and own a home in their neighborhoods. 🏡

Home ownership is the first step to building generational wealth — when families build wealth, it goes right back into those communities, creating a cycle of investment and revitalization. Learn more: https://united-power.org/issue-campaigns/reclaiming-chicago/

09/30/2025

The mission is simple: organizing the power of people, rooted in community-based institutions, we can convert vacant land into homes across Chicago’s South and West sides to revitalize these communities and benefit Chicago overall. The work of United Power members is already making an impact!

See why the Chicago Tribune Editorial Board thinks our plan to build 2,000 homes in Chicago’s South and West sides “should be celebrated and made a priority.” https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/03/25/editorial-affordable-housing-united-power/

09/25/2025

Hear directly from Cook County Government Board President Toni Preckwinkle: “If you give somebody an opportunity to own a home, they can build generational wealth.”

Earlier this month, we were proud to join President Preckwinkle and United Power member the Hope Center Foundation of Chicago as they broke ground on 10 new homes in Roseland.

With 75 homes already completed and another 75 with construction underway, this is an exciting milestone as we continue the mission to convert vacant land into homes for working families on Chicago’s South and West Sides.

See the full story from WGN TV:

The Reclaiming Chicago project has broken ground to deliver 10 new homes in the Roseland neighborhood, with the goal of providing affordable housing in the Chicago area.

09/23/2025

United Power is Reclaiming Chicago, and we’re on a mission to convert vacant land into 2,000 homes for working families on Chicago’s South and West sides.

It’s no secret that Chicago has a shortage of entry-level, affordable homes. At the same time, many of the neighborhoods on the South and West sides have an abundance of vacant lots that depress property values. It’s no coincidence that many of these neighborhoods are the same areas that were targeted by redlining and later, the predatory lending that led to the financial crisis.

We’re working to reverse this cycle — helping to revitalize our neighborhoods, expand the tax base, repopulate schools, increase public safety, spark new investment, and help families build wealth. We’ve built 75 homes with 75 more on the way!

Reclaiming Chicago is an initiative of United Power for Action and Justice. Collectively, our members — Lawndale Christian Development Corporation - LCDC, IFF, Southwest Organizing Project, The Resurrection Project, Precious Blood Ministry Of Reconciliation, Hope Center Foundation of Chicago, Chicago Neighborhood Initiatives and Sunshine Gospel Ministries — have been working in their communities for over 200 years.

Check out this video to learn more about our story and our impact – and make sure you’re following our page to stay up-to-date with the latest from our team! https://united-power.org/issue-campaigns/reclaiming-chicago/