Woo NHS of Chicago to establish a greater presence

This recommendation also calls for the invitation and support of Neighborhood Housing Services of Chicago to develop a field presence in Woodlawn. As was discussed in Chapter 5, much of the missing home-ownership infrastructure stems from the fact that (in the void created by Shore BankÕs demise) NHS only has a field presence in a subset of Chicago neighborhoods that does not include Woodlawn. Whether it is home-ownership counseling, marketing of home purchase and acquisition & rehabilitation loans, technical assistance for home renovation or housing preservation, NHS has a successful track record of providing these services for two- to four-unit buildings in other neighborhoods. The Small Building Initiative could enter a partnership with NHS whereby a NHS employee is subsidized by the Small Building Fund and spends 50% of their time working out of Woodlawn in space provided by POAH and eventually the Woodlawn Resource Center.

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