FHLBC - Community First

Freedom’s Path Offers Formerly Homeless Vets Easy Access to Services

Funding from the FHLBank Chicago’s competitive Affordable Housing Program (AHP) helped provide homeless veterans with a place to call home. Freedom’s Path, a rental housing development that opened in August 2015, houses a fitness room, therapy room, technology center, and community areas where residents can gather. It is located on the campus of the Edward Hines, Jr. VA Medical Center, which offers residents convenient access to support services.

This first phase of Freedom’s Path development includes 72 units—36 studio and 36 one-bedroom apartments—in a three-story building equipped with an elevator. The project was designed to aesthetically complement the existing Hines Center structures and also meet standards for LEED Silver Certification for cost-saving green buildings. Phase 2 opened on November 1, 2018, providing 52 additional one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartment homes.

Applicants for Freedom’s Path must be homeless or at imminent risk of homelessness and be eligible to receive VA care. Residents pay 30% of their income toward rent, and the Housing Authority of Cook County subsidizes the remainder of the rent through the Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing Program. Working with case managers, service providers, and peers, a homeless veteran can build a sustainable future.

To learn more about Freedom’s Path, visit www.freedompathhines.com. To learn more about the competitive AHP, visit our website.

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