Aug 10Mercy Housing Lakefront Celebrates the Reopening of Major Jenkins Apartments
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 10, 2022
Contact:
Kate Peterson | 303.830.3443 | kpeterson@mercyhousing.org
CHICAGO, IL – Mercy Housing Lakefront (MHL) is celebrating the Grand Reopening of Major Jenkins Apartments, an affordable housing community located in Chicago, IL. This refurbished building features 156 apartment homes that serve people with extremely low incomes, many of whom have experienced homelessness. As an aging property, Major Jenkins Apartments was in significant need of improvement to ensure that it could continue to serve those most in need of stable, affordable housing and supportive services. This preservation project took 14 months, and Major Jenkins Apartments residents returned home to updated apartment homes with new amenities, including new appliances, furniture, lighting, and paint. Eight apartments were also remodeled to provide each home with a private, in-unit bathroom, replacing jack-and-jill style shared bathrooms.
Wi-Fi internet and air conditioning were also installed throughout the entire building, helping to close the digital divide and keep residents cool during the hot summer months.
“Through this preservation project, Major Jenkins Apartment residents have benefitted from updated homes with amenities, new and/or redesigned common area spaces,” said Mark Angelini, President, Mercy Housing Lakefront. “This work ensures that people with low incomes will have continued access to affordable housing and supportive services, improving their quality of life.”
Major Jenkins Apartments was originally built in the 1920s and was acquired and renovated by Mercy Housing in 1995. It is one of 12 Chicago Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) properties in MHL’s portfolio. This preservation project is part of MHL’s ongoing commitment to updating many of its oldest supportive housing communities in Chicago and follows work that most recently preserved 66 affordable homes at MHL’s Miriam Apartments in 2020.
The Major Jenkins Grand Reopening celebration will take place on Wednesday, August 17th, from 12 PM to 2 PM. For more information, please contact Norlaine King at nking@mercyhousing.org or visit The Grand Reopening Celebration of the Major Jenkins Apartments | Mercy Housing.
About Mercy Housing Lakefront
Mercy Housing Lakefront (MHL), the Great Lakes region’s largest nonprofit provider of affordable program-enriched housing, is committed to creating homes and inspiring dreams. We work with residents to establish engaged, strong, and inclusive communities. MHL owns and operates 46 properties in Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin, serving more than 7,000 people annually. MHL is a regional branch of Mercy Housing, Inc. (MHI), a leading national affordable housing nonprofit headquartered in Denver, CO. Please find additional information at mercyhousing.org/lakefront.
