FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

Contact:
David Pickard
708-434-5006
david@wilksgrp.com

CHICAGO, September 26, 2018 – Mercy Housing Lakefront today presented the 2018 Wintrust Partners in Innovation Award to the organizations that collaborated to make possible River Station Senior Residences in Kankakee, Illinois. Presented annually at Mercy Housing Lakefront’s Moving Forward Together celebration, the Partners in Innovation Award honors a team for their role in creating an innovative community development project.

Officially opened in April 2018, River Station Senior Residences is a mixed-use development that features 70 apartments for low-to-moderate income seniors (ages 55+), as well as a planned health clinic which will occupy a commercial space on the ground floor. The health clinic, made possible by Presence St. Mary’s Hospital, will enable basic health care to be delivered more efficiently and at a lower cost than services provided in the emergency room, providing a critical health care amenity for senior residents and members of the community at large.

River Station is the cornerstone of neighborhood stabilization and revitalization efforts in the city’s West Downtown District and, adjoining a planned greenway along the Kankakee River, will provide residents with opportunities for active recreation. In addition to the health clinic, the building’s amenities include a computer lab, fitness room, in-unit laundry, storage rooms, bike storage, property management and resident services offices. The environmental friendly building design follow the guidelines of Enterprise Green Communities from the Illinois Housing Development Authority and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, making it energy efficient and lowering utility costs for residents.

Awardees of the 2018 Wintrust Partners in Innovation Award include the City of Kankakee, Heritage Development and Construction, the Illinois Housing Development Authority, JH2B Architects, the Kankakee County Housing Authority, McColly Bennett Commercial Real Estate, PNC Bank and Presence Health.

“River Station Senior Residences is an innovative example of the integration of health and housing, benefitting not only those who live in the building, but the entire community,” said Mercy Housing Lakefront President Mark Angelini. “We are proud to have worked with each of the winners of the 2018 Wintrust Partners in Innovation Award to create a high-quality housing option in Kankakee that allows seniors to age in place with dignity, and look forward to continuing to partner with this group to bring additional affordable housing to Kankakee for families, seniors, and those in need of permanent supportive housing.”

About Mercy Housing Lakefront

Mercy Housing Lakefront (MHL) is working to build a region where everyone has an affordable home to use as a springboard to achieve better health, economic security, and a brighter future for their kids. MHL owns and operates 52 properties in Illinois, Wisconsin and Indiana, serving more than 8,000 people annually. MHL is a regional branch of Mercy Housing, Inc. (MHI), a leading national affordable housing nonprofit headquartered in Denver, Colorado. Please find additional information at www.mercyhousinglakefront.org.