In 2003, Genesis Housing Development Corporation reached a milestone - twenty-five new homes completed and sold to first-time buyers. Genesis Phase I was a $4,000,000 project which began construction in 2000. It includes 9 single-family homes, 10 row houses and 6 2-flats. Partnering with New England Builders and the City of Chicago Department of Housing, Genesis offered these unique housing products in the $85,000 range, making them some of the most affordable in the city. Buyers were able to select their own finishes and upgrades, and received a subsidy of up to $40,000 through the New Homes for Chicago program. Genesis was responsible for marketing all of the homes, and attended all of the closings, providing additional support to our new buyers. The first homeowner took possession in December, 2000, and the last in November 2003.

Genesis Phase I confronted many challenges for GHDC staff and board, including delays in issuing permits and problems with construction design, all while building a fledgling organization. The ultimate success of the project is a testament to the value of perseverance and the importance of partnerships and collaboration in the affordable housing arena. Taking our "lessons learned" forward, Genesis II is halfway completed, with 20 units of CHA replacement housing turned over to the Habitat Co. for management, ready for new families. An additional 20 units of market rate housing will come on-line in 2004.

The Genesis Development Fund was established to create a pool of readily accessible funds for emerging development projects. The Fund has raised $100,000 toward a $500,000 goal.

Please check back with this site for a future Homebuyer Education Training workshop.

Housing Counseling - About

The design of GHDC Housing Counseling Program is to provide one-on-one counseling as feasible and to conduct workshops and advocacy whenever necessary. One-on-Ones will be used as Service Intake and for Service Delivery. Intake focuses on assessment to determine if services will be beneficial to the client and as referral to alternative resources as needed. These resources will also include referral to Fair Housing agencies, legal and other discrimination agencies.

Upon completion of GHDC’s Intake/Enrollment Application and Disclaimer forms, the counselor will access documentation and facts to develop a streamlined and individualized strategy and counseling plan for each customer. The results of counseling will be recorded on HUD and GHDC required forms and maintained in separate file folders for each client. The steps and procedures of counseling are addressed in the following two pages.

GHDC in-depth counseling will include Pre and Post Purchase Counseling, Renter Assistance, Home-Improvement/Maintenance, Money/Debt Management, Financial Literacy, Mortgage delinquency, Loss Mitigation and Foreclosure Prevention.

To take advantage of our workshops and counseling, please bring the following with you:
  1. Obtain a credit report – you can visit www.annualcreditreport.com for more information.
  2. Download and fill out a budget worksheet (click here to download the form - this is an Microsoft Excel file).

Please call Steeve Kidd at 773.994.6670 for more information or questions.

Foreclosure Prevention - About

SPECIAL NOTICE!!! If you are at risk of foreclosure or are having trouble paying your mortgage, visit the Governor’s Illinois Foreclosure Prevention Network website at www.keepyourhomeillinois.org. The Network is a FREE, one-stop resource that links homeowners to state agencies and non-profit organizations that offer services designed to keep people in their homes. This includes the homeownership counseling or free legal advice offered by this agency as well as other help including temporary mortgage assistance.

*********

To address the alarming increase in foreclosure rates in Chicago, GHDC is active in prevention in three stages:

  1. Pre-Homebuyer Education: Classroom training and one-on-one counseling on information to help customers identify and make informed decisions to avoid loan products that fall between appropriate risk-base pricing and blatant fraud practices.
  2. Post-Purchase Follow-up: Every six months GHDC conducts its’ “Homebuyers Club Breakfast” meeting where customers who have purchased homes attend and receive up-to-date housing information and have open dialogue sharing concerns and experiences.
  3. Intervention: Individual counseling assistance regarding rights and options in foreclosure and referral services.

To request counseling via filling out our Housing Counseling form, see our contact page.

To take advantage of our workshops and counseling, please bring the following with you:
  1. Obtain a credit report – you can visit www.annualcreditreport.com for more information.
  2. Download and fill out a budget worksheet (click here to download the form - this is an Microsoft Excel file).

Please call Steeve Kidd at 773.994.6670 for more information or questions.