I would like to share about a recent visit in mid-January to 1212 Larkin, an affordable, accessible, housing development, in Elgin. DuPage United hosted tours of 1212 Larkin, led by organizers Amanda Reilly and Rabbi Ricky Kamil and people from DU’s member institutions (local churches, synagogues, mosques, nonprofit organizations, and associations). We were joined by a number of county and city/village officials, at the invitation of DuPage United, to visit 1212 Larkin and learn more about it. County Board Member Greg Schwarze was in my group.

All of us were very impressed with this development that was started by organizers from the Fox River Valley Initiative, working with a non-profit developer and the city of Elgin to build affordable, accessible, and supportive housing. The development involves the renovation of a historic building in Elgin, which uses the entire block for new construction of incredibly attractive homes, adding appeal to the neighborhood, and is located very close to schools. One has to see it to really appreciate how well thought out this project is! There are a total of 48 units of different sizes to accommodate different sized families. The goal was to provide attractive affordable housing for those who need it—accessible as well, and some of the units are designed for supportive living.

DuPage United hopes to work with local and county leaders to bring more developments like this to DuPage County.

Kim Reed, St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, DU Leader