ROCK ISLAND, Ill. — The Illinois Housing Development Authority awarded $7.8 million to Community Home Partners (CHP) to support a housing initiative in Rock Island for veterans.
On Nov. 13, the Rock Island City Council voted to proceed with selling four acres of land — located just west of Highway 67 off 31st Avenue — to CHP. The organization wants to build 25 units of affordable supportive housing for veterans on the property.
"I think nobody deserves more of a second chance than our veterans who have served this country with, I think, the greatest of commitment. So I'm hoping that this will be a kickstart to one of many projects in addressing our housing need for our veterans," John Chow with Community Home Partners said.
The federal government defines housing as "affordable" when it costs no more than 30% of a household's income. The construction will begin in late 2024 and is expected to be completed by Fall 2025.
"The City of Rock Island for a number of years has been committed to helping veterans any way we can, and when this project came forth, we thought it was a perfect opportunity to coordinate our efforts with Community Home Partners and making [sic] this a reality," Rock Island Mayor Mike Thoms said in a press release.
A list of all the sponsors, partners and supporters of the project can be found here.
Watch more news, weather and sports on News 8's YouTube channel