Along with the job training and education services it provides, the North Lawndale-based organization Breaking Ground builds new single-family homes for low- and moderate-income buyers in North Lawndale, Englewood, and Auburn Gresham. None of the approximately 75 homes Breaking Ground has built has gone into foreclosure, a fact sales representative Larry Kimbrough credits to the group’s buyer education programs.
I spent Friday morning touring North Lawndale with Larry, and we started off by driving some of the neighborhood’s residential streets to get a look at some of Breaking Ground’s newer homes. Breaking Ground is a participant in the city’s Find Your Place in Chicago buyer-assistance initiative, meaning buyers can take advantage of employer-assisted housing programs, lending incentives, and annual federal income tax rebates.
Later this week, you’ll see inside one of Breaking Ground’s new homes and hear more from Larry about the challenges facing North Lawndale.