EAST CHICAGO, IN – As of May 13th, UPholdings is pleased to announce the commencement of construction on our latest affordable multifamily residential and commercial building, Harbor Square. The project, located in the North Harbor neighborhood at 2301 Broadway Street in East Chicago, Indiana, is an innovative new approach to blending housing with healthcare and community-based guided pathways for tenant empowerment.
A collaboration with the City of East Chicago and the State of Indiana, the project was conceived in response to the Moving Forward 3.0 Initiative, aiming to create housing that is affordable, high-quality, innovative, sustainable, and a catalyst for positive community development in Lake County. Harbor Square will partner with HealthLinc who will operate the ground floor’s Federally Qualified Health Clinic, open to the public. This blended management team will work to provide residents with supportive services as well as implement a Wage and Asset Growth Plan with residents which aims to interrupt the cycle of intergenerational poverty. The project is designed to include a rooftop solar panel array that will offset the building’s energy costs and will be built to National Green Building Standards’ Gold-level certification.
"The Moving Forward program has allowed us to work directly with community leaders on innovative housing that is intentionally designed to improve a family's quality of life, their wages and assets. Housing is fundamental to wellness and should be a springboard for opportunity," commented Jessica H. Berzac, Principal at UPholdings.
The 28-unit apartment building features one- and two-bedroom units with modern, accessible layouts and a variety of resident common spaces, including a community ‘hub’ space which will host activities and workshops that benefit residents and will be open to community members.
UPholdings worked closely with the architects and general contractors of Cordogan Clark & Associates to conceive, design, and now build Harbor Square. The project was made possible through a Low-Income Housing Tax Credit award and funds received from Indiana Housing & Community Development Authority (IHCDA), project-based subsidy vouchers from East Chicago Housing Authority, as well as investments from CREA, LLC, the City of East Chicago, the Federal Home Loan Bank of Indianapolis, Fifth Third Bank, and Peoples Bank.
