South Suburban College in South Holland, Illinois was home to the 2nd Congressional District housing expo on Saturday, October 26. Congresswoman Robin Kelly and Neighborhood Housing Services (NHS) Chicago brought in an array of businesses and held informative workshops for the community to engage with.
Attendees could speak to a mixture of businesses, from the well known financial services and insurance agency State Farm and the lesser known In His Hands Resource Center Inc.
Nevertheless, every company present wanted to provide attendees with the information they may need to become homeowners, or more prepared homeowners.
James Escortt Jr., the director of outreach and partnerships at DuPage Habitat for Humanity, shared that the company takes every opportunity it can find to spread its mission. With their help, generational wealth can become accessible to more families.
“We’re excited to participate in this event because we want to build housing awareness and awareness of how important home ownership is in our communities,” Escortt said. “We're excited to share more information about what we do to create affordable home ownership opportunities.”
NHS Chicago, one of the sponsors of the event and a community development financial institution, has been dedicated to the community in Cook County and beyond for almost 50 years, according to Janice Crawford. Representation and outreach are important to the chief credit officer.
“We have a target focus on African Americans and Hispanics,” Crawford said. “Our mission is to impact the low and moderate in communities and individuals that need our services. We're really excited to be here at South Suburban because a lot of people think we're only in the city of Chicago but we're not. Our products are all across Cook County, so if individuals want to acquire a home or need grant money, we have it for all. We have something for everybody.”
Speaking about NHS Chicago’s collaboration with Kelly’s team for the event, Crawford stressed that partnerships are important in order to expand home ownership and make it equitable for all. Coming together allows individuals to find more resources.
Sandra Wells, the South Suburban director of the community engagement department, believes the Southland doesn’t get as much attention as the surrounding area. Wells wanted to bring an array of services to the college to help the community in ways she couldn’t.
“I love this African proverb that says ‘If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together,'” Wells said. “Let's do this together because everybody needs a little something. Sometimes you don't know what you need until you come through. We have all these resources to help people and so people can have the information.”
When attendees weren’t gathering information and free giveaways from representatives at tables, they attended informative workshops about inflated property taxes, fire safety, solar panels, estate planning, and lending options.
Bringing information and access to the community in Southland through this type of event is important to Anthony Simpkins, the president and chief executive officer of NHS Chicago.
“There are all of these resources out here, from fire extinguishers to down payment assistance on a loan,” Simpkins said. “We have all of these government, nonprofit agencies and banks that are here, so we're able to bring all of this information and resources to people that are really important for them, and it's all right here in one place.”
A lot has changed with housing since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. NHS Chicago adjusts its program to meet people’s needs, with the hope of revitalizing neighborhoods, building wealth for families, and building communities through housing.
“Whether you're an existing homeowner, a renter, a senior, or want to become a homeowner, there's all of these resources and information that's out there to help you with whatever challenges you have or whatever aspirations you have,” Simpkins said.
To learn more about South Suburban College and events taking place on campus, visit ssc.edu.
