Two brand-new modern single-family homes sit across the street from a West Humboldt Park elementary school and health center at the intersection of North Ridgeway Avenue and West Huron Street. They boast new windows, a beautiful facade, new fences and landscaping, a sign of the high-quality modern finishes and amenities found inside.
The homes have sustainable and smart home features, boasting energy-efficient construction, all-electric connections and high-end Google smart home devices such as thermostats, security cameras, WiFi routers, keyless locks and speakers. They are even ready to install an electric vehicle charging station if their future homeowner chooses to.
These West Side homes stand as a beacon of opportunity – proof of what can be built on thousands of vacant lots citywide.
“We are not just building homes, we’re really focused on making sure that we’re building home ownership,” said Sonia Del Real, vice president of sales and economic development for Inherent LC3, the West Side company that manufactured and installed these modular homes.
About a mile from the homes, a crew of local construction workers assembles the homes that will soon be installed on the West Side and other neighborhoods in the city. Rather than building on-site, Inherent LC3 assembles the modules of the home at their West Side warehouse, a process that takes 10 to 12 weeks. Once the two modules are finished – one for each story –they are transported to the parcel where they are set and finished.
“A neighbor could leave for work at eight o’clock in the morning, they come back and there’s a whole house,” Del Real said.
In total, a new home could be ready in 15 weeks. Unlike traditional construction, construction crews are not restrained by weather, allowing for efficiencies and faster construction times, Del Real said.
Two Inherent homes on the 600 block of North Ridgeway Avenue are available for first-time buyers under the city’s Building Better Neighborhood and Affordable Homes program. | Credit: Francia Garcia Hernandez 
The kitchen at one of the West Humboldt Park homes as seen on April 30, 2024. | Credit: Francia Garcia Hernandez 
A construction crew member is seen building one of the modules of the home at Inherent’s production facility on April 30, 2024. | Credit: Francia Garcia Hernandez 
Soon-to-be West Humboldt Park homes are built by local workers, including West and South Side residents, women and returning citizens at Inherent’s West Side production facility. | Francia Garcia Hernandez 
Soon-to-be West Humboldt Park homes are built by local workers, including West and South Side residents, women and returning citizens, at Inherent’s West Side production facility. | Credit: Francia Garcia Hernandez
Inherent LC3 will bring 24 properties to the neighborhood, turning vacant lots into affordable homes. The lots were owned by the city and transferred under a land redevelopment agreement that requires new construction on these lots to remain affordable.
The company has also built homes for lots owned by the Cook County Land Bank and created a micro-home prototype last year that was proposed as a solution to temporarily house migrants.
Two West Humboldt Park homes have been sold and two are currently on the market, Del Real said. More houses are underway and will be installed on North Lawndale Avenue in the project’s first phase, with more homes coming to West Huron Street and West Ohio Street in the future.
Once completed, the homes will be available to first-time homebuyers who qualify for financial assistance from the city’s Better Neighborhoods and Affordable Houses program.
This city program aims to promote affordable housing by providing up to $100,000 in a forgivable grant for downpayment assistance, closing costs and appraisal gaps to eligible first-time homebuyers. The grant amount varies based on buyers’ income and neighborhood residency.
Homebuyers complete the traditional homebuying process and an additional process to obtain the BNAH grant. The program requires buyers to live on-site for 10 years after purchasing. It is available for single-family homes and multifamily buildings with up to four units. Yet, all properties must have been developed on city-owned land, said Destiny Durham, program manager for the city’s Department of Housing.
In addition to the city’s homebuying assistance program, Inherent LC3 provides homeownership assistance services for five years, including quarterly maintenance and energy efficiency checks.
“We feel that the first five years or we know that the first five years are critical in homeownership or for home or sustainable homeownership, “ Del Real said.
Through a partnership with Northwestern Mutual, the company offers death and disability insurance subject to underwriting at no additional cost. For the first five years, buyers also obtain free services from security company ADT.
Homebuyers can select between a two-bathroom, three-bedroom home without a basement and a one-bathroom, two-bedroom home with a basement developed by Inherent LC3. The homes have a kitchen, on-site laundry, a living space and an enclosed backyard.
When possible, buyers can select from several facade design options and customize some of the kitchen, bathroom and flooring finishes. The hallways are wide enough for wheelchair access, increasing accessibility for aging families.
“We don’t want to call these starter homes. We want people to stay in them for a long time and pass them on, that’s how you build generational wealth,” Del Real said.
