Quincy man selected as part of cohort for Illinois program focusing on equity in affordable housing development

QUINCY — Gov. JB Pritzker, together with the Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA) and the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), recently announced the inaugural class of the Next Generation Capacity Building Initiative (Next Gen). 

Next Gen will provide capital, training, and technical assistance focused on reducing barriers to entry for developers of color. The initial cohort of 21 emerging developers is part of the state’s continuing efforts to support the capacity and growth of a diverse pool of affordable housing developers in Illinois.

One of the members of the cohort, selected out of approximately 300 applicants, is Robert Young, 36, of Quincy. He said the application process to be selected took about a year.

“They want a lot of information on what you did, who you are, your background, what kind of space have you been working in, all that stuff,” Young said. “You pretty much had to prove your story. The governor wants to see more developers, because it’s a really hard area to break into if you don’t have the resources and the funding.”

All but three of the 21 participants are from the Chicago area. Two of them are from East St. Louis, and Young is the other.

Participants will receive 160 hours of curriculum focused on developing affordable housing utilizing the low-income housing tax credit. A seven-part series of discussion topics with experts will range from forming and managing a development group, financing and deal structuring, the IHDA application process, property management and more. Throughout the year, participants will also be given opportunities to network with housing developers to ask questions, learn best practices, and receive advice during their journey. 

After completing the curriculum, Next Gen participants will be eligible to apply for a pre-development loan funded by IHDA and administered by LISC. This capital will support the pre-construction and planning costs necessary to establish project design, scope, site control, and other early costs that have historically created significant barriers for small-scale or emerging developers.

“These classes provide an understanding of how a project would work in the supportive housing space for the homeless, re-entry for people leaving incarceration or people with disabilities,” Young said. “For Quincy, I felt like it was needed. That space for people getting out of prison is really kind of untapped because there’s not a lot of resources for people when they get re-acclimated.”

While Young will be the developer of affordable housing, he believes Impact Global can provide case management for people searching for that housing.  Impact Global, which attempts to prepare people looking to get a new career or a new skill, operates out of the Quincy Business and Technology Center, 301 Oak. Young’s mother, Crystal, is the administrator at Impact Global. 

“(Impact Global looks) at a person’s resources to kind of see where they’re at,” Young said. “Sometimes that population doesn’t really have the desire to work or the desire to see their challenges. Do you have financial literacy? Do you know how to budget your bills and your rent?

“If you’re housing homeless, you have to have the accountability factors put in place — the right property management, the supportive services — to manage what’s really going on, or it will just run itself. I want to stress that it is a community effort. It’s really not about me, but it’s really about the community and how we can all come together and come up with something.”

Young says he wants to meet with the Two Rivers Land Bank, which is designed to help find buyers for blighted properties for which owners are no longer paying taxes, and different homeowners to partner in the process.

“It’s going to consist of either a development to renovate a property that’s kind of bigger, or it’s going to be some new development of, maybe, 30 houses that are just sitting around town,” he said.

Young says he’s already worked on redeveloping homes on Quincy’s northwest side. Being part of this cohort only helps him create more affordable housing.

“You know when (the city) shut down the Welcome Inn (in July 2021), and all those people were kind of just put to the street because the building needed a lot of improvements?” Young said. “There’s a huge population for that. I’m only one person. A lot of what I’ve done so far is with my own funds, my own resources. There’s only so much I can do to serve that need. The governor is focused on ending homelessness, so they’re really putting a lot of money and effort toward solving that issue.

“Now I’m at the age where I can be another person to talk about making a difference. What action can I take to really do something? I’m just thinking about my legacy. I want to be remembered as, being from here, somebody who helped those in need. It’s something I want to leave so someone else will do the same.”

“We want Illinois to be a leader in producing talented affordable housing developers that reflect the many communities that make up this great state,” IHDA Executive Director Kristin Faust said in a press release. “These professionals in the Next Gen program will help break down the barriers that have long existed in the field of housing development. Greater diversity among our development partners will lead to positive outcomes for residents and the communities where they reside.”

Next Gen is funded through a $5 million Illinois Affordable Housing Trust Fund Bond Indenture.