Modular Homes Pilot Program Will Bring New Homes To Chicago Heights

Cook County President Toni Preckwinkle during the ribbon cutting for two modular homes. Photo by Tia Carol Jones.
Cook County President Toni Preckwinkle during the ribbon cutting for two modular homes. Photo by Tia Carol Jones.

Modular Homes Pilot Program Will Bring New Homes To Chicago Heights

By Tia Carol Jones

Cook County and Inherentance recently hosted a ribbon cutting for two homes in the Humboldt Park neighborhood. These two homes are part of a $12 million housing pilot program that will bring 120 new modular homes to Chicago Heights, Proviso Township and Humboldt Park.

The modular homes are built in sections in a factory, then transported to a site for assembly. The homes are designed to exceed local building codes, energy standards and evaluated by local inspection teams across Cook County. The Cook County Land Bank has provided 12 lots in Humboldt Park for this initiative and each will become the site of a new modular home.

The Modular Homes Pilot Program was approved by the Cook County Board in May of 2024. The program is led by the Cook County Department of Planning and Development. Under the program, people who earn 120 percent of the county’s median are eligible to purchase a home. For residents living in Disproportionately Impacted Areas and Qualified Census Tracts, there is no income limit. Financial assistance is available to those interested in purchasing a modular home.

Cook County President Toni Preckwinkle said the two homes in Humboldt Park are just the beginning of an important effort. Several homes in the community are nearing completion. Preckwinkle said that housing is a racial equity issue and that Black people, Indigenous people and other people of color in the community experience higher rates of housing instability and lower rates of homeownership. She said the modular homes pilot program and the County’s financial assistance program are a step toward changing that trend.

“Home ownership is part of the American Dream and the way most families build wealth. My administration is committed to making it a reality for more residents in Cook County,” she said. “In Cook County, we believe homeownership should be within reach for everyone.”

Jessica Caffrey, Executive Director of the Cook County Land Bank, said the mission of the Cook County Land Bank is to reduce and return vacant land back into production use. Caffrey said the lots the land bank provided to Inherentance had been vacant for years and the pilot program is an opportunity to give the land purpose.

“It is no longer an eyesore in the community, it is now an amazing house that will soon be a home to a beautiful family,” she said. She added that the Cook County Land Bank wants to create opportunities for homeownership, because homeownership is the fastest way to create generational wealth. “A space that once symbolized disinvestment will soon hold birthday parties, hold holiday dinners, family time on the couch and TV. Turning vacancy to homeownership is one of the most powerful things we can do to strengthen a neighborhood.”

Inherentance Founder Tim Swanson said the modular homes are an example of what happens when there is teamwork, among public, private and non-profit entities. He said the modular home is what it looks like when people come together to build the best for as many people as possible. He said it is so much bigger than a house, he said when there is homeownership, the city and county become better.

“This is the best house we can build. A house designed for multigenerational living, a house designed so that grandma or grandpa or auntie and uncle can live with you and help make that mortgage payment work,” he said.

For more information about the Cook County Land Bank, visit www.cookcountylandbank.org. For more information about the Modular Homes Pilot Program, visit www.cookcountyil.gov/service/modular-homes-pilot-program.

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