Committed to improving the quality of life for Chicago’s low-income older adults, Housing Opportunities and Maintenance for the Elderly (H.O.M.E.) helps seniors remain independent and part of their community by offering opportunities for intergenerational living and by providing a variety of citywide support services.
H.O.M.E. opened its doors in 1982 with a philosophy: human beings need one another. H.O.M.E.’s founders focused that attention on social connection for and among older people with low incomes in Chicago. H.O.M.E. pioneered an innovative intergenerational housing model that intentionally brings together seniors, younger adults living and working as Resident Assistants, and families with children under the same roof. Today, H.O.M.E. offers 78 units of multigenerational housing in three affordable North Side buildings with a choice of private or shared living.
In addition, H.O.M.E. offers an Upkeep and Repair program, which provides senior homeowners on the South and West Sides with affordable plumbing, carpentry, and electrical repairs. H.O.M.E.’s Shopping Bus offers Chicago seniors living in affordable buildings transportation to grocery stores, with a driver who helps them carry their bags. The Moving Program subsidizes moves into safe, stable housing, and provides seniors with moral support. Finally, H.O.M.E. welcomes volunteers to provide weatherization, painting, cooking at its buildings, seasonal work, and more for seniors. H.O.M.E.’s vision is of a Chicago where people of all ages live together in a way that supports older adults’ connection to the larger community.
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