Hope Manor Apartments

Supportive housing and green design for veterans

Hope Manor Apartments is the first project of a longstanding collaboration with Volunteers of America Illinois. This 4-story, 50-unit apartment building provides housing and support services for up to 80 veterans who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.

The overarching design concept is a supportive housing development that serves the needs of at-risk veterans, fosters a sense of community, and incorporates many sustainable elements. The result is a building that has the traditional materials, scale, and style of a mixed-use property in Chicago, with some unique contemporary additions. The bays articulate the street-side facades along Franklin Boulevard and Albany Avenue and reinforce the building corner in a modest but elegant profile. In a neighborhood that has experienced historic disinvestment, Hope Manor Apartments brings much-needed affordable housing for veterans.

Hope Manor Apartments is a high performance building that utilizes various design techniques to reduce energy consumption, reduce environmental pollution, and increase indoor air quality. Features such as materials with high-recycled content, high wall and window insulation values, very high efficiency mechanical systems, solar-thermal hot water delivery, a green roof, and permeable concrete paving were incorporated in the design well ahead of the trend in green building standards. With energy efficiency incorporated in so many aspects of the design, residents benefit from lower than average utility bills.

Inside, the first floor is designed for community and connection, including a resource center, meeting rooms, community room, fitness center, and supportive service offices. Outside, there is a patio, walking path, recreation space, and therapeutic community garden space. Residents formed the Hope Manor Garden Club and have successfully grown many fresh and tasty vegetables and herbs!

The success of Hope Manor Apartments paved the way for more impactful projects, leading to the development of Hope Manor II, Hope Manor Village, and Hope Manor Joliet—each continuing the mission of providing veterans with the stability, resources, and community they deserve.