Hope Manor II

Chicago, IL

Making room and creating community for veterans’ families

One of the nation’s first developments offering affordable homes to both single veterans and veterans with families, Hope Manor II provides housing and services in Chicago’s Englewood neighborhood for more than 70 veteran-headed households. Completed in 2014, the community offers a unique combination of studio apartments, one, two and three-bedroom dwelling units and four-bedroom townhomes aimed at not just transforming a neighborhood, but also transforming lives. 

The multi-phase project represents WJW’s ongoing commitment to working with Volunteers of America, applying thoughtful, rigorous design solutions to the challenges of affordable supportive housing communities. The development repurposes nearly three acres of vacant urban landscape formerly occupied by a hospital and commercial buildings, adding density and a substantial lift to the revitalization of the neighborhood. 

  • Hope Manor II is an extension of VOA Illinois' Hope Manor Campus, offering affordable housing units for veterans w
  • The development contains a mix of studio apartments, one, two and three-bedroom apartments, as well as four-bedroom townhomes to accommodate families of different sizes.
  • Well-designed contemporary facades, with reference in character and materials to traditional Chicago neighborhood-scale architecture, bring a crisp, welcoming residential presence to the streetscape.
  • Space for a full range of multi-generational services is gracefully incorporated into the complex, inviting participation in offerings that meet resident needs.
  • Front yards and approachable, residential-scale help create community and a neighborhood feel.
  • A central, private park creates green space for residents, complete with a playground for families to enjoy.

Drawing influences from the surrounding community, Hope Manor II is designed at classic Chicago neighborhood scale, carefully sited to complement the streetscape while creating greenspace and a walkable, campus-like setting for residents. Multi-generational service offerings find a home in first-floor, street-facing spaces that create a sense of interaction with the commercial corridor along Halsted St. The townhomes and six flat buildings face the more residential-character streets of Green and 60th. All of the buildings revolve around a nearly half-acre park that includes a playground for the many young children in the development. A large urban gardening area is also situated on site. All parking is hidden from street-view, and the development is in close proximity to multiple mass transit options and new retail/grocery store development.

Designed to offer dignity, comfort and a stable foundation for a new life, Hope Manor II welcomes veterans and their families home.  In doing so, previously vacant land is provided definition again, and becomes an anchor for the surrounding neighborhood’s ongoing renaissance.  

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