Creating Affordable Housing: The Efforts of Chicago Faith-based Organizations
Tuesday, 06/23/26
10:00 AM
Opening Remarks
Speaker
Garvester Kelley, Principal Community Development Specialist, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago
10:03 AM
Introduction to Moderated Discussion
10:15 AM
Panel Discussion
Panelists
Kate Ansorge, Vice President, Real Estate Solutions IFF
Veronica Gonzalez, Vice President, The NHP Foundation
Rev. Dr. Joseph Gordon, Pastor, Carter Temple CME
Dr. Richard Townsell, Executive Director, Lawndale Christian Development Corporation
10:55 AM
Closing Remarks
Speaker
Garvester Kelley, Principal Community Development Specialist, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago
Creating Affordable Housing The Efforts of Chicago Faith-based Organizations
On June 30, 2026, the Chicago Federal Reserve Bank organized a discussion about how faith-based organizations are working to convert their real estate and Chicago’s vacant properties into appealing and affordable housing communities. This webinar examined practical strategies, real-world case studies, and partnership models that enable congregations and faith-based Community Development Corporations to address aspects of the city's affordable housing challenge.
In this session, participants discovered:
- The motivation driving faith leaders to pursue housing development
- Lessons learned from Chicago faith-based organizations that have successfully developed affordable housing units, from single-family homes to multi-family complexes
- And practical strategies for overcoming the three major barriers to such work: complex financing and capital-stack assembly, technical knowledge gaps in real estate development, and creating partnerships with developers.
