City Program Wants to Bring More Families to the South Side and West Side One Vacant Lot at a Time

City program wants to bring more families to the South Side and West Side one vacant lot at a time

When Kai Bandele moved to Chicago nearly 20 years ago, it was into a two-flat in the West Side.It was a win-win scenario: The building was owned by the sister of Bandele’s friend, and Bandele and her spouse were able to save enough money to buy a home before their son was born. “Being able to stay in place, to save, to grow and to eventually purchase my own single-family home on the South Side — none of that would have been possible without that…

City program wants to bring more families to the South and West sides, one vacant lot at a time

When Kai Bandele moved to Chicago nearly 20 years ago, it was into a two-flat in the West Side. It was a win-win scenario: The building was owned by a friend of Bandele’s sister, and Bandele and her spouse were able to save enough money to buy a home before their son was born. “Being able to stay in place, to save, to grow and to eventually purchase my own single-family home on the South Side — none of that would have been possible without that …