A Safe Haven (previously CCIL)

Chicago, IL

Photography: Bill ZBaren

Located in Chicago’s Lawndale neighborhood, the mixed-use building included rooms for families and men and women. Originally built for the Chicago Christian Industrial League, the property was purchased in 2017 by A Safe Haven and serves as a home and educational center for veterans.

At construction completion, the building held 340 beds for those seeking shelter in the League’s transitional programs. Food was provided in the 140-seat kitchen, and the cafeteria doubled as a teaching kitchen. Other spaces included social services, seven training classrooms, a 100+ seat community room, group therapy rooms, administrative offices, and work areas to support the 75 person staff.

Sustainability and the integration of energy-efficient, recyclable materials were a critical part of the design. Sitework included capping and removing hazardous materials discovered before construction, including removing several underground tanks, lead, and PCB contaminates.

A landscaped bio-swale system filters and slows parking runoff before introducing storm-water back into the municipal system.