Austin Hope Center

In October 2025, CDF provided $12 million in New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) allocation to Austin Hope Center, a joint venture between Stone Community Development Corporation (“Stone CDC”) and Chicago Neighborhood Initiatives, to finance the construction of a 25,000-square-foot pediatric health and services center located at 5044 West Chicago Avenue in the Austin neighborhood. Project elements include a pediatric health clinic and offices for Lurie Children’s Hospital; offices and programming space for Stone CDC; offices for Thresholds, one of the largest and oldest behavioral health services providers in Illinois; and a Wintrust Bank branch.

The Project will address a critical need for pediatric specialty care and behavioral health services on Chicago’s West Side, serving more than 5,675 individuals annually with access to clinical care and community-based services. Lurie Children’s Hospital will provide high-quality pediatric health services including specialty care that treats a wide range of pediatric and adolescent health conditions, as well as community-responsive health education and training for youth and families. Stone CDC will provide after-school and summer programming to support the physical and mental health and wellbeing of neighborhood youth. The Project will act as a homebase for Thresholds’ outreach teams who will provide behavioral health services in the community to individuals with serious mental illness, many of whom have co-occurring substance use conditions. At full operations, the Project is anticipated to support 74 full-time equivalent positions across all tenants.

Old National Bank provided NMTC equity and an additional $7 million in NMTC allocation.