City Announces Funding To Turn Vacant Bank Building Into New HQ For North Lawndale Employment Network, Including Apiary

CHICAGO (CBS) -- The Mayor's office on Monday announced that a vacant building in North Lawndale that used to be a bank will be redeveloped to become the new campus for the North Lawndale Employment Network.

The project is made possible by a $2.5 million Neighborhood Opportunity Fund grant that was approved by the City Council Monday. It will support a renovation of the two-story building at 1111 S. Homan Ave. that will cost $6.9 million in all.

The project will give the employment network about 48,400 square feet of space for offices, training, and an apiary for bees. The space will also include a production area for Sweet Beginnings LLC, which produces raw urban honey and honey-infused skin care products.

The project also includes a café and a Wintrust bank branch with a drive-through setup.

The city will also provide $1.1 million in New Markets Tax Credits for the project. The tax credits are issued by the Chicago Development Fund through a U.S. Treasury tax incentive program.

The project is expected to create as many as 13 new jobs, and 41 existing jobs will be consolidated on the site.

The North Lawndale Employment Network is a community organization that provides training, coaching, and support services to the formerly incarcerated and others with barriers to employment.

Also From CBS Chicago:

CBS 2 is committing to Working For Chicago, connecting you every day with the information you or a loved one might need about the jobs market, and helping you remove roadblocks to getting back to work.

We'll keep uncovering information every day to help this community get back to work, until the job crisis passes. CBS 2 has several helpful items right here on our website, including a look at specific companies that are hiring, and information from the state about the best way to get through to file for unemployment benefits in the meantime.

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