Affordable housing through teamwork: Community development in the spirit of Dr. King.

It's terrific to be able to draw on the resources of a leading global organization as I do the daily work of expanding financial inclusion for families and communities in Illinois in my role as State Director for Citi Community Development (CCD). Here is one example: on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in January, more than a dozen Citi volunteers helped approximately 300 families apply for affordable housing in the new Dr. King Legacy Apartments in Chicago. That act of service, noteworthy in itself, was especially significant as it capped Citi's work to make that housing a reality.

The $17 million, mixed-use apartment complex is located at the corner of West 16th Street and South Hamlin Avenue, where Dr. King lived in the 1960s as he campaigned against segregation. It was built by Lawndale Christian Development Corporation (LCDC) with financing from Citi Community Capital. CCD and Citi Foundation provided grants for pre-development costs, including a $100,000 Partners in Progress grant. In addition, Sheila Barber, Vice President and Business Development Officer for Community Mortgage Lending at Citi, chairs LCDC's board of directors.

The Dr. King Legacy Apartments, with 45 units of affordable rental housing and 4,000 square feet of commercial space, are scheduled to open this month. It was fitting to have the rental housing application kick-off on our national day to honor Dr. King. I was proud when Kim Jackson, Executive Director of Lawndale, opened the event by recognizing the scope of Citi's involvement and thanked us for "sticking by" LCDC from the beginning to the end of the project. Even more gratifying to me personally was the fact that three representatives from the organizations Nobel Neighbors and Genesis Housing joined us, at my request, to help applicants. This demonstrated the cohesiveness and shared commitment to community development among our partners!

Last year, LCDC and other community organizations formed the MLK40 Task Force, a consortium aimed at developing this historic district where Dr. King lived with his wife and four children during his 1965-66 Chicago Campaign for civil rights. This was the only place in the northern United States where he and his family ever lived. The plan is for a four-acre site that would include these apartments, a new park in conjunction with a local elementary school, a memorial to Dr. King, a new community center and a fair housing museum. The Dr. Martin Luther King Historic District is being developed over a five-year period, from 2009 through 2014, starting with this affordable family housing project.