The Solid Ground Supportive Housing Program, Chicago, IL

The Solid Ground Supportive Housing Program provides a safe home for up to 16 homeless male youth ages 16-21 for a period of up to two years. The project is a gut rehab and addition to an existing 3-story masonry building. The program consists of two residential floors, offices, a common kitchen on the first floor, and a multi-purpose space and a computer room in the basement. Bathrooms and common spaces are fully accessible and a new elevator was added to the building to access all the floors. Limited by the existing building shell and the zoning ordinance, great attention was paid to maximizing the available space. The existing rear porch was rebuilt and reclaimed for public use and additional bedroom space. The existing basement floor was excavated to provide proper head room height to allow for a number of public functions as well as building storage. Knothead custom furniture, including built-in shelving and bunk beds with desk space underneath, was also designed to maximize space in the small bedrooms.

The project received an energy-efficiency grant from the state of Illinois.