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Mission & vision

Our Mission: We are committed to delivering quality, affordable housing where individuals and families can live, work and thrive.

Our Mission Approach: Our team will adopt industry leading practices and seek partners and resources that will continuously enhance our value and exceed the expectations of our tenants and the communities we serve.

Our Vision: We will be recognized as one of the nation's premier providers of affordable housing.

Our Purpose: Established in 1983, Community Housing Advocacy and Development (CHAD) is a 501(c) 3 corporation that is the largest nonprofit supplier of quality, affordable, long-term rental housing in 29 communities primarily in DuPage and Kane counties, as well as portions of Will and Cook counties in Illinois. The organization was created by a group of concerned citizens to help raise public awareness, knowledge and commitment to the need for quality affordable housing for hardworking individuals and families struggling to support themselves as well as to increase the supply of affordable rental housing. A combination of lower wages and the limited availability of affordable housing units required many of these individuals and families to not only pay a disproportionate share of their income on housing but also required them to seek housing farther from where they worked, often in lower income areas lacking in good schools and community resources. CHAD has been working to remedy that situation by providing affordable housing options in more affluent areas of Chicago's western suburbs.

But housing is just the beginning. CHAD is about serving people and communities. When people can live in affordable housing there and can live near where they work, there is a ripple effect. There is a new found stability, mental and physical health improves, children grow up in a stable environment and perform better academically. In the end, lives are changed for the better.

Behind all the statistics regarding the need for affordable housing, are real people. Real people who want something better for themselves and their family. That's why at CHAD we know that when we create, provide and sustain affordable housing, we are providing housing where adults and children with desires, hopes, dreams, ambition, love, and success can live every day.

Our Properties: CHAD owns, leases and manages 405 housing units that represent a range of affordable housing opportunities including single family homes, duplexes, apartments and townhomes and provides professional property management services to over 1,100 residents. CHAD offers below market rents to income qualified applicants. Residents pay 25-50% below the fair market rent, collectively saving them more than $780,000 annually.

Our Partnerships: CHAD has developed strong working relationships with numerous nonprofits in the area to help residents gain self-sufficiency. The organization partners with Catholic Charities, DuPage PADS, and Bridge Communities -- agencies committed to bettering the lives of homeless families and empowering them to gain self-sufficiency through transitional housing programs. The agencies identify families who are at risk of becoming homeless and connects them to a faith-based organization, which in turn provides a housing subsidy and a volunteer mentor for a defined period. These organizations also provide case management. CHAD rents approximately 10 percent of its housing units for transitional housing.

CHAD also works with the DuPage County Health Department. The County leases CHAD apartments for Supportive Apartments, a residential program for mental health clients.

Finally, CHAD works with the DuPage Housing Authority (DHA.) The DHA administers Housing Choice Vouchers (aka Section 8), funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, to provide rental assistance/subsidy for approximately 2,500 DuPage households. CHAD welcomes Housing Choice voucher holders. Approximately 25 percent of CHAD residents are voucher holders.