Clara's Village

At the recommendation of a friend, Janet applied for an apartment at Clara’s Village. Little did she know she would acquire a home that served as a launching pad for the success for her children. After years living with her mother, Janet made the move from the west side of Chicago in 2008 to the recently finished Clara’s Village apartments. Though her children struggled with leaving their friends behind, Janet was determined to transform this new apartment into a home for her family. Through the help of Olive Branch Mission (social service provider), Janet’s children were able to acquire bus passes to their middle school and high schools in order to arrive at school safety each day.

Janet makes a point to appreciate the great opportunity this has afforded her family. Through hard work and the help of the Clara’s Village case managers, Janet, on her fourth try, was able to secure a public health waiver, an exemption from the State of Illinois law that prevents health care employers from hiring an individual who have spent time in the criminal justice system. She is now working in a job that she loves with aspirations of advancement. Janet encourages future residents to make home wherever they are and to take pride in having a key to an apartment that is all their own.