Reclaiming Chicago

The Owens Foundation is honored to partner in Reclaiming Chicago, an initiative focused on building 1,000 homes on the South Side and 1,000 on the West Side. By constructing new homes on vacant lots and rehabbing existing properties, the effort seeks to strengthen neighborhoods and expand homeownership opportunities for working families within these communities. The initiative was recently awarded the Chicago Prize — a $10 million investment to accelerate this work and deepen its impact.

The article highlights how Cara Collective, a Chicago-based nonprofit founded by Tom Owens, helps people affected by poverty gain workforce skills, secure quality jobs, and build long-term employment through training, coaching, and employer partnerships; over nearly three decades, it has placed thousands into jobs with retention rates above national averages.

A freight train passes south of a plot of land in the 7400 block of South Talman Avenue in Chicago on Feb. 12, 2026. United Power for Action and Justice, whose initiative, Reclaiming Chicago, was awarded the Pritzker Traubert Foundation's Chicago Prize, which will help fund the development of a 125-unit affordable living community on the vacant property. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)