By: Hanna Guerrero  

July 2nd, 2026

As America commemorates the 250th anniversary of its founding, many will reflect on what freedom means today. For Adriana and Kenneth Navarro, freedom is found in something deeply personal: the ability to remain in the home they have spent nearly three decades building together. Housing stability gives them the independence to age with dignity, care for loved ones, and remain connected to their neighbors and community. Thanks to The Resurrection Project’s (TRP) affordable housing programs, such as the Pilsen Stay in Place Forgivable Loan Program, that freedom becomes reality for families who might otherwise face impossible financial choices or risk displacement from the community they helped build.

Inside Adriana and Kenneth Navarro’s Pilsen home, greenery is everywhere. Adriana’s green thumb is on full display with big, leafy plants adorning the front window and a garden brimming with flowers in the backyard. Even her kitchen embodies her love for nature. Her new kitchen cabinets are “matcha green,” a color Adriana personally selected as part of a major renovation project made possible through The Resurrection Project (TRP) and The Chicago Community Trust’s (CCT) Pilsen Stay in Place Forgivable Loan Program.  

From First-Time Homebuyers to Lifelong Homeowners

For 30 years, Adriana and Kenneth have called this house home. Kenneth, a Vietnam War veteran born and raised in Pilsen, met Adriana at work 40 years ago. Adriana had originally lived in Bridgeport, but love led her to Pilsen to be with Kenneth.

The couple has a long history with The Resurrection Project: They purchased their 2-unit home through TRP in 1997 almost 30 years ago. Adriana fondly recalls how a friend’s encouragement ignited her homeownership journey with TRP.  

“I had a friend who one day told me, ‘Adriana. You like to talk with people, they’re building houses, let’s go find out,’” recalled Adriana.  

Adriana and her friend then spoke to a TRP homeowner.   

“The lady was so nice, welcoming us into her home … and she just explained the process to us,” said Adriana.     

Through her community in Pilsen, Adriana secured a home for her family in the neighborhood where her husband grew up. They planted their roots in Pilsen, settled there, and raised their children in their home.   

A Forgivable Loan That Preserved a Home

However, challenges emerged as their daughter frequently fell ill, and they had to rush from work to the hospital constantly. Adriana came up with a solution.   

“I told my husband, you know what, let’s bring her over here so that if something happens, she’s close to the house,” said Adriana. Today, her daughter lives in the unit downstairs. Caring for one another is now as simple as traversing a flight of stairs—an example of how a home can provide multi-generational support.   

Like many longtime homeowners, Adriana and Kenneth faced the growing cost of maintaining an aging home, including modifications that were made to accommodate Kenneth’s health. As the couple grows older, creating a safer and more accessible home has become a priority.

However, the cost of significant repairs weighed heavily on their fixed retirement income. While out in the neighborhood with her sister at the Zócalo, a plaza near TRP’s offices, she spotted a flyer that offered hope: “My sister said, ‘You’ve mentioned wanting to fix your floors. Why don’t you look into this?’”

That conversation became a turning point. Adriana sought help and discovered a way to avoid debt through TRP.

Adriana learned about the eligibility criteria, which includes owning a two-to four-unit building in Pilsen, maintaining a 5-year occupancy and rental affordability requirement, and completing a 2-hour session with a TRP Housing Stability counselor. She then applied for the Pilsen Stay in Place forgivable loan, a process supported by TRP Lending’s staff, who guided homeowners through every step.

“Everybody was so nice with us and the process, paperwork, and everything,” said Adriana.   

Protecting Pilsen’s Longtime Residents

For many longtime Pilsen homeowners, maintaining their homes has become increasingly difficult. According to a 2021 study by the Urban Institute, Black, Indigenous, and People of Color owners are more likely to live in inadequate housing that requires maintenance. This is particularly true in Pilsen, where 60% of homes were built before 1940 and need repairs. In 2021, the median building age of 2- to 4-units in Pilsen was 130 years.

“As communities like Pilsen continue to evolve, longtime residents face growing challenges to staying in the neighborhoods they’ve helped shape. Through the Stay in Place initiative, we are proud to partner with TRP on its forgivable loan program, reflecting our shared commitment to preserving owner-occupied multi-unit buildings and addressing affordability for homeowners and renters,” said Matt Shomo, Program Manager for Homeownership and Home Equity at the Chicago Community Trust.    

The Chicago Community Trust staff and TRP’s Lending team visited Adriana and Kenneth’s home to see the positive impact of the Stay in Place Forgivable Loan program first-hand. 

Building a Safer Future

For Adriana, the renovations are about than new cabinets, they’re about safety and independence.

“I didn’t want any cabinets on top [of our stove] anymore. I’m always trying to climb and clean, and I realized I don’t want to fall. No more climbing, no more extra stuff,” said Adriana.   

The repairs to her kitchen are nearing completion, and Adriana is grateful to have a more accessible space to care for her husband, reinforcing the program’s positive impact on family stability and helping residents age with dignity. 

“I’m so happy because this is my kitchen, and my husband is sick. He has to eat his food on time and take a lot of medicine,” said Adriana.   

For now, the refrigerator sits tucked into a corner of the living room, with appliances stacked nearby while construction wraps up. Despite the limited space, she cooks meals for the contractors. Once the remodel is complete, Adriana is looking forward to returning to the heart of her home; a safer, more accessible kitchen where she can continue caring for the person she loves the most.  

The Navarro’s hope others can apply for the program in the future. They emphasized the need for programs like the Pilsen Stay in Place Forgivable Loan Program, noting that many longtime homeowners in Pilsen face costly repairs they cannot afford on their own.

CCT and TRP Lending staff visit the Navarro’s home in Pilsen. 

Applications for the Pilsen Stay in Place Forgivable Loan program are closed. TRP and CCT hope to continue the program to assist more homeowners. TRP has approved 10 forgivable loans so far. Four homeowners have completed repairs; three are near completion, and three are getting permits from the city to complete repairs.

Since 1990, TRP has believed that housing creates opportunity. Stable housing allows families to build generational wealth, remain connected to their neighbors, support local businesses, and strengthen the fabric of their communities.

For families like the Navarros, the freedom to stay is more than remaining in one home. It is the freedom to remain rooted, preserve community, and build a legacy that will continue for generations.

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The Resurrection Project (TRP) builds trusting relationships to educate and propel individuals, immigrants, and families to achieve their social and economic aspirations, stable homes, and equitable participation in their community. TRP is a leading provider of affordable housing, financial education, and immigration services on Chicago’s Southwest side.

During the past three decades, TRP has worked to improve the lives of individuals and families by creating wealth, building assets, and engaging residents to be catalysts for change. Rooted in the Pilsen community, TRP’s impact now extends across the City of Chicago and through the State of Illinois; we are making steady progress towards leveraging and preserving more than $1 billion in community wealth in 2025.