Chicago 2010, September 7-11
The Christian Community Development Association is hosting its CCDA National Conference and celebrating 20 years of restoring under-resourced communities.
The organization began 20 years ago when Dr. John Perkins, a Mississippi sharecropper's son, and Dr. Wayne "Coach" Gordon, an inner-city Chicago transplant from Iowa, invited 150 friends to Lawndale Community Church in Chicago for a time of fellowship with like-minded people and training around best practices. These friends were people like Mary Nelson, Bob Lupton and Glen Kehrein - individuals who had committed their lives to serving the poor, but who felt isolated in the midst of it. Every fall since that first conference in 1989, CCDA has held a National Conference, traveling to a different US city each year. What began as a group of friends gathering in a church has become a movement that draws conference attendees from around the globe!
Health often determines whether people are able to live independently and remain active in the neighborhood, so ZION places a high priority on promoting wellness. Longwood Plaza’s world-class Walter D. Williams Wellness Program is available on-site to all residents free of cost. The program, which won the 2005 Governor’s Unique Achievement Award for positive impact on the lives of seniors, is currently a model for expansion to other locations.
Throughout the years, ZION Development has spent over $20 million to provide safe, decent, sustainable housing for MidTown residents. As a result, our neighbors now have access to a variety of single-family, multifamily and senior housing options that afford them dignity and security. From the first dilapidated house we rehabilitated in 1984 to the 12 highly energy-efficient townhomes built in 1995, to the renovated apartments in mixed-use buildings, it is easy to see ZION’s impact on the neighborhood and on individual lives.
In 2001, ZION completely transformed the Grand Apartments into Rockford’s first permanent, supportive housing facility for single adults coming out of homelessness. At the Grand, we do not manage homelessness, we end it by providing 45 units of high-quality housing with excellent, on-site supportive services to empower residents to continue their personal growth. Keys to their own mailbox and front door are keys to success, enabling residents to stabilize their lives and often to find employment.
We value the gift of creation and the many resources it affords us, so we strive to practice good stewardship. In all our projects, we incorporate energy efficiency measures and we have achieved a remarkable record of success. ZION’s 1995 townhome project, the area’s first new construction in decades, has documented the first year’s natural gas costs, averaging only $211 per unit. Not only are we conserving precious resources, we are also ensuring that residents can afford their utility bills and remain in their comfortable homes despite rising energy costs.
Katie's Cup coffee-bar and bookstore is the perfect place to get a cup of coffee, talk with a friend, play one of our board games, or just catch up on your reading. Katie’s Cup has a full coffee menu, lunch menu, books, and a variety of gifts everyone will love. 
Lantow Lofts is a complete renovation of the historic Lantow Pharmacy building at 502 Seventh Street, in Rockford, Illinois, featuring seven upscale, urban condos located above a coffee bar/bookstore with a high-tech community meeting area. 