Habitat Launches Veterans Build Project in Chicago
Veterans and volunteers are building new townhomes at 115th and Morgan in West Pullman as part of the group's sixth annual Veterans Build.
Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Construction
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Habitat for Humanity of Illinois launched its sixth annual Veterans Build project in Chicago on Friday, Nov. 6, with 20 volunteers from Chicago Veterans and the Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago working at the West Pullman townhome site. The group took a little over a year to finish the first building and expects to complete a second in spring 2027.
Why it matters
The project highlights the need for affordable housing and home repairs for military families in the Chicago area. Veterans and civilian volunteers provide construction labor and sweat equity toward the townhomes.
Twenty volunteers worked at the site on Friday, and the first building took a little over a year to finish. Habitat for Humanity plans five buildings in total and estimates completion will take five to six years, with the timeline for the remaining buildings not yet detailed.
The players
Habitat for Humanity of Illinois
The Illinois affiliate of the international nonprofit that builds affordable housing through volunteer labor and sweat equity.
The details
Volunteers from Chicago Veterans and the Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago are building new townhomes at the corner of 115th and Morgan. Twenty teams will mobilize throughout November in honor of Veterans Day.
Timeline
Last year: Volunteers began work on the first townhome building.
Friday, Nov. 6, 2026: Veterans Build project launched at the West Pullman site.
November 2026: Twenty teams mobilize in honor of Veterans Day.
Spring 2027: Second townhome building expected to be finished.
Market Landscape
The Veterans Build program extends Habitat for Humanity's ongoing effort to pair military veterans with housing construction in the Chicago area. The West Pullman project continues that model by combining veteran labor with a multi-building townhome development.
Residents near 115th and Morgan in West Pullman will see ongoing construction at the townhome site as the buildings go up. The project adds new townhomes that may help expand affordable housing options for local families.
The takeaway
Volunteer-built housing projects like this one show how veteran labor and community partnerships can expand affordable housing supply over multi-year timelines. Readers interested in supporting similar efforts can look for local Habitat for Humanity chapters seeking volunteers.
What happens next
Habitat for Humanity plans to finish a second townhome building in spring 2027 and expects to complete all five buildings in five to six years.
Further reading
For more on the building trades behind projects like this, see Construction coverage in Chicago.
Source note: This article includes information reported by CBS News.
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