Causes: Education, Educational Services, Homeless & Housing, Housing Development, Construction & Management, Human Service Organizations, Human Services, Job Training, Vocational Rehabilitation

Mission: We strive to reach out to an inner-city neighborhood, North Lawndale, which is struggling with the traumatic consequences of urban poverty: poor schools, low levels of education, drug addiction, unstable housing, crime, high rates of incarceration, and homelessness. Our mission is to establish, educate, and empower North Lawndale families to gain the economic and spiritual tools that lead to hope and self-sufficiency.

Programs: Affordable Housing program: We build affordable, single-family homes for low-income North Lawndale families. Our homes are considered to be the most affordable in Chicago, as well as the best product for the price, according to Chicago's 24th Ward Alderman, Michael Chandler. Our APL Teaching Factory provides an intensive, six-week course that equips participants with the basic skills needed for entry-level employment, industry trade programs, and GED programs. We also provide ongoing placement services, as well as family, spiritual, and career development counseling. Additionally, we will soon open our Manufacturing Credentialing Center, which will provide participants nationally-recognized manufacturing credentials. APL Teaching Factory is particularly successful with our large number of ex-offender participants, who face extreme barriers to re-entering the workforce. Beneficiaries: Steans Family Foundation, Chicago Community Trust, LISC, JPMorgan Chase Bank, Wells Fargo Housing Foundation, Lloyd A. Fry Foundation, Khesed Foundation, First American Homeownership Foundation.