A three-building apartment complex with 22 affordable housing units for people exiting homelessness is opening where the Sportsman’s Lounge once stood. The longtime tavern, which had operated under various names for more than a century, closed in September 2023, around the same time the Springfield City Council approved the rezoning necessary for the redevelopment project in the 200 block of West Mason Street to proceed.
The Illinois Housing Development Authority’s permanent supportive housing program funded the redevelopment that was built by Windsor Development and is owned by nonprofit Deerfield Reserve; both of those businesses are based in Springfield. A ribbon cutting was held April 13 and the units are expected to be occupied within the next two to three weeks.
Josh Sabo, executive director of Heartland Housed, said the effort was a “beautiful” collaboration of various nonprofits and levels of government.
“All of these different pieces coming together have made a project that’s going to change the lives of 22 individuals,” Sabo said.
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The Springfield Housing Authority provided project-based vouchers for each of the apartment complex’s residential units. SHA executive director Jackie Newman said that her agency has had to make due with fewer resources but still chose to support this project.
“If you’ve been watching the news, you know that the funding through the Department of Housing and Urban Development is consistently being reduced,” Newman said. “So, you have to be a good steward of the limited resources that HUD allows you to have and we are happy that, locally, we were able to commit 22 vouchers to this most worthy initiative.”
The Springfield Housing Authority’s 2026 pot of federal money is projected to be the lowest amount of annual federal obligations the housing agency has seen since 2010.
While the complex has three buildings that are each comprised of eight apartments, one unit is set aside for a case manager’s office and another will be for property management. Case management and 24/7 access to support will be available through Helping Hands of Springfield and Fifth Street Renaissance, which the city is funding through U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development dollars it’s received.
Amy Rasing, the city’s director of the Office of Planning and Economic Development, said that while building new, affordable housing is already an achievement, the ability to offer onsite services stands out.
“We’re proud to be a part of all of this,” Rasing said. “You can build it and they will come, but we want to offer those additional resources to those folks that make this their home and have a place to call home because of this development.”
Sen. Doris Turner, D-Springfield, highlighted the need for multiple entities to ensure property and tenant success.
“Everywhere I go, no matter where it is in the (48th) District, the main thing that people talk about is housing,” Turner said. “Right here in Springfield, we have the perfect storm. We have a collaboration between Heartland Housed, Fifth Street Renaissance, Helping Hands and the Springfield Housing Authority that kind of brings it all together… 22 people will be housed.”
Turner reiterated her support for IHDA, reminding attendees “these things don’t happen without funding. It doesn’t just — snap your fingers and it occurs.”
Ward 5 Ald. Lakeisha Purchase acknowledged that she had gotten pushback from some of the nearby neighbors who “didn’t believe in the project” and took a “NIMBY – not in my backyard” stance, but stood by her decision to promote it. She said her concerns were addressed well by Windsor Development and the nonprofits that will be providing services.
“Sometimes these conversations aren’t always pretty and easy to have, and I went against my surrounding neighborhood to make this happen,” Purchase said. “I would like to continue to have more of this happening in my ward as I surround the hospital district… I need everybody to continue to work together so that we can improve and use this as the model that we’re doing throughout the city.”
Rob Weiss, president of the Fifth Street Renaissance board, relayed a message of gratitude that remained focused on the future from Penny Powell, the nonprofit’s executive director.
“We look forward to providing case management and services to this property,” Weiss read from her statement. “We need more of this. More units, more support, more people willing to step in and be a part of the solution because no one should be sleeping outside, and no one should be trying to survive without a home. We’re not done, but this is a good step forward.”
