Growing up in Garfield Park, Athena Williams, now the head of a nonprofit agency, watched her parents use real estate ownership and business ventures to support relatives and create opportunities beyond their immediate household. Their approach informed her understanding of how access to property and financial resources could shape a family’s stability.
“For me, growing up in a family that owned real estate, and also still being in the community, I was able to see and learn the difference between what was often called the haves and have nots,” Williams said.
Her parents’ example helped shape her desire to return to the West Side and help residents envision possibilities beyond their immediate circumstances.
“I always felt like I should come back and help people in the community see things different,” she said, emphasizing her belief that local residents deserve quality developments in their own backyards. “And know that they can have things different.”
The long-time executive director of the Oak Park Regional Housing Center, Williams works to translate those lessons into community development strategies that prioritize neighborhood residents.
The work of the nonprofit housing center stretches from Oak Park and the near west suburbs across the West Side.
One example is the redevelopment of the former Laramie State Bank site on Chicago Avenue at Laramie. The project includes a just-opened 78-unit affordable apartment building managed by Cincinnati-based Pivotal Housing Partners, while the housing center provides resident support.
Williams now is working to bring the historic but dilapidated bank building back to a useful purpose. Plans call for various commercial uses with a goal of bringing a branch bank location to the building, which is part of the Soul City Corridor.
When a request for proposals from the City of Chicago opened for the development, Williams sought to ensure community members retained a meaningful voice in determining how neighborhood investments take shape, particularly as outside investors began acquiring properties across Austin.
“It was really critical to me that this is something that someone or a group of people from the community should have ownership of and have a really big say about how it functions for the community,” said Williams.
As the project moved forward, the housing center focused on preparing prospective residents for the application and leasing process. Beginning in February and continuing through July, the organization hosted workshops covering fair housing, application requirements and lease expectations.
Williams estimated that nearly 2,000 people attended workshops or visited the office as part of the outreach effort. The organization collected 506 applications.
With more than two decades of property management experience, Sonia Russell, property manager of Pivotal Housing Partners, understands the operational demands of managing residential developments.
A West Side native who grew up in K-Town, Russell spent 14 years with East Lake Management under housing developer Elzie Higginbottom. She stressed that the project’s success depends on cooperation between management and the housing center’s resident support team.
“Security plays a major part in making sure that the property is secure,” Russell said when describing daily building operations.
Having worked in property management for 22 years, Russell emphasized that effective tenant support also requires coordination between the people overseeing building operations and those advocating for residents.
“You have to have somebody that’s able to speak for you, and I think Athena speaks for Austin,” said Russell.
The development features multiple shared spaces designed to encourage community gathering, including a rooftop deck, a green courtyard, an indoor bike room and the ground-floor Danny K. Davis Community Room, which will be open to residents and neighborhood groups. The housing center plans to coordinate public use and host programming, while Pivotal oversees day-to-day property operations.
The two organizations are also developing a resident-support framework that Williams views as a buffer to help tenants address challenges before they escalate. Under the model, housing center staff will guide residents through lease expectations, address concerns and connect them with outside resources.
Williams said both teams have also discussed establishing a dedicated fund to assist tenants facing unexpected financial hardship.
For Williams, the mission reaches beyond a single property or neighborhood boundary. She remains determined to ensure Austin residents have access to quality housing and amenities without needing to leave their community, while also recognizing broader affordability challenges in nearby Oak Park, where some people who work in the village cannot afford to live.
“I feel like our people, our residents, our neighbors deserve the best,” said Williams.