WGN: Chicago’s first Native American-inspired housing project moves forward
July 11, 2025
CHICAGO — Chicago’s first Native American-inspired affordable housing is closer to happening on the city’s Northwest Side.
One thing organizers made clear was that everything about this project was intentional — from its name, to its location and even the design of the building.
Chicago City Council has approved funding for the construction of a seven-story building that will contain 45 affordable rentals.
The project—known as Jigzibik, a Potawatomi word meaning “at the river’s edge” —will be the first urban Native American-inspired affordable housing project in Chicago.
The design will pull elements from Native culture — incorporating a symbolic representation of the river.
The proposed unit will include 10 studios, 15 one-bedrooms, 10 two-bedrooms and 10 three-bedroom apartments.
Unlike a traditional groundbreaking, this event was a land blessing.
“We just weren’t feeling the idea of shovels in the ground to break ground on this beautiful place right here. So we decided we would do it with an indigenous method and prepare the ground like we would traditionally if communities were gathering,” said one of the organizers.
“I always believe, and it’s a very simple belief, that affordable, accessible housing is a human right and it’s a fundamental, basic human right,” said Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson.
This was a project six years in the making and was a collaboration between a number of city agencies and Native American organizations.
