Chicago has thrown its weight behind a first-of-its-kind affordable housing project built specifically for people who are blind or visually impaired, doing it with more quiet paperwork than splashy fanfare. The Foglia Residences is a nine-story, 76-unit development at the edge of the Illinois Medical District that prioritizes veterans and residents with disabilities. City support, layered with tax-credit equity, helped make the building financially workable.
According to Crain's Chicago Business, the city has lined up financing for the Foglia Residences, a move officials and advocates say addresses a long-standing shortage of accessible housing. The project was funded through a mix of 9% and 4% low-income housing tax credits and is believed to be the first U.S. housing development aimed at residents with vision loss to rely on LIHTCs, Affordable Housing Finance reports.
Design built for independent navigation
The Foglia Residences is packed with accessibility features that are meant to feel routine, not special, so tenants with low or no vision can move around without help. Industry reporting notes braille signage, high-contrast finishes, textured flooring that signals room transitions, talking elevators and integrated voice controls built into the property. Multi-Housing News and local coverage from Chicago YIMBY describe additional touches such as tactile wallpaper, audible alarms and appliance controls with tactile cues included as part of the standard fit-out.
How the financing came together
Developers Brinshore and The Chicago Lighthouse assembled a financing package valued at roughly $48 million, with equity, loans and public support from players including CIBC, J.P. Morgan, the Chicago Department of Housing and the Chicago Housing Authority, according to Affordable Housing Finance. The Chicago Lighthouse’s audited financial statements show construction wrapped in late 2024 and the building received full occupancy certification in early 2025, which means residents are already moving into the new model (Chicago Lighthouse).
Why developers and advocates say it matters
Local advocates frame Foglia as a replicable blueprint that combines universal-design features with subsidized rents, especially when located near medical services and transit in the Illinois Medical District. Recent reporting on the city’s multi hundred million dollar affordable housing funding plan positions Foglia within a larger push to expand and preserve subsidized units across Chicago, according to Urbanize Chicago.
