WASHINGTON, DC (September 17, 2010) – Today Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) commended the inclusion of The Pomeroy, a senior public housing development in her Congressional District in Chicago’s Edgewater neighborhood, in a new White House Report: “100 Recovery Act Projects that are Changing America .” The development received $18.3 million in Recovery Act funding to rehabilitate and reopen the 87-year old building that was shuttered in 2006 due to aging mechanical systems and prohibitively expensive ongoing repairs.

The report, "100 Recovery Act Projects That Are Changing America," highlights some of the most innovative and effective projects nationwide that are not only putting people back to work right now, they are helping to transform the American economy for years to come.

“Inclusion of The Pomeroy in today’s White House report of the 100 top Recovery Act projects is recognition of how meaningful the revival of this seniors’ affordable housing development is to the community at large,” said Rep. Schakowsky. As Co-Chair of the Congressional Seniors Task Force, Congresswoman Schakowsky has long advocated for the needs of seniors and for strong consumer protections in general, including affordable housing for all.

“I’ve been very involved in advocating for reinvestment and rehabilitation of The Pomeroy for years because of its capacity to provide multi-faceted community support—and with the infusion of Recovery Act funds, this potential will be realized,” said Schakowsky. “Not only will The Pomeroy continue to offer much needed affordable housing for seniors, the building’s rehabilitation will create local jobs in an environmentally friendly, sustainable way. Critically, we’ll get valuable bang for our Recovery Act bucks because this investment will help launch us out of recession and lay the groundwork for a local green jobs sector and clean energy economy.”

U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan commended Schakowsky for her leadership: "This project, which will create or save 105 jobs in Chicago and provide energy savings for the senior residents, may not have happened without Congresswoman Schakowsky's vote and leadership in getting the Recovery Act passed."

Vice President Joe Biden on the top Recovery Act projects named in the White House report: “With Recovery Act projects like these, we’re starting to turn the page on a decade of failed economic policies and rebuild our economy on a new foundation that creates good middle class jobs for American families. And we’re not engineering this transformation alone – Recovery Act projects like these are drawing billions in private capital off the sidelines to help recharge our economy.”

Pomeroy project description from “100 Recovery Act Projects That Are Changing America:”

Public Housing for Senior Citizens – Chicago, Illinois – $18.3 million

The Pomeroy, an 87‐year old 9‐story brick building on the north side of Chicago, was closed in June 2006 because the aging mechanical systems were failing and the cost of on‐going repairs had become prohibitive. Recovery Act funding will enable the Chicago Housing Authority (CHA) to substantially rehabilitate the property and reconfigure the interior floor plans to create 104 new one‐bedroom apartments for senior citizen public housing. The building will undergo a complete renovation including new mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems, new elevators, new kitchen and bathroom cabinets, fixtures, and appliances. The Pomeroy Apartments project is part of CHA’s ambitious plan to facilitate transformational energy efficiency and “green” retrofits in order to substantively increase building efficiency and environmental performance of public housing properties and thereby reduce energy costs, generate resident and CHA energy savings, and reduce green house gas emissions attributable to energy consumption. The project will have a green (vegetated) roof which provides insulation for the building, reducing heat loss in winter and cooling costs in the summer. 73 workers will help with interior demolition, and 32 workers will help with various predevelopment activities.