The Foundation is spearheading school improvement efforts and has provided a grant to Delta REDI to acquire a pilot brownfield site on the main commercial street. The property at 7256 S. South Chicago Avenue is one of several targeted for sustainable redevelopment. Delta REDI is managing the environmental assessment, cleanup and demolition and assessing various reuse options. Once this work is completed and a redevelopment plan has been formalized, Delta REDI will market the site.

Home ownership is key to building the assets needed to lift a family out of poverty—and raising home ownership rates can help to stabilize a neighborhood. The Delta Institute helped design and is now managing a subsidy program for low- and moderate-income home buyers in the Revere community. In Phase I, 30 buyers are each receiving a subsidy of $80,000 to purchase a home constructed by Revere Community Housing Development LLC. Delta is determining eligibility for the program and monitoring compliance with the subsidy terms over a ten-year period.

The Delta Institute also worked with the developer, architects and builders to ensure that the new housing is energy efficient and incorporates other green building features. Delta identified grant funds to pay for green features and is training the development team on how to build green, reduce toxic inputs, and safeguard indoor air quality.