Serving the CommunityPatrick M. Magoon Institute for Healthy Communities Austin HOPE Center
Austin HOPE Center
A collaboration between Stone CDC, Lurie Children’s and the Austin community
The Austin HOPE Center is being co-developed by Stone Community Development Corporation (Stone CDC), a trusted organization in the Austin community, and Lurie Children's. Our shared vision is that of a healing, welcoming space for youth and families to seek clinical care and community-based services. The facility will provide high-quality pediatric specialty physical and behavioral healthcare services; community-responsive health education and training; gathering space for youth development and other community organizations; and outdoor space for programming and respite.
Watch our groundbreaking video
Learn about our community engagement efforts so far:
- In September 2024, we held a meeting with Austin youth to share progress updates and ask for feedback on design and next stages of the project.
- In July 2024, UJAAMA Construction held a Contractor Outreach Event which was an exciting opportunity for local contractors to connect, network and learn about bidding opportunities for the Austin HOPE Center and other community projects.
- In April 2024, Lurie Children's and Stone CDC leadership held a series of coffee chats at Urban Essentials Coffee Cafe in Austin. This was an opportunity for cafe patrons and Austin residents to stop by and learn more about the plans for the Austin Community Health Hub in an informal, relaxed setting.
- In March 2024, young residents of Austin visited Lurie Children's and met with Senator Dick Durbin. Afterwards, they participated in a fun and exciting color theory workshop led by Alt Space Chicago. Following the hospital tour, Lurie Children's employees visited Austin to get better acquainted with its vibrant cultural history in a tour led by local historian, Dilla.
- In May 2024, Lurie Children's and Stone CDC held a meeting with Austin residents who live near the location of the new facility to help set expectations and address concerns regarding construction activities.
- In November 2023, Lurie Children's and Stone CDC invited young people from Austin to a creative workshop where they could share thoughts and ideas regarding the design of the Austin HOPE Center and its spaces. Here's what they shared with us:
- In August 2023, we held a follow-up meeting with community residents to provide updates and seek input on building design.
- In May 2023, we met with local clinicians and healthcare providers from Austin to get their insights and recommendations about what types of clinical services are most needed by children and adolescents in the community.
- In April 2023, we held our first community input meeting where we introduced the concept of the facility and requested feedback from our Austin neighbors.
The Space
The Austin HOPE Center will be a 24,500 sq. ft., three-story new construction building, owned by Stone CDC and leased to Lurie Children’s and Thresholds. It will be a focal point for resources and information, housing both clinical care and community-based services under one roof. Two local, Black-owned architectural firms were selected to design the facility. Through extensive and ongoing engagement that will continue throughout construction, Stone CDC and Lurie Children’s are aiming to create an environment where the youth and other community residents feel welcome and at ease.
The 1st floor of the Austin HOPE Center will be shared by Stone CDC and Lurie Children’s. It will be comprised of Stone CDC offices and program space, a community gathering space, a café, and an outdoor green space. Lurie Children’s Patrick M. Magoon Institute for Healthy Community’s health education, training and programming for youth and families will occupy the rest of the first floor. Their space will include two community meeting spaces and a teen lounge.
The 2nd floor will house the clinical services Lurie Children’s will provide. Spaces include pediatric behavioral health offices and group therapy rooms; clinical exam rooms to support pediatric chronic health conditions, adolescent medicine, and other pediatric specialty care services such as high-risk asthma, weight management, sickle cell disease, kidney disease, and autism care, among others. These services were carefully selected through extensive community engagement, including with local pediatric providers, and analysis of patient data.
The 3rd floor will house several of Thresholds’ West Side community-based outreach teams. Thresholds will not see any patients onsite. They currently have offices in other parts of the West side and are excited about this new location for their outreach staff in the heart of Austin.
Collaborating Partners
The Austin HOPE Center is a collaborative effort led by the following partners:
Stone CDC is dedicated to improving the quality of life in Chicago's Austin neighborhood by building pathways of opportunity aimed to address the academic, economic, social-emotional, and spiritual well-being of families through academic enrichment; art appreciation and instruction; health and wellness; and financial literacy and wealth building programming.
Lurie Children's is consistently ranked as the top children’s hospital in the state and one of the best in the nation. We care for more than 200,000 children and adolescents each year, and serve more youth insured by Medicaid than any other hospital in Illinois.
Thresholds is one of the oldest and largest providers of recovery services for people with mental illnesses and substance use disorders in Illinois. Thresholds’ staff meets people where they are – out in the community. Offering services in a community-based setting makes them more accessible and effective and lessens social isolation. Thresholds efforts include assertive outreach, case management, housing, employment, education, psychiatry, primary care, substance use treatment and research.
Gregory R. Williams, AIA, NOMA, LEED AP, NCARB is the President and Principal Architect of Gregory Ramón Design Studios. A self-certified architect in Chicago and a registered interior designer in Illinois, Gregory has over 20 years of experience in new construction and renovation in residential, commercial, healthcare, municipal and institutional spaces.
Taylor Staten, LEED AP, is the Design Principal at TnS Studio, a Chicago-based, Black-owned, woman-powered design firm that prioritizes equity-focused work with underserved communities on the city's South Side.
UJAMAA Construction is a general contracting and construction management company. Since its founding in 2002, UJAMAA Construction has supported the Midwest and Southeast regions through exceptional construction services and community outreach. A Black-owned company, UJAMAA is Kiswahili for the Tanzanian concept of people working together and means unity in supporting one another by any means available.
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