Testimonials

I worked with Laurel developing one of the greenest residential affordable housing projects in the nation - the Margot & Harold Schiff Residences in Chicago. She stepped in when we were short a project director and worked alongside me during the project financing phase when I really needed support. This was an incredibly complicated, unique project to

develop and close and I don't know how I would have gotten it done without Laurel's assistance.  She secured funding to remediate the site, identified other sources of financing to subsidize the project, worked with the architect, negotiated with the general contractor, identified the Owner's Rep. She was fantastic to work with.

Laurel is a unique consultant. Her resourcefulness and skills have resulted in funding for affordable housing projects and special needs projects over the last 15 years. She has shown her expertise in all stages of proposal development - from focus groups, funding applications, award implementation and compliance monitoring. She not only understood our "dreams" but also assessed all possible funding sources and the reality of projects. She has worked on affordable housing projects for the YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago for 15 years; we have benefited from her expertise and knowledge. She has secured financing for projects and worked with community groups to implement the housing.  

Laurel is the best planning and development consultant that I have encountered in my

40 years in the business. I do not hesitate to engage her in every project that I can. She has important relationships throughout the public, private and non-profit communities, is well respected by her peers, and genuinely cares about each project as if it is the only thing she is working on. On the projects that we have worked on together, Laurel has shown a deep concern for the community residents, especially in underserved communities, advocating and making sure that we can provide the best development outcomes possible. She has consistently held our development partners to a very high standard of performance. Laurel is one of the most knowledgeable, caring and highly skilled urban planning professionals that I know, and I am grateful for our professional and personal relationship.

Laurel is without peer, the best in consulting with community organizations developing facilities, funding and programs in Chicago. She took our vision for a community center serving the lower income, single parent households of the Avondale and Logan Square neighborhoods from hopeful dreams to reality. Laurel assisted us in evaluating community needs, assessing our organizational capacity, developing our key funding strategies and securing nearly $10 million in public sector support. Her 25+ years of experience is clearly demonstrated by her wealth of resources and keen insights. We now serve over 300

families with quality children's program, teen youth, adult education and senior programs, quadrupling our capacity and exceeding our vision, thanks in a very significant way to Laurel's support.