CCLF Profile: Geneva FoundationDeonne* seemed like any high-spirited, fun-loving teenager you might meet: he was an avid football and basketball fan, who liked math and his work-study program, and ran for "Lord" of his high-school prom. But Deonne was not your average high-school senior: he spent 6 months at Geneva Foundation, a group home that offers supportive services to help troubled youths reunite with their families. After several years in various residential treatment facilities, he was finally ready to go home.
Lisa Boone, Geneva's founding executive director, knew from a very young age that helping kids like Deonne was what she was put on this earth to do. She came to CCLF with a dynamite business plan, impeccable credentials and immeasurable energy, but no formal organizational track record and was trapped in a bureaucratic "catch-22."
Under pressure from the seller, Geneva Foundation needed financing quickly to acquire and rehabilitate a mixed-use building in Humboldt Park. No lender would touch it until Geneva had a DCFS contract for collateral. Geneva could not receive a contract unless it was licensed by the state; but a new agency cannot be licensed until it has a facility. CCLF stepped in, waived the precertification requirement, and closed the loan in record time so Geneva Foundation did not lose their building.
* not his real name