ROCKFORD As a single mother, Katherine George fled to Rockford from the violence of the south side of Chicago in 2006 in search of a safer place to raise her three children.
When she arrived here, she discovered a public housing approach that hadn t yet been attempted in the area.
The close-quartered apartments of the former Champion Park on the city s west end had recently been demolished, and in their place stood a spacious neighborhood with multistory homes that resembled a traditional suburb more than public housing. I did a walkthrough of one of the houses down the street and I said, Wow this is so beautiful. I love it. And just said, I want one, George said.