After nearly 50 years fighting gentrification, Paul Roldan retiring from Hispanic Housing Development Corporation
CHICAGO (CBS) -- After decades of dedication to his mission to make Chicago's gentrifying neighborhoods more affordable, Hispanic Housing Development Corporation president and CEO Hipolito "Paul" Roldan is retiring.
As he prepared to end a remarkable career, Roldan recently showed off his newest accomplishment – an apartment building in the heart of Humboldt Park, where tenants pay only what they can afford.
But his journey started decades ago with a mission to stabilize gentrifying communities like Humboldt Park.
"I was the first employee of Hispanic Housing back in 1976. So that's how it got started," he said.
Now, at 81 years old, his legacy stands tall – literally – in the buildings he helped create.
"It took a while to begin to get a sense of what the city was about, what neighborhoods were about demographically, in terms of organizations, politically, all of that," he said.
The Pedro Albizu Campos Apartments opened earlier this year with 64 units. Residents pay 30% of their income as rent. The unusual rent arrangement helps tenants like Oscar Lopez and his daughter, Clarisa, afford their new home, which they call a true blessing.
"Finally we're able to live here, to be able to have an affordable living, to have a dream apartment for Puerto Ricans to be here where they're supposed to be," Clarissa said.
For almost 50 years with the Hispanic Housing Development Corporation, Roldan has led the charge in building thousands of affordable units across the city—homes that have provided stability to generations of families fighting gentrification.
Roldan's legacy is not just in brick and mortar, but in the countless lives transformed by his work.
"I go into one of these homes – just finished it, families moving in. I go in, and there is this mom in kitchen, and she has tears streaming down her eyes. I go into a bedroom, and this 7-year-old boy has a bedroom – his own bedroom for the very first time in his life. Those kind of things are things that most people don't write about, but they're very important," he said.
His downtown office tells the story of a man whose service to his country and his community has left an indelible mark.
A Vietnam veteran and recipient of the Bronze Star medal, Roldan has countless awards to his name.
And his vision will continue, as he's helped invest in the next generation of leaders through scholarships and mentorship programs.
"Investing in human potential is better than gold, or stock, or real estate, because it gives forth 30-, 35-year careers," he said. "It's a blessing to have been exposed to the opportunity to serve this way."
Roldan said, with the current housing crisis, the need is greater than ever. For example, there were more than 600 applications for the 64 apartments in the Pedro Albizu Campos Apartments.