CHICAGO (January 25, 2022) – Savills advised on a new real estate strategy, including two multiyear lease transactions on behalf of Illinois’ leading child and family service agency, Children’s Home & Aid. The agency will relocate its headquarters from its current location at 125 South Wacker to a 12,515-square-foot space at 200 West Monroe. Additionally, the agency will restructure and renew its lease at its 20,000-square-foot program office located at 100 North Western.

Children’s Home & Aid has 23 locations serving 66 counties in Illinois, and its Chicago presence includes its headquarters location and a program office. Savills Vice Chairmen Eric Feinberg and John Goodman and Associate Director Isabel Preskill created a new real estate strategy for the agency as both lease expiration dates approached.

As both the program office and headquarters location serve constituents throughout the Chicago area, Savills conducted a transit study to establish how employees and program participants were traveling to the offices. The team determined the optimal locations for each office after analyzing the results.

“Children’s Home & Aid possesses a people-first mindset, and its real estate strategy sought to reflect this,” said Preskill. “Location played a major role in determining the areas for both of the agency’s offices as they needed to reside near the communities in which they serve.”

“100 North Western is situated two miles west of the Loop and near major transit lines, including the Metra and CTA stations, making it an optimal location for families to travel to the program office,” added Preskill. “Children’s Home & Aid needed to create a more functional client-facing environment as it has adopted a more flexible workplace model. The ideal solution was to restructure and renew its current lease to shed underutilized space and create a more streamlined office structure that includes private areas for staff to meet with children, youth and families.”

“For the agency’s headquarters, Children’s Home & Aid sought a new location that provided a sense of community in its office space and proximity to its major sponsors and board members,” said Feinberg. “We identified a sublease at 200 West Monroe that was fully built out. The centerpiece of the office is an expansive café that promotes a sense of community and allows for open collaboration.”

The team secured long-term benefits for Children’s Home & Aid, including a 30% reduction of its footprint at both locations, two significantly modernized spaces with all new finishes and furnishings, and the ability to create a brighter work environment for its employees and the youth and families they serve. Most critically, Children’s Home & Aid will save $9.3 million over its new long-term leases, and the agency will redirect these funds to support its mission and serve communities in need.

Project management for both offices will be conducted by Savills Rich Dale and Laura Schueren.

200 West Monroe is a 23-story Class-A office located in the West Loop, conveniently offering easy access to commuter transit and area expressways. The building provides a full spectrum of amenities, including a luxury fitness center, food service, conference center, game room, and storage facilities.