New Communities Program News and Articles

Planning project supports 63rd Street vision

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 00:28:35 CST

[Articles]

Under the leadership of 63rd St. business owners and community residents, the 63rd St. Growth Commission is in the midst of a planning and visioning effort for the business district.

The effort formally began in October ‘07 with a visioning session in which business owners discussed what they wanted to see accomplished in the area in the near future. That session led to the creation, over the next year, of business owner-led issue-area committees that have guided different Growth Commission initiatives.

The planning effort continues and grows with the recent start of the 63rd St. Full Circle Mapping and Survey Project. (Pictured below: the SSA physical survey being conducted.)

In early ‘09, the Commission hired consultant and city planner Clifton Trimble to assess the district through a Commission-designed survey and help create a new, detailed map and database of the SSA. The project will help foster a better understanding of the area’s needs and help bring about the vision businesses have outlined.

With the help of the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning’s (CMAP) tools, Clif can efficiently collect SSA data to create a detailed assessment. CMAP is a state-funded agency formed in a merger of the Chicago Area Transportation Study and the Northeastern Illinois Planning. The agency helps communities collect land and area data necessary for planning and development.

CMAP’s general community assistance process consists of helping identify what data need to be gathered, creating a database of local parcels by visiting target area, using the gathered data to create maps depicting different aspects of area parcels, and establishing recommendations and finding alternatives for improving communities’ quality of life.

With this information, the Commission hopes to create a more inviting destination point for new potential customers. Stay tuned for the results of the project by going to www.63rdstreetcenter.com.

This article first appeared at www.greatersouthwest.org.

Fighting foreclosure on two fronts

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 00:45:56 CST

[Articles]

“I knew enough to know that I’d have been signing my death warrant,” says recent Greater Southwest Develompent Corp. home counseling client Alexis Smith.

Smith, a West Englewood homeowner, knew the loan modification – or “loan mod” – she refused to sign and that a for-profit housing counseling agency negotiated for her was a sham.

Facing foreclosure in August 2008 on a mortgage with an interest rate over 10 percent, a Cook County judge granted her time to pursue a workout with her lender: to keep the home, she would need a more affordable monthly payment.

Days after Smith’s case was finally – and successfully – resolved by a GSDC counselor in April 2009, Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn gave those in danger of similarly falling behind on their mortgages relief.

With Southwest Side leaders standing alongside, he signed into law (signing pictured above) a grace period of up to 90 days before foreclosure proceedings may be initiated against borrowers who fall behind, a period granted if they pursue free government-certified housing counseling to seek a workout with lenders.

The law’s chief sponsors were Sen. Jacqueline Collins (D-16) and Sen. Terry Link (D-30). Smith’s story offers hope and a cautionary tale to borrowers in trouble and stands as testament to the work of GSDC’s housing counselors.

To read the full story, please jump to the GSDC Web site, where it originally appeared.

People Power makes partners of SWOP, BofA

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 13:48:45 CST

[Articles]

They weren’t indoors at the negotiating table, but the 200 demonstrators praying and singing on the front lawn of St. Rita’s church rectory on a rainy Wednesday morning delivered a powerful message to the bankers inside.

“Bank of America!” they repeatedly inveighed. “Keep our families in their homes!”

Father Tony Pizzo announces a partnership agreement reached between Southwest Organizing Project and Bank of America on the steps of St. Rita of Cascia rectory.

Photo: John McCarron

Maybe their prayers weren’t totally answered, but they did spur negotiation of a new partnership between a coalition led by Southwest Organizing Project (SWOP) and the nation’s largest commercial bank.

“We heard you. We heard your voices inside,” announced Father Tony Pizzo of St. Rita of Cascia Catholic Parish, who hosted the 90-minute sit-down July 8 between SWOP and BofA.

A three-part deal
When it was all over, Father Pizzo, the neighborhood leaders and the bank executives emerged to announce a partnership in which SWOP and BofA will:

• collaborate on developing a “proactive loan modification program” to make mortgages more affordable to families struggling with payments;
• jointly develop a “rental non-eviction program” that would allow tenants to remain in foreclosed apartment buildings; and
• work together on a plan to turn vacant buildings into community assets.

Southwest Side residents keep vigil outside St. Rita of Cascia rectory; their upbeat presence encouraged the negotiation process rather than alienating bank officials.

Photo: John McCarron

The two sides further agreed to meet the following week at BofA’s Loop offices to iron out details of what both sides described alternately as a “partnership” and a “pilot project.”

“We are very committed to be as creative as we possibly can be to restore this community to health,” declared Andrew Plepler, who doubles as the North Carolina-based bank’s vice-president for corporate responsibility and as president of its charitable foundation. He was accompanied by Robert Grossinger, the bank’s Chicago-based senior vice president.

Why BofA?
Although Bank of America has been generous in its support of community revitalization efforts in Chicago -- including NCP -- it finds itself foreclosing on an outsized number of failed mortgages. Many of the bad loans it inherited via the takeover early last year of Countrywide Financial, which specialized in sub-prime, adjustable-rate loans.

Some questioned the wisdom of turning out hundreds of neighborhood residents as a foil for the parlay at St. Rita’s, 6243 S. Fairfield Ave., thinking it might alienate, rather than inspire, the bankers. But that’s not how it worked out.

A coalition of Chicago Lawn community agencies will participate in the budding coalition to stave off avert foreclosures and evictions wherever possible.

Photo: John McCarron

For one thing, the crowd at the rectory — drawn mainly from a dozen nearby Catholic, Muslim, Jewish and Protestant congregations — was upbeat and cheerful despite the steady drizzle. Rather than taunts or catcalls, they filled the air with “Our Fathers” and hymns such as “Make me a channel of Your peace.”

For another, the neighborhood truly has been ravaged by foreclosures, with three or four boarded-up bungalows or two-flats on nearly every block. Since January 2008, more than 3,700 foreclosure actions have been filed on homes in the four Zip codes served by SWOP, about 10 percent of them by BofA, either as direct lender or as agent for another lender.

What makes BofA’s record more painful, explained SWOP Executive Director Jeff Bartow, is that the mega-bank, through a series of prior acquisitions, took over what was once the most socially responsible bank in a neighborhood – Talman Federal Savings. Even in the depth of the Great Depression, the locally-owned Talman had a policy against foreclosing on earnest homeowners.

“It’s about leadership”
“It’s a good start, a real step forward,” said Bartow after participating in the negotiation. “Now it has to move to implementation.”

“This is not about money. It’s about leadership,” echoed fellow negotiator James Capraro, executive director of Greater Southwest Development Corp. (GSDC), which, with SWOP, anchors the LISC/New Communities effort here. He said Plepler and Grossman have an opportunity now to make BofA a national leader in mortgage modification, tenant retention and housing renewal.

He also said this same approach – negotiating inside while supporters wait watchfully outside – soon will be applied to other major banks foreclosing on homes in the neighborhood. Stay tuned.

More information: SWOP 773-471-8208; GSDC 773-471-8208.

Community Beat: $5 Haircuts Bad News for Economy

Thu, 9 Oct 2008 13:40:29 CST

[Articles]

Check out the latest posts on the Community Beat blog for quick takes on the many different approaches to building stronger communities.

Report on the Economy, via the Hair Salon

There's a price war going among the hair salons and barber shops on Clark Street in Rogers Park, and that's bad news for Alicia, the woman who's been cutting my hair for the last 10 years. Read more.

Remembering Wanda White Gills

News came through recently that Wanda White Gills, a longtime contributor to the improvement of Chicago communities, has passed away after a long battle with cancer. Facilitator of the Englewood planning process and long-time contributor to community development in Chicago, White Gills was remembered by colleague Pierre Clark as "the best facilitator and collaborative consensus builder I've worked with in 30 years in community development, bar none." Read more and see comments from others.

In Little Village, Rapid Response to Shooting

A violence prevention team was on its way to a school cookout last week when it came upon a young person lying on 26th Street, shot twice; the team brought him to the hospital and then set in motion a rapid series of meetings and rallies to reduce further violence. It's a proven method developed by CeaseFire Chicago, yet the program is currently unfunded, waiting for passage of House Bill 4431 by the Illinois Senate. Read more.

From Dirty, Noisy Naples, Lessons for Chicago

Southern Italy's tightly packed metropolis of three million people struggles with unemployment, bureaucracy and a long relationship with the Mob (not to mention graffiti everywhere), but has also done what great cities do: create beauty and order and art. There are lessons here for Chicago or any other city. Read more.

Sold-out Neighborhood Tours Deliver the Goods

On Saturday, May 16, six neighborhoods led sold-out bus and walking tours in South Chicago, Bronzeville, Pilsen, Albany Park, Auburn Gresham and West Ridge. Reports are flowing in and it appears that both participants and tour guides had a ball. Read more.

Hmmm . . . Mole de Mayo

I spent a couple of hours in Pilsen this afternoon sampling the tasty treats at Mole de Mayo, where some of Chicago's finest Mexican restaurants vied for the titles of "Best Mole" and "People's Choice." Hector Marcial, executive chef of Mundial Cocina Mestiza, was dishing up a sample of three kinds of mole. Read more.

What next for Washburne Trade Site?

It's been holding the corner of 31st and Kedzie since 1910, a whale of a building and a nice-looking one, too, but the fabled Washburne Trade School, empty since 1996, is now being demolished. Read more.

USX Redevelopment Slowly Getting Underway

Despite the stalled economy, plans are afoot to transform the former site of U.S. Steel into a thriving, eco-friendly neighborhood. My friend and former colleague Mick Dumke has a post up over at Clout City with great photos of the site. Read more.

Going to Scale: Family Science Nights

When a school system has 600 schools and 400,000 students, you don't have time to make changes one kid at a time. You need programs that scale, like the Family Science Nights that result from trainings by the Museum of Science of Industry. Read more.

You've Come a Long Way, Farragut High School

Farragut High School in Little Village has achieved another milestone in its slow evolution from a school of last resort to a true community resource. The school played host to the second annual Little Village Youth Forum: Building Community, Fighting Violence. Read more.

Tours: Daniel Burnham Would Be Pleased

Six real-life neighborhoods will be on display May 16 during the Great Chicago Places and Spaces Festival. As part of the Burnham Plan Centennial, tour buses will be heading to Bronzeville, South Chicago, Auburn Gresham, Pilsen, Albany Park and the Indian shopping strip on Devon Avenue in West Ridge. Daniel Burnham would be pleased. Read more.

Trail Prospect: Rail Viaduct in Englewood

A long-abandoned rail viaduct in Englewood is getting some serious attention as another link in Chicago's growing network of biking and hiking trails. The elevated rail line runs east and west a half-block south of 59th Street, between Wallace and Hoyne Avenues. Read more.

Migration North on Clark Street. Why?

The evolution of a commercial district is usually a subtle, slow-moving thing. You have to watch for clues as buildings lose tenants or gain them over a period of decades. What I'm seeing lately is a long-dormant strip of Clark Street, between Bryn Mawr and Devon, coming back to life. Read more.

Design on a Dime: Tips for Creating a Retail Brochure

With a great sigh of relief, the first editions of Near West's retail publication West Haven Now went out the door today. Here are some lessons learned thorugh the process, for anyone looking to strut their own commercial districts. Read more.

Aldi Syndrome: The Mixed-Income Conundrum

One of the final editions of the News-Star newspaper came through my Rogers Park mail slot today and I got a big kick out of the story about the Aldi grocery chain trying to "sneak one of its stores" into a new development in Edgewater. It seems that some neighbors and 49th Ward Ald. Joe Moore would prefer something more upscale. Read more.

Neighborhood Tourism: Pilsen Main Street Tour

Attracting tourists is one of the oldest money-making schemes in the world, but urban neighborhoods haven't often invested the resources to attract visitors and then roll out the red carpet when they arrive. But that's changing. Read more.

Mapping for Neighborhoods -- the Google Way

If there were a prize for Innovative Use of Web Tools by Community Organizations, I'd have to nominate Michael Quinlan of Near West Side Community Development Corp., who is an aggressive user of embedded videos, slide shows and photos to spread information about the West Haven neighborhood. Read more.

The Economy and Neighborhoods

Foreclosures, unemployment and a weak economy are wreaking havoc in neighborhoods and families across the country. What can neighborhood organizations do while under economic siege? Here are a few ideas.

Back of the Yards Grows into Community Planning

The many successes of the New Communities Program show what a neighborhood can do once it has a plan and the energy to move it forward. But how do you get to that point? Read more.

Youth Sports -- and Sportswriters

Over in Little Village, young athletes with Beyond the Ball have put together a five-minute video showing how their so-called open gym at Little Village/Lawndale High School works. Watch the video and you'll see it's a lot more structured than the typical open gym. Read more and see the video.

South Chicago: A place of steely resolve

Wed, 8 Jul 2009 14:19:19 CST

[Articles]

South Chicago is no stranger to hard times, so the economic face-smacking now felt across the city smarts a little less down here. Other neighborhoods could even learn a thing or two from this community about how to cope with loss and nurture hope.

Lesson #1: Don’t wait around for the Big Fix.
Sure it would help if developers would, at long last, get on with the redevelopment of the lakefront’s South Works steel mill site, where 20,000 once worked.

South Chicago, built in the shadow of the Chicago Skyway, is a place of sturdy homes and resilient residents.

Photo: Eric Young Smith

But until they do, community-building is being pursued in small but purposeful steps: organizing block clubs; strengthening ties between schools and families; helping folks adjust to the changing world of work and wealth-building; developing affordable housing that is sustainable over time.

And lesson #2?
“Stay flexible, build partnerships and don’t try to do everything yourself,” says Angela Hurlock, executive director of Claretian Associates, now starting its third year as NCP’s lead agency in South Chicago.

An action arm of the Roman Catholic order of priests and brothers, Claretian Associates’ main experience is as a developer of affordable housing, having completed more than 130 units in the neighborhood. But Hurlock explains that NCP “gives us an umbrella under which a lot of things can get done.”

New partners
One partner new to the umbrella is Centro Communitario Juan Diego, which for 20 years has been helping Latino families here deal with nutrition deficits, health problems and language barriers. With NCP help it’s organizing 10 block clubs in the barrio west of Commercial Avenue beginning with a flagship effort on the 8500 block of South Escanaba Avenue.

So it’s soup-to-nuts, for there are many needs in a community that is two-thirds Latino and a quarter African-American; and where nearly a third live in poverty.

Success here can look like last summer’s youth internship program, in which Claretians helped place 148 neighborhood youngsters, aged 14 to 21, in paid internships with employers ranging from the DuSable Museum to a local beauty shop.

The USX South Works site, once South Chicago's lifeblood, awaits redevelopment -- but the community is taking action to develop its other corners in the meantime.

Photo: Eric Young Smith

Each was helped to open an account with Park National Bank, along with direct deposit for their paychecks and some face-to-face counseling about the benefit of saving and spending to a budget.

“We had some who fit right in [to their summer workplaces] and some who could barely read,” Hurlock said. The experience left her convinced that education is the key, both to personal and community development. “This is steel mill country but the steel mills are gone. Other skills are required.”

So Hurlock applauds the college-prep EPIC Academy (Expeditionary Path to Innovative Change) that will open soon, but she also dreams of a hands-on charter school that would specialize in “green” construction, recycling, weatherization and rehab.

“What happens if you’re not going to college?” she asks, pointing out there’s work to be done in South Chicago but only for those with training.

Hurlock and Claretians took over as NCP lead in 2007. But the program hasn’t missed a beat, in that Claretians was an early NCP partner and had major input to the revised quality-of-life plan released shortly after they took over.

Hurlock also sees in NCP an antidote to the neighborhood’s insularity. “Down here you can get to thinking you’re more in Indiana than Chicago. So it [NCP] keeps us tied into what’s going on.”

Angela Hurlock, director of Claretian Associates, oversees the lead agency's efforts to implement NCP in South Chicago.

Photo: Eric Young Smith

Home is where the heart is
An upside of that insularity is small town charm. People here nod hello to one another as they shop the not-so-fancy stores along Commercial Avenue, a gesture you won’t often see on North Michigan.

And the families, especially second- and third-generation Mexican-Americans whose parents once punched a clock at the steel mills, take to all manner of community pursuits, from parish bingo extravaganzas to the 10th Ward Busca de Huevos de Pascua (Easter Egg Hunt).

But make no mistake. This was a place laid low, not just by the 1992 closing of USX South Works, but by the broader implosion of the entire region’s metal bending industries.

The local unemployment rate, an enviable 4 percent in 1970, quadrupled in the decades that followed. So did home foreclosures and abandonment. As population and paychecks dwindled, stores closed along Commercial Avenue, as did several theaters and parish schools.

Much was achieved in NCP’s early going: a Job Resource Center; renovation of Russell Square Park; creation of The Bush Home Owners & Tenants Association and getting home repair assistance to the neighborhood outside South Works’ main gate; launching the Southeast Chicago Observer, a self-sustaining community newspaper.

Now Claretians is using its project management expertise, gained in housing, to take NCP to another level.

A medley of after-school programs and camps uses the arts to engage and enrich young lives in the latch-key hours before parents get home from work; local artists are forming a collective, and at several locations have cheered up gray areas with color-splashed wall murals; family financial counseling and income supports have been added to the Job Resource Center, making it a full-fledged Center for Working Families; and a housing preservation coordinator has been hired to reach out to homeowners threatened by foreclosure … and renters by eviction.

Commercial Avenue -- viable in good times and bad.

Photo: Eric Young Smith

Housing remains Claretians’ long suit, especially with the opening this year of Victory Centre, a $50 million complex of supportive living and senior apartments developed with Pathway Senior Living and Neighborhood Housing Services with early help from LISC/Chicago. (Almost as exciting for Hurlock are the 50 permanent jobs that go with Victory’s 112 senior apartments.)

Perhaps Claretians’ greatest coup is those 30-and-counting duplex and single-family dwellings built via the city’s New Homes for Chicago program, and built, more importantly, to save their owners a small fortune in lifetime utility costs.

It can legitimately be called Chicago’s first “green” neighborhood—not bad for a corner of the city once known for its smokestacks—and it has been recognized with several local and national awards. Lower utility costs, added Hurlock, are a big reason only one buyer among 30 has succumbed to foreclosure.

Then again, South Chicago is hardly immune from the economic chill now descending, witness the slow pace of retail development along Commercial Avenue. A 2006 LISC/MetroEdge study found the neighborhood “exports” over $257 million a year for lack of local retail opportunity, yet it still awaits a full-service supermarket.

But it may not wait for long. Not if Claretians and its NCP partners continue to position South Chicago as the city’s last affordably diverse lakefront neighborhood. It’s also a place that can take a punch, get back on its feet, and plan for a brighter tomorrow while meeting the needs of today.

More information: Claretian Associates 773-734-9181 or www.claretianassociates.org.

This article first appeared in Re:New, the quarterly newsletter of the New Communities Program.

CNDA applicants can submit online

Wed, 1 Jul 2009 14:30:03 CST

[Articles]

Applicants for the 16th annual Chicago Neighborhood Development Awards will be able to submit their entries online for the first time this year.

The ceremony on Feb. 9, 2010 at the Hyatt Regency Chicago will honor outstanding achievement in neighborhood real estate development and community building in the same categories as last year’s ceremony.

In addition to the six awards from LISC/Chicago, co-organizer the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation will once again present its Awards for Architectural Excellence in Community Design to a winner and two runners-up.

The deadline to apply will be Sept. 9 for the CNDA categories and Sept. 17 for the Dreihaus awards. An orientation is scheduled to be held Aug. 20 at LISC.

To apply online, please click here. For complete information on the ceremony, award categories and dates, please see http://www.lisc-cnda.org.

High school senior speaks out against violence

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 13:59:24 CST

[Articles]

Jorge Pule, who will be a senior this fall at Little Village-Lawndale Multicultural Arts High School, made the following remarks June 13 during the ecumenical prayer service that kicked off the "Healing the Hood" event in Little Village.

We are all here today because we believe that we can make a change in the violence in our community. We can’t tolerate any longer these struggles that we have, especially against each other.

In our school, we have gang problems and they are not met and soon enough they became racial ones. As a teenager, I have seen much violence and it needs to stop. The past can not be changed but the future is undecided and why not make it better?

There have been 36 CPS students killed due to violence -- that’s absurd. How long is it going to take for us to take this stand and make a change? That time is now. We are all here marching against violence echoing this relevant issue that in time will be better.

Everything starts at home, and people can not be changed but standing there doesn’t help anyone. Students come to school to learn, some learn outside the education realm, positive stuff -- but what good is that if when they go home to the business as usual of violent behavior in the community and homes with no guidance in both areas? That’s why we are here, to understand this situation and be that guardian angel.

Everything starts small, and it’s that small business that sets everything off. We are hear fighting each other when instead we can fight outside in the real world.

There are bonds of friendship and acknowledgment here in the school, but why can’t this same bond exist outside in the community? Why can’t bonds spill out in the community? We can not make peace if we can’t continue it everywhere we go. We are better than what we are limiting ourselves to be.

The community thinks that nothing will change the violence. But we have to think outside the box. If Gandhi can make a whole country change and take back what’s theirs, we can take back our community, which is much smaller then a country!

Peace may not prosper for today or tomorrow, but trying that can blossom for everything.

‘Healing’ blends sports, music, theater, prayer

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 14:19:31 CST

[Articles]

Soggy weather at the outset may have dampened turnout somewhat, but hundreds of spirits were lifted nonetheless during the 2009 “Healing the Hood” street festival on June 13 in Little Village.

A dramatic skit by members of the New Life Church depicted a woman being saved from negative influences.

Photo: Ed Finkel

The afternoon-long proceedings centered at 28th and Ridgeway featured sign-ups and initial contests for summer-long basketball and soccer leagues, a packed lineup of musical and theatrical performers, booths featuring everything from quesadillas to financial literacy, and fun activities for the kids like an inflatable “bounce house” and a dunk tank.

The hip-hop act Azteca, native to Little Village, told gritty stories about violence and expressed uplifting sentiments about the beauty of the community and its people.

Photo: Ed Finkel

“The weather is a challenge,” said Christina Bronsing, interim NCP director at Enlace Chicago, which co-sponsored the event. “As nonprofit and community organizations, we know how to run with things. We’re resourceful.”

The 4th annual anti-violence event began with an ecumenical prayer service that featured five speakers, including clergy, a mother of a victim of violence, and a youth formerly involved with gangs, as well as 20 young people holding posters that read: “Don’t Shoot, I Want to Grow Up/No Dispare, Quiero Crecer.”

Jorge Pule, who will be a senior this fall at Little Village Lawndale Multicultural Arts High School, read an essay that said, in part: “We are all here today because we believe that we can make a change in the violence in our community. … How long is it going to take for us to take this stand and make a change? … We are better than what we are limiting ourselves to be.” (For the full text of his remarks, please click here.)

Some of the music and drama on stage reflected this anti-violence theme. A theatrical performance by the New Life Church showed a group of people who apparently symbolized life’s negative influences shoving a woman back and forth across the stage until a white-robed man stepped in front of the group to save her – one imagined, in the religious sense in addition to the earthly.

Hundreds of people came out despite early soggy weather to take in the day's entertainment and inspiration.

Photo: Ed Finkel

The hip-hop act Azteca, which calls Little Village home, blended English and Spanish rhymes over pre-recorded bass and keyboard tracks to tell the story of a guy from the neighborhood who “made the wrong decisions” and ended up getting shot in the back 13 times while scaling a fence.

But Azteca, whose album “First Born” is available on iTunes, brought hope to the stage as well. “When I say ‘stop’/You say ‘the violence,’ ” the vocalist intoned. “When I say ‘stop’/You say ‘the killing.’ … When I say ‘Healing’/You say ‘the Hood.’ … When I say ‘powerful’/You say ‘people.’ When I say ‘beautiful’/You say ‘people.’ ”

The Healing the Hood event served as the launching pad for two summer-long sports leagues in Little Village, both designed to give youth aged 11-19 positive activities and bring the community together.

Neighborhood resident and good sport Santos Tanguma awaits yet another soaking.

Photo: Ed Finkel

B-Ball on the Block, a version of which is underway in 11 NCP neighborhoods plus Back of the Yards, tipped off inside the gymnasium of the Boys & Girls Club at 28th and Ridgeway due to the inclement weather, but those contests will hopefully be outside on Friday afternoons for the rest of the summer.

Bronsing said the league launched during Healing the Hood last year, as well, and she pointed out what a good fit the anti-violence, pro-community event makes. “What Healing the Hood is, is what we are trying to do every Friday,” she said. (Please click to link to a full citywide schedule or to an individual schedule for Little Village or Humboldt Park).

Enlace Chicago and its partners -- which include Beyond the Ball, the YMCA’s Street Intervention Program, La Villita Community Church, and Cease Fire – also unveiled a new sports league called “Soccer on the Street” that will be paired with B-Ball on the Block in Little Village only.

Participants are playing a style of soccer called futsal, popular in South America, that features three-person teams, playing inside a tight space bounded by netting on all sides, shooting smaller, heavier balls at tiny goals with no goalies. “Soccer is the dominant sport. If there’s a neighborhood to do it, this is it,” said Dahriian Espinoza, who’s directing the Soccer on the Street effort.

Attendees made T-shirts featuring anti-violence themes.

Photo: Ed Finkel

“Healing the Hood” also featured booths with a small “Taste of La Villita” restaurant row and information about agencies from Instituto del Progreso Latino to Southwest Youth Collaborative.

People decorated T-shirts with anti-violence slogans, and kids got their faces painted inside the Boys & Girls Club, across the hall from a financial literacy seminar. The Chicago Fire soccer team brought an inflatable obstacle course, and children bounced in the blow-up “moonwalk.”

Local resident Santos Tanguma was a very good sport, sitting atop and regularly plunging into a dunk tank on the 60-degree overcast day. But Tanguma has gone swimming in 40-degree water before, so “I’m up for the tank,” he said while toweling off during a break.

Others braved challenges of a different sort by entering a jalapeno-eating contest, in which the first person to eat 40 won a $50 prize. The crowd gathered around the tables and encouraged the iron-stomached participants with spirited chants of “Si se puede! Si se puede!”

Markets back up, shoppers chow down

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 11:29:15 CST

[Articles]

Linda Austin remembers being pleasantly surprised last year when she bought fresh flowers at the 61st Street Farmer's Market in Woodlawn.

“I thought, 'Oh wow! Flowers!' I didn’t think about the farmers market having flowers,” Austin said.

Market Manager Dennis Ryan discusses the importance of supporting local growers at a 61st Street Farmers Market planning meeting at Experimental Station.

Photo: Gordon Walek

A 13-year resident of Woodlawn, Austin said she “learned a lot about the community and saw more than just vegetables” during the first season of the neighborhood’s first farmers market, where seasonal and organically grown fresh vegetables and fruits were available.

Besides fresh flowers, Austin purchased baked goods, cheeses and tomatoes. She also volunteered at the farmers market, which operated every Saturday from mid-May through October.

She described the market as a “success every week. The community supported it and I think it was well received,” said Austin, a customer service representative for Comcast.

She’s looking forward to the second season of the market, which opened on May 16 and runs every Saturday through October 31 on 61st Street, between Dorchester and Blackstone avenues in front of the Experimental Station.

Connie Spreen, executive director of Experimental Station, the nonprofit organization which supports arts, education and other programs including the 61st Street Farmers Market, agrees with Austin’s assessment.

Connie Spreen, right, executive director of Experimental Station, talks more about the market during the meeting earlier this year.

Photo: Gordon Walek

The market’s first year was good because of the product mix and quality of vendors, Spreen said during a community meeting earlier this year.

That success continued indoors when the market moved into the Experimental Station for November and December. The extension allowed people to see what produce and products were available later in the year.

Spreen said the market’s goal is to increase the availability of fresh produce and other nutritious foods in areas underserved by larger grocery stores. According to a 2006 LaSalle Bank report, a half million Chicagoans live in “food deserts” isolated from grocery stores with an adequate selection of produce.

The Woodlawn farmers market is an independent weekly market and one of several launched in spring 2008, along with markets in the Englewood and Bronzeville neighborhoods, as an outgrowth of NCP quality-of- life planning. The 61st Street Farmers Market sells items that are locally grown and seasonal.

“The food we eat reflects where we live,” said Spreen. “That is part of our educational mission.” The dozen farmers from last year have returned and it’s expected that about 20 vendors will set up shop each Saturday, according to market manager Dennis Ryan.

The point, he said, is to provide products people are looking for and to create a healthy sales environment for vendors.

A Tomato Mountain Farm vendor sells a jar of freshly-made salsa to a 61st Street Market customer.

Photo: Alex Fledderjohn

“These farmers are on a mission to preserve the land,” he said. “They are already in the right mindset. I think it will be an incredible season. We’re working with other institutions, partners and as many people are possible. We have a wonderful selection. The farmers are very excited.”

Spreen said the first season of the farmers market also made organizers aware of some of the challenges. One was that people didn’t know how to prepare some of the fresh produce offered.

Last year, the market offered cooking demonstrations, food tastings, and recipes, and went into local schools to educate students about food and nutrition. That outreach will occur again this year. The cost of the locally grown and organic produce and other products was another challenge.

“Good food is not cheap, Spreen said. “Bad food is cheap. It’s worth spending more money for food that’s locally grown, which has the nutrients.”

To help meet the challenges of costs, the market accepts LINK, WIC and Senior Coupons as well as "market money" distributed at five Chicago public schools. Austin, who volunteered at the market last year, acknowledged that prices were a little more expensive than what neighborhood residents generally pay.

“A little expensive, but nice for our community,”Austin said. “Shopping at a farmers market is a little different from shopping at the grocery store. People have to get out of the mindset of going to the grocery store.”

Austin said that during the first season “as the weeks went on The Market basically drew people who were in the area, but not necessarily Woodlawn residents.”

Educating the community about the produce and other products available at the farmers market is a good idea, she said. And with the 61st Street market running from May through October, informing Woodlawn residents about the farmers market through marketing, flyers, e-mails blasts and word-of-mouth is also very important.

“Let people know we have a farmers market down the street,” she said. “We live and learn something in the community. We need to involve all of Woodlawn.”

Spreen added it’s important that 61st Street Farmers Market reflect the neighborhood. “We are located in a very diverse neighborhood,” she said. “All aspects of the market reflect the diverse neighborhood we represent.”

With the farmers market, Spreen said, the ultimate goal is to create a “food savvy neighborhood so that when a Dominick’s or a Jewel food store comes into the area people will have enough knowledge about food to voice an opinion about the food brought into the community.”

Farmers markets in NCP neighborhoods:

61st Street Farmers Market.
Every Saturday on 61st Street between Dorchester and Blackstone avenues
9 a.m. to 2 p.m., through October 31

Bronzeville Community Market
Every Saturday at Cottage Grove Avenue and 44th Street
8 a.m. to 1 p.m., through October 31

Greater Englewood Farmers Market
Every Thursday at 63rd Street and Union Avenue
8 a.m. to 1 p.m. through October 29

TuMultimedia videos about NCP on YouTube

Fri, 12 Jun 2009 00:17:14 CST

[Articles]

The New Communities Program has released a new video by TuMultimedia that features all 16 NCP neighborhoods.

NCP Quality of Life Plan: Key Projects

Photo:

The video offers glimpses of many NCP achievements and serves as a "thank you" to Jonathan Fanton, president of the MacArthur Foundation, for his long-term commitment to the communities. Click here to view the video on You Tube.

A shorter version of the TuMultimedia video is posted on Community Beat with references to the featured communities:

a community garden on Maypole Avenue in East Garfield Park;
the South Chicago Art Center;
a mural in North Lawndale;
the La Estancia development in Humboldt Park;
a mariachi band at Cooper School in Pilsen;
the Oakwood Shores mixed-income development in Quad Communities;
the West Haven Giants baseball team; and
the foreclosure prevention efforts in Chicago Lawn and Auburn Gresham.

Mole de Mayo adds zest to 18th Street

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 01:05:14 CST

[Articles]

A large, diverse and enthusiastic crowd flooded Pilsen’s Zocalo at 18th and Paulina in early May for the first annual Mole de Mayo festival, sponsored by the 18th Street Development Corporation.

Hector Marcial, executive chef of Mundial Cocina Mestiza, dishes up tasting portions of three different kinds of mole sauces for a large, hungry crowd.

Photo: Maureen Kelleher

Organizers estimated more than 1,000 people attended the event, which featured some of Chicago’s finest Mexican restaurants competing for the “Best Mole” and “People’s Choice” mole awards. Local favorites won both categories: Fogata Village for best mole and Nuevo Leon for the people’s choice award.

Mexican cuisine features a number of different mole sauces, all of which include complex mixtures of spices and other ingredients and require a great deal of attention to make from scratch. Mole poblano, a rich, dark, chocolate-tinged sauce, is perhaps the most famous.

During Mole de Mayo, six Chicago restaurants and caterers participated in a mole cook-off featuring celebrity judges, including sommelier Alpana Singh of “Check Please” and Audarshia Townsend of the 312 Dining Diva blog.

Mole de Mayo featured an exciting lineup of entertainment in addition to top-notch food served Taste of Chicago-style, in affordable portions bought with tickets.

Luchadores -- Mexican professional wrestlers -- walk a fine line between wrestling and physical comedy in their matches.

Photo: Maureen Kelleher

Besides enjoying mariachi music and traditional Mexican dancing, spectators cheered on a series of lucha libre (Latin American-style professional wrestling) with cheers of “Otra! Otra!” and “Bite! Bite! Bite him in the ear!”

Justin Hall, owner of FIG Catering, described the event as “awesome! It’s a good turnout.” He moved to Pilsen almost five years ago and brought his catering business to the neighborhood soon after he arrived.

Non-food establishments also benefited from the action. “We’re very pleased with the event. It was a great way to get involved in the community and increase our exposure,” said Zenia Ruiz, co-owner of Flor del Monte, a full-service florist in Pilsen. Ruiz and her mother, longtime Pilsen residents, opened the business seven years ago and have been making a successful push to increase their work in floral design for events.

“The turnout far exceeded our expectations,” said Kristy Menas of the 18th Street Development Corporation. “We had great exposure both before and after the event.”

Good grades worth $80,000

Tue, 9 Jun 2009 10:36:59 CST

[NCP in the news]

Without a scholarship, Social Justice High School student Armando Medina knew he and his Southwest Side family would have a tough time finding the money to send him to college.

So when Roosevelt University announced in 2006 that it would give full scholarships to any student at his school who graduated with good grades and college entrance exam scores, Medina studied that much harder.

He kept his grades up and took the ACT twice to get a qualifying score. This fall he and seven of his classmates will make up the inaugural class attending Roosevelt with the new scholarships, which are worth more than $80,000 over four years.

The promise of a scholarship "helped keep me determined so I didn't slack off,'' said Medina, 18, who plans to study psychology. " . . . I consider it to be very important.''

Veronica Gonzalez, one of the scholarship winners, prepares to enter the Social Justice auditorium for graduation Friday.

Photo: Chris Sweda - Sun Times

Motivating students to work hard was Roosevelt's goal when the downtown school unveiled the novel scholarship program for Social Justice, which opened in 2001 in the Little Village and North Lawndale neighborhoods.

About 70 percent of the students there are Latino and nearly all are from low-income families. Many, like Medina, will be the first member of their families to attend college.

Roosevelt officials said they started the program -- which targeted the classes of 2009 and 2010 -- so students could focus on their studies instead of worrying about how they could afford college.

They chose Social Justice, which had partnered with the school in the past, because both schools have similar missions of promoting social justice and expanding educational opportunities to lower-income families.

"We said, 'We want you to work hard and do well, but we'll take money off the table,' '' Roosevelt President Chuck Middleton said.

They set the minimum requirements as a 3.0 grade-point average and a 20 on the ACT. The incentive worked, several students said.

"I think everybody in the school aimed for it,'' said 18-year-old Veronica Gonzalez, who also won a scholarship. "It's a big deal. Our families are mostly low-income. How many kids get a full scholarship like this?''

Principal Rito Martinez said the program "was critical in creating a culture of high expectations. It's motivated our students to work tremendously hard and take advantage of this opportunity.''

Each student will receive as much as $21,000 annually in tuition credits. But the actual value of each scholarship varies depending on how much other financial aid a student qualifies for. The students will also receive housing awards of more than $11,000 each so they can live downtown in the University Center of Chicago residence hall.

Middleton said the school received financial support for the program from more than a dozen donors. But in addition to helping the students, the program also benefits the university -- and society at large, he said.

"We get a group of students that will come to Roosevelt, get their degrees and go do things they wouldn't do if they hadn't come here,'' Middleton said. "We get the satisfaction of seeing that difference.''

Roosevelt officials are thrilled eight students qualified initially for the program; they originally expected about half that number.

Besides Medina and Gonzalez, the other students receiving the initial scholarships are Carmen Alvarez, Amy Maldonaldo, Andrea Ramirez, Channing Redit, Chloe Robinson and Rocio Villavicencio.

Several said the efforts they made to earn the scholarship taught them a crucial lesson.

"If you keep trying and trying, I think you're going to get what you want,'' said Gonzalez, who took the ACT three times before obtaining a high enough score to qualify. "I wasn't going to give up.''

Washington Park celebrates new plan

Thu, 4 Jun 2009 14:18:20 CST

[Articles]

“I am, you are, we are Washington Park!”

It was a stirring call-to-action, one that brought folks to their feet at the end of a Saturday morning celebration of not just a new plan, but a new generation of leadership and a new birth of hope for one of Chicago’s proudest neighborhoods.

20th Ward Ald. Willie B. Cochran discusses elements of the new Washington Park quality-of-life plan at a recent ceremony in the park's historic Refectory Building.

Photo: Eric Young Smith

“We have a great plan, we have a new leader, and we can do great things in Washington Park,” declared Ald. Willie Cochran (20th). Shortly after taking office in late 2007, Cochran convened the NCP steering committee that produced the quality-of-life plan unveiled at this May 30 community celebration.

Titled “Washington Park: Historic, Vibrant Proud and Healthy,” the richly illustrated 34-page document traces the neighborhood’s history, from its beginnings as gateway to the 1893 World’s Columbia Exposition, to Jazz Era days as the upscale southern reach of the South Side’s Black Metropolis, to post-war disinvestment and demolition that has seen its population halved, and halved again. (Click here to download the PDF.)

But much remains, and the new NCP plan shows how world-class assets such as its namesake 372-acre park, designed more than a century ago by Frederick Law Olmsted, and world-class allies such as the University of Chicago, can help power a redevelopment plan aimed by -- not at -- existing residents.

Olympian opportunity
A major unknown, of course, is whether Chicago will win its bid to host the 2016 Olympics. That bid calls for a spectacular yet “temporary” Olympic stadium to be located in the 100-acre Meadow at the park’s north end.

20th Ward Ald. Willie B. Cochran, Karin Norington-Reaves and Brandon Johnson, executive director of the Washington Park Consortium, at the recent unveiling of the new Washington Park quality-of-life plan.

Photo: Eric Young Smith

Hundreds of thousands of visitors—and hundreds of millions of TV viewers worldwide—would witness the opening and closing ceremonies that will bracket the Games’ track and field events.

“If 2016 happens,” said Ald. Cochran of the international decision due in October, “we will see a tremendous amount of action that will call on us to be involved even more.” But even if Chicago is passed over for Rio or Tokyo, he said, the attention now focused on Washington Park makes the NCP plan all the more timely.

Timely, too, is the neighborhood’s new leadership, which also was celebrated by the 80-some citizen-planners gathered in the park’s Refectory Building, a classic designed 108 years ago by—who else?—Daniel H. Burnham & Co.

Ald. Cochran beamed as he introduced Brandon Johnson, new executive director of the Washington Park Consortium, the group formed to guide implementation of the plan as NCP lead local agency.

Draft maps showcased potential projects and development at an earlier meeting of the quality-of-life planning process in Washington Park.

Photo: Richard Muhammad

“There is a new consciousness about the possibilities of this neighborhood,” said Johnson. A self-described “’80s baby,” his resume encompasses both planning and politics, having held positions with the Metropolitan Planning Council and then the majority leadership staff of the Illinois Senate.

Johnson reviewed key elements of the plan, from “early action” achieve-ables such as a youth track club and an “open mic” program at the K.L.E.O. Community Center; to longer-range improvements, such as new 10-acre park surrounding a restored landmark Raber House, to redevelopment of commercial properties along 55th and 63rd streets.

Partners in planning
Both Cochran and Johnson praised the path-breaking work of the Rev. Richard Tolliver and his St. Edmund’s Redevelopment Corp, (SERC.) Ably assisted by Cecelia Hunt, Rev. Tolliver and SERC welcomed NCP to the neighborhood in 2003, already having developed, with the help of LISC/Chicago, hundreds of units of desperately needed affordable housing.

Rev. Tolliver opened Saturday’s celebration with a “pass the torch” invocation, and later urged the Consortium to honor neighborhood elders who “stayed the course” during hard times and are helping now set a course for renewal.

A diverse array of residents, business owners, agency leaders and others turned out for this earlier meeting at St. Edmund's Church. The affiliated St. Edmund's Redevelopment Corp. (SERC) led the Washington Park NCP effort for several years before passing the torch to the Washington Park Consortium.

Photo: Richard Muhammad

Specially recognized for her contributions to the planning effort was Karin Norington-Reaves, who directs Ald. Cochran’s public service office and who eased NCP’s transition from St. Edmund’s to the new Consortium.

Ald. Cochran hailed also the pastors of several other churches that form the backbone of the Consortium, including Church of the Good Shepherd, Chicago Embassy Church and Coppin AME. Mayor Richard M. Daley was ably represented by Christine Raguso, commissioner of community development.

So, too, was the University of Chicago, which has two senior executives working with the Consortium: Sonya Malunda, associate vice-president for civic engagement; and Rudy Nimocks, a former deputy police superintendent recently named the university’s director of community partnerships.

Looking ahead
Key to implementing the plan, many agree, will be the Consortium’s ability to recruit new partners, including average folks who, as volunteers, seek a better neighborhood for the next generation.

Resident Jameszetta James (left) and other participants enjoy a planning workshop that helped lead to the Washington Park quality-of-life plan.

Photo: Richard Muhammad

Folks like Billy Bean, who has been coaching baseball at Washington Park “for 20 years” and came Saturday to see if the Olympic stadium will displace the ball fields now on the Meadow. “Right now, we keep a whole lot of kids out of trouble at Washington Park,” he said during the Q&A following presentation of the plan.

“If we get the Olympics, I want you to work with me on the replacement diamonds,” answered Ald. Cochran, reminding everyone that 2016, games or no games, could be a watershed for Washington Park, both physically and psychologically.

Especially now that residents have a plan for their future -- and, judging by Saturday’s celebration, the energy and organization to make the plan come true.

More information: Brandon Johnson (773) 924-7592.

How to keep affordable homes affordable

Fri, 29 May 2009 19:37:47 CST

[NCP in the news]

As more of Chicago's rental apartments are converted to condominiums, more and more local neighborhoods are removed from the roster of affordable, comfortable places for Chicago area families to live. Every day, low-income families are forced to become owners whether or not they are ready and willing. Increasingly, expensive or inferior condo ownership is the only opportunity open to them. So where are low-income families to live? As the May 15 edition of the Chicago Sun-Times made clear, attempts to deal with the situation have not always led to the best long-term results. Aside from the fact that "affordable" condominiums might start out that way, subsequent sales of these units become ever more expensive and permanently unaffordable, as they are priced at market and way beyond the reach of the city's low-income families. There seem to be at least two ways to address the problems raised in the Sun-Times article. For one, condominiums and other forms of home ownership should not be the only shelters available to city residents, especially low- income residents. Chicago needs more permanent, decent, affordable rental housing.

Second, affordable home ownership needs to be permanently affordable -- not affordable for just the initial buyer who can subsequently sell such dwellings at more and more expensive market prices. Such homes need to be affordable forever.

Fortunately, there is a model for such permanently affordable homes. First Community Land Trust of Chicago, a nonprofit organization, offers brand-new homes for credit-ready, first-time buyers who are at 60 percent of or below the annual metropolitan median income level. Thus, for a family of four, such homes are available at less than $170,000 to households earning less than $38,000 a year. Because these homes are part of a program that includes the participation of the State of Illinois and the City of Chicago's New Homes program, qualified buyers are able to buy these homes at substantially less than the sales price thanks to public-sector subsidies. Most appealing, these homes must always be affordable to credit-ready buyers in the 60 percent and below category. They can never be flipped. Approaches like that taken by the First Community Land Trust are an appropriate way to address the unfortunate problems identified in the Sun-Times article. Chicago is a wonderful place to live. Programs such as the land trust will ensure that it remains so for not only the rich and middle class, but for those not so fortunate as well.

William Howard is president of First Community Land Trust of Chicago.

Music program strikes chord in East Garfield

Mon, 25 May 2009 23:37:47 CST

[Articles]

Howard Sandifer read about Berklee College of Music’s City Music Program in a magazine and gave director J. Curtis Warner a phone call.

Students at the Chicago West Community Music Center in Garfield Park Fieldhouse learn music theory and history through the Berklee program.

Photo: Ed Finkel

The director of Chicago West Community Music Center, Sandifer thought the nationally renowned Boston-based college’s high-level program for underserved, urban middle- and high-school students would be a great fit. After an extensive conversation and subsequent visits, Warner and Berklee agreed.

“It all happened so quickly,” Sandifer said one melodious afternoon in early spring in the community music center’s Garfield Park Fieldhouse space, raising his voice to be heard over the multi-piece combo laying down grooves. “We’re proud to be associated with [Berklee]. We’re excited about it.”

A $12,000 grant from LISC/Chicago helped pay for instruments and salaries, and Chicago West received another $17,000 in funding from After School Matters.

The first of its kind in the Midwest, the music center’s program began in January and ran for 10 weeks. It will resume as a six-week afternoon summer program in late June, then continue two days per week after school in the fall.

The Chicago West Community Music Center ensemble at House of Blues, assembled through the Berklee program, included drums, bass, guitar, keyboards, clarinet, flute and backup singers.

Photo: Ed Finkel

On May 27, students in the program had a chance to show their newly acquired chops at the International House of Blues in downtown Chicago, and they made the most of the opportunity. Their tight three-song set, with an ensemble that included drums, bass, guitar, keyboards, clarinet, flute and backup singers, covered a range of styles from hip-hop to rhythm-and-blues, from jazz to funk.

As part of a International House of Blues Foundation "Action for the Arts Initiative" recital, which also included performers from Lane Technical High School and three Chicago elementary schools, the Chicago West group added dancers to the mix for their third and final number, but they had the audience clapping and swaying the whole time.

"It felt good," said Tre'shawn Duncan, a freshman at Rowe-Clark Math & Science Academy, who covered Will Smith's old-school tune "Summertime." He acknowledged feeling "butterflies ahead of time and on stage" but added that "of course" he would do it again.

The three-song set sampled from hip-hop, jazz, rhythm-and-blues, and funk.

Photo: Ed Finkel

Deonte Baker, a junior at ACT Charter School who once sung on stage at Walt Disney World, said he hadn't felt that nervous. "I'm so used to singing in front of people," he said. "It was fun. It was a great experience."

Keyboardist Randiss Hopkins, a junior at Curie Metropolitan High School, said he would "most definitely" like to play on stage again. "It was a really great atmosphere," he said.

"It was a great first experience," said Brittany Gause, a singer and dancer who's a sophomore at Gordon Tech. "I was privileged to perform with Chicago West."

The Berklee PULSE program that the House of Blues performers attended shares space with Chicago West’s six-year-old Business of Music program, through which students create a mock Motown-style conglomerate and learn the legal and practical aspects of the industry.

The PULSE program is more focused on the artistic side: Students learn jazz, blues and rhythm-and-blues from Sandifer and local jazz musician Michael Ross, who performed during the House of Blues show.

Designed for sophomores and juniors, the program provides students the opportunity to find music-related jobs and internships, then invites them to apply to Berklee for college.

During the third and final number, the Chicago West group added dancers to the mix.

Photo: Ed Finkel

“The students who come here are generally more experienced,” Sandifer said. “We’ve covered a lot of different styles. The core is jazz. This gives us a chance to do more intensive work with them.”

The combo chugging along on the early spring afternoon at Garfield Park Fieldhouse included vocals, guitar, bass, keyboards, percussion and clarinet. Administrator Darlene Sandifer, wife of Howard, said flute, saxophone, trumpet, trombone and accordion will be added as time goes along.

The 13 West Side students, who qualified through tryouts, have played music in school, church or other settings but often don’t know music theory or how to read music, she said.

The PULSE program uses high-tech tools like online instruction and videoconferencing equipment to impart lessons; Chicago West had not installed the latter but plans to, Darlene Sandifer said.

Aijalon Jaddua, a sophomore at Providence St. Mel’s, showed a visitor the Web site, called the “Jam Room,” which teaches concepts like the music staff, treble and bass clef, time signatures, and tempo while giving students a chance to learn specific parts of songs.

A vocalist who heard about the Berklee program through her choir teacher, Jaddua listened to selections from “Mas Que Nada,” “Walk This Way” and “Soul Man.” After learning their own parts, students work in combination with several others to produce the full band effect.

The students from middle and high schools on the West Side typically had musical backgrounds but not necessarily formal training beyond school.

Photo: Ed Finkel

One of Jaddua’s collaborators, Providence St. Mel’s senior Lauren Lewis, said she’s been learning about three pieces of music per week on clarinet, which she’s played since fourth grade, and saxophone, a newer fascination.

“This program is a good experience already. It’s very advanced,” said Lewis, who had been accepted to music programs at DePaul and Marquette universities and needed to make a choice. “I have learned a lot about jazz techniques. I look forward to being in the band or a jazz ensemble in college.”

Mathew Williams, a freshman at Orr High School in West Humboldt Park, said he has played drums since fourth grade and is working on vocals and bass. He has played classical, jazz, hip-hop and gospel in school and at church. “I’d like to play more instruments,” he said.

David Houston, an eighth grader at Providence St. Mel’s, has played percussion and piano for several years apiece. “The Berklee program has really helped me on music theory,” he said. “I’ve gotten tremendously better on my drumming skills. I’m able to put my own style into the music.”

“I’m glad Berklee put this particular program out there,” Ross said. “They have given us a great tool for learning music theory and some of the history, as well.”

Download brochures for Burnham Centennial tours

Wed, 20 May 2009 12:58:42 CST

[Articles]

Here's where to find the brochures and maps for the six neighborhoods that participated in the Burnham Centennial Bold Plans Big Dreams Community Showcase.

ALBANY PARK Chicago’s Gateway to the World: A legacy of culture, nature and movement on Chicago’s Northwest side. HOSTED BY: North River Commission www.northrivercommission.org

AUBURN GRESHAM Rebuilding a Classic Chicago Community: Using our people and assets to make a great place great again! HOSTED BY: Greater Auburn-Gresham Development Corporation www.gagdc.org

PILSEN Discover Pilsen:Healthy, vibrant and organized! HOSTED BY: The Resurrection Project www.resurrectionproject.org

QUAD COMMUNITIES From Civil War to Civil Rights and Beyond: Come experience the second urban renaissance in the capital of Black America. HOSTED BY: Quad Communities Development Corporation www.qcdc.org and Bronzeville Visitor Information Center www.bronzevilleonline.com

SOUTH CHICAGO From Pollution to Solution: ‘LEED-ing’ the way in the Midwest! HOSTED BY: Claretian Associates www.claretinassociates.org

WEST RIDGE Gateway to India in Chicago: Explore dynamic diversity and global connections on Devon Avenue. HOSTED BY: Indo-American Heritage Museum www.iahmuseum.org
and Chicago Cultural Alliance www.chicagoculturalalliance.org

Read a blog post about the tours at Community Beat.

Organizers serve notice for tenants' rights

Mon, 18 May 2009 17:07:47 CST

[Articles]

Attention !!!

Your building may be in foreclosure.

Know your rights !!!

Art DelAngel, organizer with Metropolitan Tenants Organization, posts a tenants' rights notice during the May 14 "action" to inform both tenants and landlords about the proper procedures for buildings going through foreclosure.

Photo: Mike Tomas

The words on the orange handbills being taped to the front doors of several West Side apartment buildings were loud and clear … like the message sent by community organizers to landlords undergoing foreclosure.

“Renters too often are the last ones to know their home is in foreclosure,” said Art DelAngel, an organizer with the Metropolitan Tenants Organization (MTO). “Even though the city’s landlord-tenant ordinance was amended last summer requiring owners to notify tenants within seven days of getting that first foreclosure complaint from the bank.”

To call attention to this oft-ignored requirement—which, by the way, carries a $200 fine—and to offer help to renters just learning about their foreclosure problem, MTO invited the news media to an “action” on May 14, as DelAngel and others knocked on doors and posted the orange notices.

A television news reporter interviews tenant Oscar Lukes, who is being evicted from a building undergoing foreclosure on Van Buren Street.

Photo: Mike Tomas

The Garfield Park Conservatory Alliance—a LISC/NCP lead agency—co-organized the action with MTO as part of the two groups’ Renters Rights Center. Several reporters turned out to cover the action, including TV crews from the local newsrooms of Fox News, ABC and CBS.

How did organizers know which buildings to approach? “We’re using the weekly data list published by Lawyers’ Committee,” answers DelAngel.

Like MTO, the anti-foreclosure activities of Lawyers Committee for Better Housing are funded in part by the Foreclosure Response Fund set up by LISC/Chicago through NCP.

Besides providing direct counseling and legal services to displaced renters, LCBH has devised a sophisticated foreclosure data and mapping service to keep track of the many apartment buildings in mortgage default within city limits.

There’s no shortage. Of the 13,196 foreclosure filings in Circuit Court during the first quarter of 2009, more than half involve renters, whether in 2-6 unit buildings or large walk-ups. Nearly 50,000 foreclosure actions are pending in Cook County courts altogether.

Photo: Mike Tomas

“If landlords refuse to follow the law,” declared DelAngel, “we’ll knock on every door in every building slated for foreclosure in East Garfield Park. And notify the tenants ourselves.”

Tenants who read the notices and take the advice to seek counseling from MTO or LCBH learn they have rights that, when asserted in court, can buy them more time to find another apartment, the return of their security deposits, and even some moving expenses … when the lender seeks early departure.

More information: LCBH 312-347-7600; MTO 773-292-4980

New Homes opening doors in Land Trust

Wed, 13 May 2009 13:29:34 CST

[Articles]

Eleven affordable single-family houses and 21 condominiums are developed or in the pipeline on Chicago Community Land Trust property in the 26^th Ward.

This model three-flat at 3047 W. Wabansia will house the first of the 21 condominiums that are part of the project.

Photo:

Six of the single-family houses are sold or under contract, and this past winter, NCP lead agency Bickerdike Revelopment Corp. began building a model three-flat that will house the first of the condos in this New Homes for Chicago project in the Logan Square, West Town and Humboldt Park neighborhoods.

Bickerdike is building the $7.1 million project on land that a few years ago was city-owned but now belongs to the Land Trust. Bickerdike has developed hundreds of affordable apartments and has built and sold 145 single-family houses over decades of work in the three neighborhoods.

Formed in 2006, the Chicago Community Land Trust enters into long-term land leases with home or condo owners and sets sale prices when those owners want to sell. That arrangement keeps neighborhoods affordable, even in years of rampant gentrification that has in the past has squeezed out long time residents faced with higher housing prices and property taxes.

In an area where market-rate single-family houses tend to sell for prices starting at $240,000, 26^th Ward New Homes prices range from $195,000 for single-family houses down to $170,000 for condominiums, said Joy Aruguete, Bikerdike’s executive director.

And low-income buyers can get up to $30,000 off those prices. Those lower prices are available to single-family homebuyers who earn up to 80 percent of Chicago area median income, and condominium buyers who earn up to 60 percent of the Chicago area median income, via a menu of city, state and private subsidies. Among them are the Illinois Housing Development Authority’s Trust Fund and the city’s New Homes program.

Six of the project's 11 single-family homes have sold or are under contract.

Photo:

Units in the project are being built with an array of energy-efficient features, such as Energy Star windows and appliances as well as highly efficient HVAC systems and insulation.

Single-family houses are going up on 11 parcels – on the 1800 and 1700 blocks of North Drake Avenue, the 1300 and 1200 blocks of North Campbell Street, 1622 N. Whipple St., 1634 N. St. Louis Ave., 1144 N. Christiana Ave., 1632 N. Sawyer Ave., and 3254 W. Wabansia Ave. And the developer in January sold its model single-family home at 1627 N. Whipple Street for $165,000.

The model three-flat building is going up at 3047 W. Wabansia. Six more three-flats will go up, at 1353 N. Maplewood Ave., 1256 N. Artesian Ave, 3301 W. Crystal St., 1858 N. Spaulding Ave, 1929 N. Drake Ave, and 1020 N. Kedzie Ave.

Those non-contiguous parcels are some of the last vacant, city-owned land available to non-profit developers building affordable housing throughout Ald. Billy Ocasio’s 26^th Ward. “There are still plenty of privately-owned parcels in our ward, but most of the vacant city-owned land has been passed on to non-profit developers for affordable housing projects,” said Hector Villagrana, the 26^th Ward chief of staff.

As affordable as Bickerdike’s units are, market conditions have dampened their sale. Back in 2006, so many interested buyers inquired into the project that Ocasio and Bickerdike held a lottery attended by more than 100 people to select buyers for the 32 units.

But many of those buyers never made it through the application process. “Until the last year or two, affordable ownership units being built in our ward moved very fast,” said Villagrana. “But recently sales have slowed, not just for [the 26^th Ward New Homes] project but for other affordable ownership projects being built by other non-profits in our ward. A lot of people are just taking a step back, they are worried about their jobs or the economy in general and have just put their plans for ownership on hold.”

“Any debt, an auto loan or a student loan, can make it hard to qualify for a mortgage,” added Andrea Traut, Bickerdike’s development supervisor.

Thea Crum stands on the steps of her home on Whipple.

Photo: Gordon Walek

Thea Crum did make it through the application process, and in January she moved into one of the new houses on North Whipple. She’d rented apartments in the neighborhood for a number of years, was happy there, and saw homeownership as a way to put down more permanent roots.

“It’s a great block,” said Crum, 34, who’s studying for a master’s in urban planning while working for a program that helps nonprofits build their capacity so they can access federal funds. “I was thinking about buying a condo but was at Bickerdike one day and learned about the opportunity to buy a home. They were really helpful.”

Applicants interested in buying condos or homes in the project need only a $2,500 deposit. “That is put down as earnest money and then can be used as the down payment at closing,” Traut said.

At least one positive has surfaced amidst the challenging economic climate of recent months – the 6.5 percent interest rate that banks originally charged for 30-year mortgages when Bickerdike began selling the New Homes project has come down.

“Those rates depend on the bank and on the credit history of the borrower,” said Traut. “We are working closely with Northern Trust, a primary lender for this project. They offer a closing cost assistance of $8,000 and very competitive [interest] rates. These days we are seeing interest rates more around 5.5 percent or 5.75 percent.”

West Side grocery contenders make pitches

Fri, 8 May 2009 10:22:05 CST

[Articles]

About 200 West Side residents and other stakeholders heard presentations May 6 at Crane High School from representatives of three grocery chains that would like to locate on the three-acre plot at the southeast corner of Madison and Western.

Jewel-Osco, Food 4 Less and Pete’s Fresh Market are the leading contenders to build the first full-service grocery store on the West Side in four decades, serving residents of West Haven, East Garfield Park and nearby communities that comprise one of Chicago’s so-called “food deserts.” The meeting represented the latest chapter in the ongoing saga to bring a major grocer to increasingly impatient residents.

The three-acre site at Madison and Western sits across from another shopping center anchored by a Walgreen's.

Photo: Mike Quinlan

Mary Bonome, deputy commissioner with the city’s newly reorganized Department of Community Development, said the city has acquired 27 separate parcels and will soon close on the 28th and final one, which will make development possible after eight years of discussion and debate.

“We are completing what is proving to be a lengthy acquisition process,” Bonome said, responding to the frustration of some attendees at how long commercial development sometimes takes. “We don’t want it to go any longer than you do. Trust me: This has been a long and very expensive process from the city’s perspective.”

As site co-developer, NCP lead agency Near West Side Community Development Corp. has taken the lead role in shepherding the process, which will produce a linchpin project in the community’s 2007 quality-of-life plan, “Rising Like the Phoenix.”

Ald. Robert Fioretti (2nd) mentioned that a former candidate for the site, whose possible presence had provoked controversy at the first quality-of-life planning meeting at Near West, is no longer in the running.

“Some people wanted Aldi’s,” he said. “But you know what? I don’t think Aldi’s is a fit for the community.” That comment provoked applause from many in the noticeably diverse crowd, although one person shouted: “Hey, I shop at Aldi’s!”

The noticeably diverse crowd of about 200 would like to see a grocery store, the first full-service grocer in their community in four decades, built and opened ASAP.

Photo: Oji Eggleston

The Department of Community Development will consult with the alderman’s office to determine how to move forward, Bonome said. Among the criteria considered will be timeline, financing, building design, community input, commitment to local hiring and to diversity in hiring, commitment to environmentally friendly features, the level of city assistance needed, and the total project cost.

She noted that the presentations were not specific project proposals and did not contain hard dollar figures, either overall or in terms of city assistance sought. “You’ve seen the first step,” she said. “Potentially, that will be the next step.”

Fioretti added that verbal promises made at the meeting would need to become words on paper in a contract. “It may be a different story from getting up here and making a presentation and saying they’re in favor of something,” he said. At the top of his list: “Who’s got real financing, and who doesn’t?”

The presenters drew from PowerPoint presentations to make their respective cases that they would be the best fit for the West Side. Their order of presentation was randomly determined, Fioretti said.

Jewel-Osco proposes a 49,000-square-foot full service store, with all of the standard departments and a drive-through pharmacy window, said Joseph McKeska, regional vice president of real estate for parent company Supervalu, who showed slides of the store design and site plan, with 175 parking spaces and landscaping.

Ald. Robert Fioretti (2nd, at podium) co-hosted the meeting with representatives of the city's newly reorganized Department of Community Development.

Photo: Oji Eggleston

The store would hire locally for its unionized workforce, McKeska said. With 35 stores in the city – the largest private employer in Chicago -- Jewel has invested $176.4 million since 2007, he said.

Asked why Jewel had not been interested during an earlier round of RFPs in 2005-06, McKeska said the chain had been purchased three years ago by SuperValu. Since that time, “there’s been a renewed emphasis to try and build more stores in city neighborhoods,” he said.

Food 4 Less, a subsidiary of Kroger with 14 stores in the Chicago area and four in the city, features all the standard grocery departments, said Chris O’Leary, vice president and general manager of the Midwest division, who gave a “visual tour” via the PowerPoint.

The chain keeps consumer costs down by having shoppers bag their own groceries, offering a Sam’s Club-style “club packs” section with bulk quantities of certain items, and providing a “Wall of Values” that’s shipped directly from the manufacturer without being stored in a warehouse, O’Leary said.

Food 4 Less anticipates hiring 120 “members” for the store, at an average of $13 per hour, and its stores typically have 40 percent full time employees, he said, acknowledging that the lack of baggers would mean somewhat fewer jobs.

Asked why parent company Kroger had not been part of the earlier round of RFPs, O’Leary said the parent company had been expanding rapidly and was in the midst of stepping back to make sure it hadn’t over-expanded. Plus, the city’s land acquisition was incomplete at the time, he said.

Pete’s Fresh Market, which received widespread and immediate applause upon its introduction, has more than 1,000 employees in its six stores on the South and West Sides and anticipates creating 150 jobs at Madison and Western, said company representative Charlie Poulakis.

Photo:

The family-owned, local chain offers most grocery departments, featuring produce front-and-center, although not pharmacy or liquor, and some in the audience applauded again when hearing the store would lack the hard stuff.

“This is a food desert, not a pharmacy desert,” Poulakis said, perhaps referring to the Walgreen’s across the street. “Pete’s likes to go into food deserts and make an oasis. This site fits Pete’s M.O.”

He shared several reviews from the Web site Yelp! that praised Pete's, including two from North Side residents who said they traveled to the store at 43rd and Pulaski for their produce and one from the chef at culinary school Kendall College, who said students are sent there to shop.

The question-and-answer session that followed revealed further information: All three stores said they accept Food Stamps and LINK cards, all offer organic produce, all provide job training before stores open, all offer manager training to those who qualify, all would self-finance, and all would take about nine months to build.

They differed in other respects: Pete’s would have a salad bar, Food 4 Less would not, and Jewel hasn’t yet determined, although each of the latter two would have pre-made salads. A butcher at Food 4 Less makes up to $22 per hour, at Pete’s $16 per hour, and Jewel pays union wages, but McKeska didn’t know how much, exactly. Pete’s and Food 4 Less envision other retail stores on the site; Jewel does not.

Asked how the city will track local hiring, Fioretti said his office is working closely with Near West to keep track of who’s who, a comment that provoked several minutes of cacophonous shouting about that topic, and possibly others, from a handful of men in the back of the room.

Another question wasn’t so much a question as a wish, praising Jewel for its value and Pete’s for the quality of its merchandise before asking tongue-in-cheek whether they could combine efforts. At this, O’Leary adroitly and purposefully strode to the mike and said, to laughter: “That’s called Food 4 Less.”

Microcredit grows

Thu, 7 May 2009 00:08:22 CST

[NCP in the news]

Small businesses abandoned by banks are increasingly turning to microfinance, a type of lending more commonly associated with developing nations than with large U.S. cities.

Lending by Accion Chicago doubled in the second half of 2008 and is up again this year, totaling $368,000 for 46 businesses in the first quarter. Borrowers have better credit than ever — their average credit score rose to 620 last year from 558 in 2007 — with about half referred by banks that turned them down.

Accion Chicago's four full-time loan officers used to have to make dozens of calls a day just to find people to apply for loans; now they don't make any.

"As the banks have cut off a lot of their funding, that has quickly pushed people to us," says Jonathan Brereton, Accion Chicago's chief executive and lending officer. The lender is an affiliate of Accion International, a worldwide microlending network based in Boston.

Even such explosive growth by non-profit outfits like Accion can't fill the gap left by banks, whose lending to small businesses fell by more than half in the final three months of 2008. It's pushing Accion to its limits, forcing Mr. Brereton to seek new funding even as he struggles to stay focused on the organization's mission. He rejected pleas from his loan officers to increase Accion's loan caps — $25,000 for existing businesses, $15,000 for startups.

"Part of it is a capital question, and a lot of it is us wanting to stay where we know what we are doing," he says.

Tom Nemec lost a $100,000 bank line of credit after the value of his collateral — his house — declined in the sagging real estate market. Meanwhile, customers of his Frankfort-based car-detailing business, CarSmart, are taking longer to pay their bills and cash-strapped vendors are demanding immediate payment.

"I don't have working capital to pay bills on time because the people who owe me money aren't paying me on time," says Mr. Nemec, whose sales fell 8% last year to about $500,000, "a record that most in the industry would kill for."

In January, he borrowed a few thousand dollars from Accion Chicago that he hopes will keep him liquid until the economy picks up. "It's not a solution long term, but it could save the business," he says.

Andy Salk, Accion board member and president of First Eagle Bank in Chicago, says that while some of the new demand for microloans stems from the decline in bank lending, there also are more people — some newly unemployed, some just embarking on their careers — who want to start businesses. That fits with Accion's mission "to provide financing for folks that can't get it in a more typical way," he says.

That's exactly what Elaine Heaney needed. After pooling their savings, she and her husband didn't have quite enough to open the bakery that had been their long-held dream. Banks turned them away because they didn't own a home to post as collateral.

At Accion, Ms. Heaney says, "we used a car as collateral," borrowing enough to fix up a store on Diversey Avenue in Chicago, install a 1,000-pound convection oven and prepare for Fritz Pastry's planned late-April opening.

Marina Tapia, who runs a remodeling business out of her home in Elk Grove Village, also borrowed from Accion to start her business. She re-upped with Accion last month after a bank rejected her application for a business credit card despite a credit score of 700, she says.

Accion Chicago's Mr. Brereton says the organization continues to serve its "core" mission, pointing out that the lender has seen as much growth in customers with credit scores of less than 600 as it has in those with scores over 600.

Rising loan demand has boosted Accion's need for financing of its own. Last August, it doubled a line of credit from a four-bank consortium to $600,000 and has applied for more funding from the Small Business Administration and other government agencies.

But with loan requests pouring in from startups and established businesses alike, Mr. Brereton says, "In the next couple months, we will need new capital."