Englewood Quality of Life Plan December 2005

Teamwork Englewood | LISC/Chicago’s New Communities Program

ENGLEWOOD

Making a Difference

QUALITY-OF-LIFE PLAN DEC 2005

Cheryl Aaron *

Linda Abdulla

Ramon Aiderog

Elise Akelo

Lawanda Aldridge

Larry Alexander

Patricia Alexander

Levi Alipora *

Sharrieff Allah *

Arlene Allen *

M. Amurez

Charles Anderson

Shavonne Anderson

P. Archambeault

Thomas Argelanght

Rayfus Arlin

Wanda Armstrong *

Bernard Baltimore

Thomas Bamford

Johnny Banks

LaVonne Banks

Vera Banks

Patricia Barnes

Debra Barnun

Issa Barr

Kenyatta Barry *

Hal Baskin *

Gwen Beatty

Lula Beck *

Jermaine Bell

McKinley Bell

Ruby Bell *

Deborah Benford *

Bob Bennett *

Michael Bennett

Thelma Bergman

Augrey Bezsley

Marvin Blackwell

Sherman Blair

Liola Blue *

Lemuel Boatman *

Verna Boatman *

Michael Bohlen

Codella Book

Joseph Boone

Karen Bowman

A. Boyd *

Zaundra Boyd

C. Bradshaw

Alma Brealand

Charles Breckenridge

William Brewer

Lois Brewster *

Thomas Britt

Michelle Brookins

Denise Brown *

Devin Brown *

Ida Brown

Jackie Brown

Joe Brown

Joyce Brown *

Judy Brown

Kathy Brown

LaDell Brown

Lydia Brown

Marjorie Brown

Mary Brown *

Sandi Brown

Seezeko Brown *

Torris Brown

J. Brown-El *

Gloria Buckley

Margaret Buford *

Randy Bullock

William Burch *

Romona Burnel *

Ruth Burns *

Lee Burstein

Dora Burwell *

Lisa Butler

Dorothy Byner *

Michael Byrd

Willie Byrd *

Tony Cabrera

Mattie Cage *

Edward Calahan *

Monica Campbell *

Ronald Campbell

Gloria Capler-Abernathy *

Barbara Capleton *

Arnita Carter

Morgan Carter *

Pamela Carter

Plarlene Carter

Roland Carter *

Todd Carter

Jean Carter-Hill *

Rusty Castello

Carol Chambers

Tina Chambers *

Linda Channell

Glendolyn Cherry *

Gay Chisum *

Saint John Chisum *

Richard Chitton

Pierre Clark

Joseph Clarke

Cristola Claybon

Alex Clayborn

Monti Clayton

Scott Clayton

Durrell Clinkscales *

Lorris Clinton

Alderman Shirley Coleman *

Charlotte Coles *

George Coles *

Tamara Collins

Lavelle Conner *

J.W. Cosby *

Gay Cottledge *

Alethea Cotton

Tyrone Cotton

Marzete Cox-Spencer *

Edith Crigler

C. Cross

Carl Crozier

Carolyn Crump *

Bennie Currie

Sharon Dale

Efret Dalla

Arness Dancy *

Dematruis Daniels *

Elaine Daniels

Greg Daniels

Michael Daniels *

Alonzo Davis *

Doris Davis

Harold Davis

Joseph Davis *

Patricia Davis

Patricia Davis *

Tiarra Davis *

Yolanda Davis

George Dean

Linda Denson

Leonard Deville *

Pat Devine-Reed

Max DeZutter

Deborah Dillon

Judy Dixon *

Vesta Dixon *

Richard Dobbins

Brenda Dockery

Kahn Dockery

Wardell Dodd

Edward Doherty

Pamela Dominguez *

Anita Dominique *

Ivy Douglas

James Dove

Karen Drayton *

Charles Drew *

Emily Dunn *

Chyrisse Dunnorm

Annie Earls *

Lisa Eason-Spears

Mary Ector

Ardin Eirdes *

Aesha El-Amin

Clyde El-Amin

Steve Eliig *

Sheryl Elliott *

John Ellis *

Angela Ellison

Patrick English

Jim Enright

April Ervin

George Eskridge *

Verna Espey *

Isela Estrada

Louise Evans *

Valerie Ewing *

Sean Faggins

Revin Fellows

Laura Fiedrich

Elizabeth Field

Dan Fielder

Nyela Fisher

Lewis Flowers *

Orrin Flowers *

William Floyd

Eugene Folk *

Qinton Foreman

Gwen Fowler

Angela Frank *

Glenda Franklin

Agnes Freeman *

Tim Frie

Ann Frye

Darryl Fuery *

Monica Gaddis

Nelly Gamboa

David Garded

Clark Garrett *

Anthony Garth

Kimberly Gatewood

C. Gearon *

Edina Giles

Cheryl Gill

Eddie Gills

Ida Gilmore *

James R. Goodwin *

Liodie Goodwin *

Lisa Grandberry *

Cortery Grant *

Erie Grant

Sebron Grant

Marilyn Gray

Barbara Green

Donna Green

Doris Green

Hurley Green

Lorraine Green

Thomas Green *

William Green

Debrah Greene *

Toylee Green-Harris

Annie Greenlee

Englewood

PLANNING TASK FORCE

The organizers of the Englewood planning process gratefully

acknowledge the participation of more than 650 individuals in planning

meetings during 2004 and 2005. Names followed by an asterisk are

of Englewood-area residents. The list was compiled from sign in

sheets and may not include all participants. Our apologies for any

misspellings or omissions.

Participants at Englewood planning meetings

* Resident of Englewood or West Englewood communities

Emma Greer *

Eric Griggs

David Grissom *

Glenn Guttie

Carol Hall

Dianne Hall *

Gloria Hall

Milton Hall

Carrie Hamilton *

Philip Hampton

Whoo Han

Lakita Harold *

Lorraine Harrell

Ansi Harris

Charles Harris *

Clotul Harris

David Harris *

Gary Harris

Keith Harris *

Mazie Harris

Sabrina Harris

Samuel Harris

Marc Hart

Harold Harvey

Yusuf Hasan

Robert Hasting *

Ethal Hawkins *

William Hayes

Jillian Haynes

Alice Heavens

George Heavens

Jack Hedrick

Jack Henderson *

Angela Hicks

Douglas Hid

Josie Hill *

Marcie Hill

Vera Hill

Watkins Hiller

Tamika Hinton

Anita Hocker *

Charles Holland

Loys Holland

Estella Holloway *

Larry Holt

Jessica Hooberman

Elsie Houston *

Rochelle Howard *

Shelley Hughley

Fred Humphrey

Dorothy Hunley-Adams

Kim Hunt

Kim Hunter

Sharon Hunter

J.D. Huntley

Humulhire Ibrahim

Les Inch

George Isom *

A.J. Jackson

Carolyn Jackson

CoCo Jackson

David Jackson

Diane Jackson

Gregory Jackson *

Jamal Jackson *

Leon Jackson

Mary Jackson

Nagale Jackson

Timothy Jackson

Tommy Jackson

S. Jaco

Nina Jalil *

Anna James *

Autry James *

Gertrude James

Doris Jeebon *

Leonard Jefferson

Leon Jenkins *

David Johnson

Ed Johnson

Janai Johnson *

LaRhonda Johnson

Lesley Johnson

Linda Johnson *

Margie Johnson

Robert Johnson

Stephanie Johnson

Clinton Jones

D. Jones

Donald Jones

Ida Jones

Jay Jones *

John Jones *

John Paul Jones

Larry Jones

Lonnetta Jones *

Lynda Jones

Patrick Jones

Tony Jones

William Jones *

Frederick Jordan

Georgia Jordan

M Jordan *

Laura Kelley

Annette Kelly

Ellen Kennedy

Jamye Kewman

Hamin Khatis

Duane Kidd *

Tangina Kimbrough

Ketty Kimmons

Ronald Kindred

Karen King

Melvin King

Othello King

Sharon King *

Terry King *

Clara Kirk *

Kente Kizer

Saul Klibanow

Nancy Knox

C Korda

Elaine Kosiek

James Kucia

Jason Lambert

Belinda Lane *

Ruby Larkin

Chernta Lawson

Anthony Lee *

Milton Lee

Dave Leeney

Trieigus Lemons *

Jeffrey Leslie

Brenda Lett *

George Lewis

Jacqueline Lewis

Patricia Lilly

Darronte Loftn *

Roy Logan *

Sylvia Lopez

Cedric Lott

David Lott

Diana Lou

Jamie Lowe

Corie Luckett *

John Luckett

Bernard Lyles

Leon Lyles

Alma Lyons

Lawrence Lyons

Yolanda Mabry

Gina Mack

Ulysee Maner

Junais Maniya

George Marsh

Ken Marshall

Allen Martin

Carter Martin

Ron Martin

Ivy Martinez

Lesley Martinez

Audrey Mathis

Carl Matthews

Felicia Matthews

Kendall Mays *

Quintin Mays *

Sheila Maywentters

Ruby Mcalde

Jasmine McCaplin

Derrick McClain *

Nate McCory

Tya McDaniel

Ruby McDaniels

Dan McDuffie

Mildred McElroy *

Donald McIntosh

Edward Mckinnie

Joe McLaurin *

Shirley McLaurine *

Laura McSweet

Darrell McWoodson *

Zackery Melson

Melba Miles *

Tony Mitchell

Evangel Mnodre *

Leslie Mobley *

Walter Mobley *

Yaser Mohammad

Hussen Mohmad

Otis Monroe

Tenna Monroe

Bruce Montgomery

Patricia Mood *

Beverly Moore *

Chris Moore

Christopher Moore *

Curtis Moore

Deborah Moore

Robert Moore

Enchelle Morris

Kim Morris

Lorez Morris-El *

Artra Mosley *

James Mosley

Anita Moss

Jahsyl Mpingo

Hasan Muhumed

Rodney Mumphery

C. Murdock *

Hassan Muukyana

Kenneth Nash

Mary Nelson *

Jamye Newman

Virginia Newman

Jill Newsome

LaTina Nickelson *

LaAsha Nickerson *

Widfred Nixon

Michelle Nolan

Chris Norris

Grady Norwood, Jr

Brian O’Donnell

Joycella Omerey

Argenty O’Neal *

Tunde Onomotuye

Charlotte Osei-Bonsu

Leverta Pack *

Elizabeth Pagliai

Jared Palmer

Rasheda Pankey *

Sheila Pankey *

Merita Parker

State Rep. Milt Patterson

Gail Paty

Willard Payton

Ken Pearson

Unafay Pearson

Vertell Pendleton

Levita Perkins

Ruth Perkins

Venetta Perkins *

Clyde Perry

David Philpot *

Gloria Pierce

Roderick Pierce Jr.

Roderick Pierce Sr.

Patricia Piger *

Ken Pittman *

Rudy Polk

John Porter

Kwame Porter

Shelia Powell *

Charles Power

Alexander Pratt *

Pauline Pratt

Rahim Aton Preacher *

Harold Puckett

Cornell Quarles

Delores Quinn *

Baser Rahman

Delphine Rankin

Ashley Ray *

Johnny Ray

Michelle Redd

Clevon Reed *

Gladys Reed

Louis Reeves

Walter Repuszka

Robert Reyes

Dora Rhodes

Valenica Rias

Della Richards

Cynthia Richardson *

Nathan Richardson

Danny Roberts

Ann Robinson *

Carlos Robinson *

Josephine Robinson

Mattie Robinson *

Samantha Robinson

Stanley Robinson

Chris Roch

Derrick Saalik

Ali Salem

Deshre Sampson *

Samuel Sams

Aqeel Sanders

Ethal Sanders

Helene Sanders

Jenice Sanders

Paula Sanford

James Sangster

Falessa Sayre

Gerald Sconier

Lynette Sconiers

Clarence Scott *

Katherine Scott

Donald Seals

Bernita Sear

Barbara Searles

Nolan Shaw

Maria Shelter

Ellen Shepard

Tony Sherman *

Lois Shomo-Normand *

Carol Simmons

Zina Simmons

Delectra Simpson

L. Simpson

L. Edward Simpson, Jr

Carolyn Sims

Vandna Sinha

Queen Sister

Commander Tina Skahill

Jacqueline Slater *

Darlene Sledge

Annie Smith

Darryl Smith *

Kenny Smith *

Obain Smith

S. Smith

Sylvester Smith

Syron Smith *

Wade Smith

Joanne Smyth

Marzette Spencer *

Gina Spivey *

Phyllis Stamz *

Richard Steele

April Steels *

Linda Stewart *

Mae Stewart

Paul Stewart

Mark Stovall

Casandra Sudduth

Boguslfw Szaflarsk

Amen Talla

Glenda Tardy *

Cara Taylor *

Gloria Taylor *

Greg Taylor

Horace Taylor

Peggy Taylor *

Thelma Taylor

Thomas Thapman

Flabia Themloeka *

Janie Thomas *

Alderman LaTasha Thomas *

Michael Thomas

Alderman Theodore Thomas *

Theresa Thomas

April Thompson

Ethel Thompson *

Evelyn Thompson

Otis Thompson

Renee Thompson *

Robert Thompson *

Walter Thompson *

Meghan Thorus

Michael Tidmore

Robert Tito

Sal Todros

Isaiah Torres

Alderman Arenda Troutman *

Beverly Turner

Brian Turner

Debra Turner

Katherine Turner *

Sandra Turner

Valon Tyson *

Sundea Uwumarogie

Julian Valentine

Lester Vaughn *

Leonard Vessels *

Brian Wade

Tikrah Wadley

Jamil Walker

John Walker *

Levell Walker *

Michelle Walker

Robin Walker

Rodney Walker *

Wesley Walker

Judy Walker-Dixon *

Griselda Walls

Denis Ward *

Reynaldo Ward

Elaine Warfield

Eric Washington

Gloria Washington-Penson

William Waters

April Watkins

Ruby Watts *

Jerry Weaver *

Willis Webb

Rev. Webber

Sidhar Webber

A.L. Webster *

Donna Werner

Brenda Wheeler

Henry White

Jack White *

Marlita White

Rita White

Timothy White

Anthony Williams

Charles Williams

Douglas Williams

Essie Williams

Leannette Williams

Les Williams

Dwayne Williams II

Leon Willis

Bernice Wilson *

C. Wilson

Committeeman Charles Wilson *

Henry Wilson *

Romana Wilson

Sarah Wilson

Lee Winter

Hallie Woodar *

Arilla Woods *

Eylomisa Woten

Audrey Wright

Shymaine Wright *

Saleh Yafa

Mable Yancy *

Vivian Yancy *

Danielle Yelverton

Adia Young

Lelici Young

Tom Young

Troy Young *

Jessica Youngblood

Karen Zboril

John Zeigler

Khodi Zoyd

David Zverow

CONTENTS

SUMMARY

Coming Together to “Make a Difference”

OUR COMMUNITY

It’s Time to Start Dreaming Again

Lead Agency: Teamwork Englewood

Planning Process: For 18 Months, an Outpouring of Ideas

VISION

A Welcoming Place Where People Work Together

STRATEGIES

Ten Approaches to Achieving the Vision

WORK PROGRAM

Schedule and Participating Organizations

ENGLEWOOD: MAKING A DIFFERENCE

Coming Together to

“Make a Difference”

SUMMARY

Among the community’s many assets are these historic

greystone homes.

Our neighborhood is ready for a new period of prosperity and hope.

We’ve lived through many years as a poor and downtrodden South Side

neighborhood, where community improvement efforts haven’t always

produced results. We believe that era is over and that we, the residents and

leaders of Englewood, are prepared to make a difference in the quality of

life in our neighborhood.

After many years of delay, the new Kennedy King College campus is

rising at 63rd and Halsted.

For the past 18 months a remarkable journey of renewal

has begun in Englewood through the planning process

that resulted in this document. More than 650 of us have

gathered together at dozens of different meetings and

events to learn about each other, discuss improvement

strategies and frame out a plan for implementation.

Our community is wealthy in many ways, from its long

history of leadership and activism to its abundance of

small-business owners, churches, social service agencies,

energetic youth and wise elders.

We are at an important point in history as well, with

hundreds of millions of dollars worth of new projects

coming out of the ground, from new retail stores and

housing to the Kennedy King College campus, which can

help us establish a new and different “Englewood Center”

at the historic intersection of 63rd and Halsted.

We envision a long road ahead—a period of growth

that will require much more than the five-year outlook of

this plan—because the challenges we face are as big as our

opportunities.

We recognize that everything is interlinked. The

performance of our schools must be improved, and to do

that we must provide support to families, teachers and par-

ticularly our youth, who may live in homeless shelters or are

being raised by their grandparents. We can accomplish that

goal if we are healthy, and for that we plan a walking club,

safer streets and wider availability of fresh produce. We

envision new retail outlets, from a farmers’ market and gro-

cery store to an African-American marketplace, stores that

provide not only needed goods but local jobs. We will pur-

sue economic development on multiple fronts, from business

development to attraction of fast-growing industries, from

job training for formerly incarcerated individuals to food

processing facilities tied to our urban agriculture project.

Our plan is ambitious, yes, but we have been working

for 18 months to put in place the networks and relation-

ships necessary for implementation. Today, in Englewood,

we are ready.

STRATEGY 1 Attract new industries and service firms

that create living-wage jobs while preparing residents

for regional employment opportunities.

1.1 Prepare and place residents in health care and

medical services jobs and assess the feasibility of

developing a medical laboratory testing facility in

Englewood.

1.2 Optimize local construction employment on

public and private development projects.

1.3 Expand automotive services training for Englewood

residents and establish an automotive services franchise

to provide jobs for program graduates.

1.4 Develop an urban agriculture district to provide

business, job training and employment opportunities

while improving the availability of fresh produce.

STRATEGY 2 Renew Englewood’s identity by reclaiming

empty spaces and enlivening the community through

cultural activities, gardens, new parks and public

gathering spaces.

2.1 Promote coordinated development of “Englewood

Center” as our neighborhood’s downtown, including a

new Harold Washington Plaza that includes housing,

retail businesses and community gathering spaces.

2.2 Reclaim vacant lots for special events and other

community uses including green spaces, exhibits and

performances.

2.3 Create and implement guidelines for redevelopment

of vacant land for housing, commercial uses and other

purposes.

2.4 Utilize public art and signage to promote

Englewood’s renewed identity.

STRATEGY 3 Rebuild a vibrant and diverse retail and

business community at key locations throughout the

neighborhood.

3.1 Create a business council that organizes and

advocates for local businesses, helps strengthen

personal-service and business-to-business companies

and promotes partnerships.

3.2 Expand the small base of African-American-owned

businesses and foster growth by providing technical

assistance and linkages to business development

incentives.

3.3 Within targeted neighborhood shopping districts,

attract quality retail businesses and help existing

business owners acquire space necessary to meet

local needs.

3.4 Promote transit-oriented development near the

Green Line terminal at Ashland.

STRATEGY 4 Jump-start the housing market to create

a balanced, mixed-income community while providing

support services to local families and individuals.

4.1 Create a rental property “owners network” and a

“family services network” that link quality, affordable

rental housing and family support services.

4.2 Help working renters to become homeowners through

services that help establish a path to ownership.

4.3 Develop or expand housing and support-service

programs tailored to the needs of specific populations.

4.4 Establish a housing resource center to provide technical

and financial assistance to homeowners, home buyers

and renters.

STRATEGIES AND PROJECTS

STRATEGY 9 Initiate services to special-needs

populations to address critical issues.

9.1 Establish a re-entry services network for formerly

incarcerated individuals and their families.

9.2 Assist wards of the state who are “aging out” to

prepare for independent living.

9.3 Provide a continuum of support for male and

female single heads of households

9.4 Help “grand families” address challenges of

raising new families.

STRATEGY 10 Create a community network to spread

information, resources and expertise within Englewood

and beyond.

10.1 Establish an Englewood information network

to gather and disseminate information about local

resources.

10.2 Convene a Community Services Network to share

information, promote local resources and coordinate

service delivery.

10.3 Establish a “Neighbor to Neighbor” program that

provides information to new residents on services, area

resources and local businesses.

STRATEGY 7 Bring new resources to schools to expand

health and social services that help improve academic

performance.

7.1 Strengthen a network of community-service provid-

ers to ensure positive changes at local schools that will

benefit students.

7.2 Develop mental health clinics and family counseling

services at elementary and middle schools and make

more use of student teachers and mental-health and

social-work graduate students.

7.3 Create partnerships between struggling schools and

high-achievement schools and strengthen faith-based

partnerships to establish teen mentoring programs.

STRATEGY 8 Create diverse opportunities for recreation,

lifelong learning and civic engagement.

8.1 Establish an Englewood Facilities Capital

Campaign to improve existing facilities serving youth

and young adults.

8.2 Establish a Community Development Sustainability

Fund to develop long-term resources for youth, green

space and community performance initiatives.

8.3 Increase usage of park facilities by elders and youth

through expanded programming and a community-and

faith-based transportation network.

8.4 Establish a Council of Elders to provide an oral

history of significant community events and to foster

inter-generational communication with youth.

8.5 Create education and information trails near

schools and “living museums” in public lobbies.

8.6 Increase access to community technology centers

and other educational media, such as radio and cable

TV, to provide opportunities for home study and

financial education.

STRATEGY 5 Promote healthy lifestyles that include

physical fitness, good nutrition and better use of

health-care resources.

5.1 Establish Englewood walking clubs to promote

good health while increasing a sense of community

and improved safety.

5.2 Attract a full-service produce store, produce

market or grocer with a large produce selection.

5.3 Expand availability of healthy food options at

small grocery stores.

5.4 Establish a farmers’ market and local produce

stands that offer fresh fruits and vegetables.

5.5 Use signage, community events and health fairs

to promote health resources and programs, with a

particular focus on immunization and infant mortality.

STRATEGY 6 Improve safety and security throughout

the community.

6.1 Provide opportunities to steer youth away from

gangs and into long-term employment.

6.2 Improve community/police relations in ways that

help to eliminate police corruption.

6.3 Re-establish an Englewood gang-intervention task

force that is guided by proven “best practices.”

6.4 Increase the capacity of block organizations to

organize clean-up and beautification projects and

increase public involvement on safety issues.

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Figure 1 South Side community near transportation

Englewood is eight miles south of Chicago’s Loop, just

off the Dan Ryan expressway. It is well served by the

CTA Green and Red Line trains.

OUR COMMUNITY

It’s Time to Start Dreaming Again

“We want people to see that something is

happening in Englewood.”

Resident Henry Wilson, at December 2004 planning meeting

Our shopping opportunities are also expanding,

with a Food4Less grocery coming to 69th and Ashland

and a $24 million shopping center planned for both sides

of Halsted south of 59th Street. Our existing small-busi-

ness owners and entrepreneurs are keenly aware of the

change that is coming and we see them investing and

planning for the future. Other assets that we are building

on include our churches, which serve as a cornerstone of

the community, a large network of social service agencies

and a strong tradition of activism.

Still, ours is a large community, stretching from

55th Street south to 74th Street and from the Dan Ryan

Expressway west to the railroad tracks beyond Hamilton.

The two community areas of Englewood and West

Englewood—called Greater Englewood in this plan—are

home to about 85,000 people, according to the 2000

Census. In this six-square-mile area, there are many serious

challenges alongside the opportunities for renewal.

After decades of population decline and more than a few

false starts, our Englewood community is coming together

in one of the most promising periods of change that

residents can remember. For the people of Englewood, it’s

time to start dreaming again.

For many years, our neighborhood and its reputation

have suffered from crime, poverty, housing abandonment

and failed redevelopment efforts. Many individuals and

organizations have worked to improve the neighborhood,

but larger forces have held us back.

Today is a new day. Throughout the community, major

investments and construction projects are providing

anchor points for renewal. Even more promising is that

our residents, more than 600 of them, have been meeting

for 18 months to lay out a plan for a new Englewood, a

place where everyone from youth to elders can make a

difference. We feel a renewed sense of hope: Englewood is

on the move.

Anchor points

The physical signs of change are all around us. The $200

million Kennedy King College is finally rising from the

vacant lots at 63rd and Halsted Streets. Walgreen’s is

reinvesting in the community, relocating its store further

east on 63rd. To the west there’s a new branch library

already open and a new police station and child care center

on the way. And throughout the community new housing

developments are under construction or planned.

Figure 2 Catalyst projects

Recent construction and new projects planned or

underway will help anchor and spur development

within the community.

Proposed commercial TIF

Commercial project

Institutional project

Public facility project

Residential project

TIF district

Proposed 63rd/Ashland TIF

Parks

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Putting down roots

Beginning in the 1950s, massive racial turnover transformed

our neighborhood from mostly white to almost all African

American. It was a period of hope for the tens of thousands of

incoming families who saw Englewood as a step up from job-

short Southern towns or the crowded “Black Belt” where most

of Chicago’s African-Americans had lived. Families put down

roots and began making Englewood their own. Locally owned

businesses opened on 69th Street and 63rd, and Lindblom

Technical High School became a stepping stone to college for

proud neighborhood residents.

This period of prosperity would prove to be short-lived.

Factories began shedding thousands of jobs and new suburbs

lured residents from the city. The Englewood communities

were hard hit as middle-class families moved south and west.

Englewood lost 57,000 people and more than 12,000 housing

units; West Englewood did slightly better, losing 15,000 resi-

dents, one-fourth of its population.

The City of Chicago tried to reverse the decline in 1964 by

turning the 63rd and Halsted commercial district into a pedes-

trian mall. Deteriorated houses and stores were demolished to

build bypass roads and parking lots, and sidewalk canopies

were erected to create a mall-like atmosphere. It didn’t work.

One by one, Wieboldt’s, Sears and other retailers abandoned

the area. By the 1980s, 30 years of decline left little more than

Korean-owned shops which later became a source of friction with

the mostly African-American shoppers. The mall was reopened

to traffic in 1985 but was finally demolished in the early 2000s to

make way for the relocated Kennedy King campus.

What came before

Our neighborhood was founded because of railroads, whose

viaducts still criss-cross the community. The first residents

were Germans, Irish and Swedish immigrants settling in the

1850s at a place called Junction Grove, and another wave

followed the 1868 construction of the Cook County Normal

School, which would later become Chicago State University.

The first African-Americans arrived prior to the Civil War.

An enclave near 67th and Racine was a destination on the

Underground Railroad, and other African-American clusters

were on Stewart Avenue and near 63rd and Loomis.

It was the 1893 Columbian Exposition that put

Englewood on the map, drawing millions of visitors to

Chicago. It created a building boom of hotels, apartment

buildings and wood-frame houses that stretched west

from the lake along the 63rd Street tram lines. Greater

Englewood’s population grew to 139,000 by 1920, and the

population peaked in 1960 at 160,000. Centered around

63rd and Halsted was the second busiest shopping district

in Chicago, a dense concentration of department stores,

restaurants, shops and theaters that drew visitors from

throughout the South and Southwest Sides. Older residents

fondly remember the 3,200-seat Southtown Theatre with its

elaborate Moorish architecture and live swans in the lobby.

Six other movie houses were nearby, along with a bowling

alley and other amusements.

OUR COMMUNITY

Population decline and disinvestment have left Englewood with thou-

sands of vacant lots. This plan calls for reclaiming the land for public

uses (above), new housing and commercial uses.

Building toward revival

Throughout this difficult period, our residents built a

tradition of activism and leadership. Soon after arriving

from Tennessee in the late 1950s, the Rev. Wilbur Daniel

began purchasing land around his Antioch Missionary

Baptist Church on 63rd Street. Antioch’s housing develop-

ments—849 units including the townhouses along 63rd

Street—were an early sign of Englewood’s fighting spirit.

Another was the 1971 creation of the United Block

Clubs of Englewood, a coalition that included among its

leaders James O. Stampley, who would spend many years

writing letters, organizing meetings and drawing attention

to local issues. When Clara Kirk and her husband moved

to Englewood in the mid-1970s, she noticed the needs of

poor and homeless families in the area, and later founded

Clara’s House, an organization that to this day provides a

temporary home and supportive environment for homeless

mothers and children.

These efforts were a response to a dismal cycle of

decline in our neighborhood, where vacant buildings and

sparse population allowed drug trafficking and other

criminal activity to grow. As gangs protected their

territories, violence increased and youth became at risk of

either gang assaults or gang recruitment. Domestic vio-

lence, substance abuse and high unemployment levels all

contributed to a crime rate near the top among Chicago

police districts.

Things got worse in 1998 when the murdered body

of 11-year-old Ryan Harris was found near Parnell Ave.

Two local boys, ages 7 and 8, were charged with the

crime, though DNA evidence would later show they were

not involved. It was a horror-filled time for our neighbor-

hood, not only because of the loss of Ryan Harris—who

is remembered through the Ryan Harris Memorial Park

at 68th and Lowe—but because police saw our children

as murderers and newspapers and TV headlined with bad

news about Englewood.

Today’s teamwork

Our community has not always responded in a coordinated

way to these challenges, in part because we have lacked

unity. Englewood has six aldermen and several hundred

churches and organizations, all serving different parts of the

community. But since the summer of 2004, we have witnessed

a remarkable coming together through the loose structure of a

new organization called Teamwork Englewood, whose motto

is “Together Everyone Achieves More.”

At more than 30 meetings since the first roundtable

dialogues in August 2004, our residents have given voice

to their vision of the future. Through informal discussion,

working groups, task force meetings and special meetings

around education, social services and policing, we have ham-

mered out this plan for moving forward.

The Antioch Homes development along 63rd Street, sponsored by

Antioch Missionary Baptist Church, was an early sign that Englewood

residents would push for revitalization.

OUR COMMUNITY

Figure 3 Key organizations

A strong tradition of activism and leadership exists

in Englewood. This plan was developed by many

organizations located throughout the area.

Key organizations

Public school

Park

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Our meetings have been methodical in many ways, but

the most important accomplishments are not the details of

this plan. No, the power of this process was in the people

who participated.

Imagine this: On Wednesday evenings and Saturday

mornings for eight months straight, residents converge

on Teamwork Englewood’s office at Pullman (now Park)

Bank for light snacks, a half-hour of networking and

then 90 minutes of work. There are 30 or 40 people at

the lightly attended meetings, 80 or 90 at the larger ones.

They stand up and introduce themselves, pride ringing

in their voices: “I’m a construction contractor, born

and raised in Englewood,” say more than a few; others

describe bootstrap social service organizations, real estate

businesses, youth programs and churches.

Who are some of these committed stakeholders? There’s

Tony Sherman, a small-scale contractor and developer with

a preacher’s persuasive voice. Hal Baskin, self-reformed

gang leader and a recognized advocate for construction

jobs for local residents. Clara Kirk of Clara’s House,

affectionately known as “Mama” Kirk to numerous in-

need mothers and their children. Otis Monroe, a tireless

advocate of resources to help small organizations grow.

George Moore of Exodus Renewal, who provides updates

on activities impacting formerly incarcerated individuals

(“new citizens”).

At many meetings you can chat with Mr. Henry Wilson,

chairman of the Southeast Chicago Development Council

and ceaseless promoter of Englewood. William Jones, owner

of Franz Printing, and Roderick Pierce, owner of Englewood

Hardware, are initiating members of the just-established

New Englewood Business Council. Pastor Nolan Shaw

of West Englewood United Methodist Church is often in

attendance, as are Emily Dunn, an elder and avid housing

activist, and Corey Luckett, an inspiring young man working

with Children’s Home and Aide Society (CHASI). Dunn and

Luckett recently sat down with Mayor Richard M. Daley

to represent us and discuss our quality-of-life plan. And

don’t forget Jean Carter Hill, whose organization, “Imagine

Englewood If,” has just the right name to describe this

extraordinary gathering of Englewood residents.

Catalysts and challenges

What does this mean for Englewood? A great deal, if

we can implement this plan over the next five years. We

envision a stronger community where everyone can “make

a difference” and where new residents will come to live.

But this won’t happen without many years of hard work. If

this plan is to work, our challenges must be acknowledged

and addressed. Vacant land, for instance, represents a huge

challenge. With more than 700 acres to fill, it could take

50 years to reclaim it all.

Englewood representatives met with Mayor Richard M. Daley in

November 2005 to discuss the quality-of-life plan. From left, Emily Dunn,

NCP director Wanda White-Gills, Mayor Daley and Corey Luckett.

OUR COMMUNITY

Figure 4 Distribution of vacant land

There are more than 700 acres of vacant land in

Greater Englewood, presenting a major challenge to

the community as well as broad opportunities for

redevelopment.

Block more than 2/3 vacant

Block 1/3-2/3 vacant

Block more than 2/3 developed

Blocks under development

Park

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Building up the local base of small businesses, such as Roderick Pierce’s

Englewood Hardware, is a priority of this plan.

Some of the land will be filled by housing develop-

ments that together will yield over 1,000 units of new and

rehabbed housing, including Junction Grove, Englewood

Crossing, Parish Corners, Bernard Place II, Englewood

Homes, SWWT Homes and Clara’s Village. But we must

be creative and methodical to find permanent uses for

our land and interim uses as well, such as our urban

agriculture district.

Our base of small-business owners is a great resource,

but many have limited capital and some are new entrepre-

neurs with limited business experience. We must provide

support in the form of business development programs, a

strong group-purchasing program and technical services

coordinated by an effective business council.

It will take time to build up our schools from their cur-

rent low-performing status. Renewed effort is underway at

all area high schools and we will initiate increased activities

to ensure that students are prepared for careers as well as

college. We plan to bring new resources such as student

teachers and social services into Greater Englewood’s 24

elementary schools, so that they can send well-equipped stu-

dents to our high schools and beyond.

While the renewed Englewood will be a place for all

families, we recognize the special needs of target populations

for improved social services and better coordination around

domestic and substance abuse, youth programming and

health issues. This plan lays out programs to help “new citi-

zens” (formerly incarcerated individuals) before they return,

as well as when they return to Englewood. It is a plan that

recognizes we must help “grand families” who are caring

for their grandchildren, wards of the state before they are

no longer eligible for support (“age out”) and single heads-

of-household who are struggling with low-wage jobs as they

raise their children.

Our approach in many cases is preventive: helping kids

stay out of trouble through positive programming, promot-

ing health through walking clubs and better nutrition. We

see many projects intertwined with each other: vegetable

gardens and a farmers’ market providing good food as well

as job development; new industries occupying available land

while providing well-paid jobs; stable rental housing and

new homeownership bringing in residents to shop at local

stores owned by local people.

Most of all we see this plan as a framework for

individual and group action. We must continue what we

have started in the past 18 months, and as a team imple-

ment the projects and monitor the progress that will allow

all Englewood residents to make a difference.

Teamwork Englewood was formed as a vehicle for compre-

hensive community development in 2003 through the joint

efforts of St. Bernard Hospital, Greater Englewood Parish

United Methodist Church and Pullman Bank (now Park

Bank). Its first task was to organize the community plan-

ning process that is a requirement of LISC/Chicago’s New

Communities Program.

The organization got off to a slow start because it

lacked a broad base of support and many community

stakeholders did not clearly understand its purpose. In

2004, after expanding its board of directors and hiring two

new staff members, Teamwork Englewood re-started the

planning process and has since established itself as a leader-

ship organization. It has:

Organized dozens of meetings to support the community

quality-of-life planning process, attracting participation

of more than 600 individuals.

Convened Englewood social service providers to deter

mine what services are available and find ways to

improve service delivery.

Responded to requests by the Pastors of Englewood,

7th District Police and the Chicago CAPS office to

convene residents to discuss allegations of police

corruption related to drug trafficking. The February

2005 meeting resulted in a list of issues that will be

addressed jointly by residents and Chicago Police.

Facilitated public meetings after the announcement by

Chicago Public Schools (CPS) that Englewood High

School would stop accepting freshmen in 2005, then

reopen as a new school. Teamwork Englewood

disseminated recommendations from that meeting and

later facilitated a meeting with CPS Superintendent

Arne Duncan.

Teamwork Englewood’s goal is to continue its role

as convener and facilitator, bringing together existing and

new organizations to implement this quality-of-life plan.

Rather than implementing projects on its own, Teamwork

Englewood expects the bulk of its effort to be focused on

helping other groups work together, catalyze change, find

resources and attract new energy to the community.

Teamwork Englewood

LEAD AGENCY

OUR COMMUNITY

Organizing a quality-of-life planning process and

developing a detailed written plan for the community is

the first step for organizations in LISC/Chicago’s New

Communities Program (NCP). Teamwork Englewood was

a brand-new organization in 2003 and its first efforts were

not successful.

While other NCP lead agencies hired staff and began

planning, Teamwork Englewood encountered resistance

from local organizations, leaders and residents because it

had not established a track record and its board of

directors was not as broad-based as many thought it

should be. It responded by restructuring its board and

adding new members to better represent the community.

In mid-2004, that board hired Wanda White-Gills as NCP

director. Her charge was to reach out across Englewood to

develop this plan.

The process that started in the summer of 2004

developed rapidly into what participants said was one

of the most promising and broad-based collective efforts

undertaken in Englewood in recent history. The process

included:

Six Dialog Roundtables with 168 participants who

developed ideas on how the planning process should be

conducted and what issues should be addressed.

Twice-monthly Working Group meetings that included

large-group sessions as well as smaller discussions on 1)

community life, arts and culture, 2) recreation, health

and safety, 3) retail/service businesses and financial

services, 4) economic development and jobs and 5)

housing and family support.

Monthly meetings of a planning Task Force.

Special meetings including a Youth Summit at which 120

young people created recommendations on safety, police-

community relations and education.

Broad dissemination of the proposed vision, strategies

and projects through postcards, announcements, phone

calls and the NCP web site.

More than 100 people attended the meetings each

month. The Working Groups developed ideas for

“early-stage projects” designed to create momentum, and

used a structured system to rank all projects and identify

groups that had the interest and capabilities to implement

projects. The Englewood process was unique, departing

dramatically from LISC’s quality-of-life guidelines. It was

much more extensive than in other communities, reflecting

the commitment of the organization and the local need to

bring people together as a team.

This list of strategies and projects was drafted in early

2005 and presented to the Working Groups and Task

Forces for comment and improvement. It was formally

approved by the Task Force on May 10, 2005, and further

developed at a series of meetings in the fall of 2005.

For 18 Months, an Outpouring of Ideas

PLANNING PROCESS

More than 120 young people came together at a Youth Summit to offer

ideas for the plan.

Housing New housing for a range of income levels will

begin to fill the empty spots of our neighborhood, blending

with upgraded and revitalized housing.

Economic Development Retail stores will provide more

choices for our residents, and new industries and service

firms will create jobs and living-wage paychecks.

Community Life A web of networks, cultural activities,

health and social services and recreation programs will

make Englewood a place where people get to know one

another and, together, build a stronger neighborhood.

A Welcoming Place Where

People Work Together

VISION

We envision an Englewood where every resident, business owner,

community and institutional leader is “making a difference.” The

Englewood of 2010 will be a welcoming place where people from diverse

economic backgrounds live, play and work together. It will be a community

that nurtures its young people, seeks wisdom from its elders and provides

an opportunity for lifelong learning and positive civic engagement.

We will create this community of opportunity by building on the past

and taking advantage of today’s resources and innovations.

We envision a community that nurtures its young people and seeks

wisdom from its elders.

VISION

African-American

business development

Construction businesses

Professional services

Retailers

African marketplace

Urban agriculture district

Production-scale housing

Education information trails

Support healthy lifestyles

Figure 5 Key projects of the plan

This plan includes a wide range of projects including

physical, social and economic approaches to community

improvement.

Ten Approaches to

Achieving the Vision

Input from more than 600 participants at dozens of community meetings

and workshops resulted in 10 strategies to achieve the community’s vision.

Our strategies:

1. Attract new industries and service firms that create

living-wage jobs while preparing residents for regional

employment opportunities.

2. Renew Renew Englewood’s identity by reclaiming

empty spaces and enlivening the community through

cultural activities, gardens, new parks and public

gathering spaces.

3. Rebuild a vibrant and diverse retail and business

community at key locations throughout the

neighborhood.

4. Jump-start the housing market to create a balanced,

mixed-income community while providing support

services to local families and individuals.

STRATEGIES

5. Promote healthy lifestyles that include physical fitness,

good nutrition and better use of health-care resources.

6. Improve safety and security throughout the community.

7. Bring new resources to schools to expand health and

social services that help improve academic performance.

8. Create diverse opportunities for recreation, lifelong

learning and civic engagement.

9. Initiate targeted services to special-needs populations

to address critical service needs.

10. Create a community network to spread information,

resources and expertise within Englewood and beyond.

STRATEGY 1

Attract new industries and service

firms that create living-wage jobs

while preparing residents for regional

employment opportunities.

industries. It will develop an informational package that

identifies development sites, available incentives and mar-

ket data. We will also work with the Mayor’s Office of

Workforce Development (MOWD), Kennedy King College

and local high schools to educate students and residents

about employment opportunities and provide them with

the education, skills and training needed.

1.1 Prepare and place residents in health care and

medical services jobs and assess the feasibility of devel-

oping a medical laboratory testing facility in Englewood.

The healthcare industry already accounts for 15 percent of

total employment in Englewood and is one of the fastest

growing industries in our nation. There is a growing need for

a wide range of technologists with skills in sonography, lab

work, radiology, dialysis and other areas.

Residents can be trained for many allied health positions

in 18 to 24 months, and the field offers both entry-level

positions and opportunities for advancement. We will work

with MOWD, St. Bernard Hospital, Chicago Department

of Public Health, Chicago Workforce Board, Kennedy King

College and local high schools to provide appropriate training,

to expose adults and high school students to allied healthcare

opportunities, and to encourage them to enter job-training

programs at Kennedy King College, Malcolm X College and

other institutions.

We will also seek to bring new jobs to Englewood. This

same partnership will work with representatives of Ross

Laboratories (and other labs that provide testing services for

city and state agencies and local hospitals) to assess demand

for a new testing facility and the feasibility of establishing it in

Greater Englewood.

Most Chicago residents work outside their immediate

neighborhoods, commuting to downtown or other job

centers. In Englewood, this is particularly true. The

Illinois Department of Labor reported in 2003 that there

were 7,400 jobs available in Greater Englewood—the

Englewood and West Englewood community areas—one

job for every three working residents. Because more

than one third of Englewood residents rely on public

transportation to get to work, it is imperative that we

create better linkages to jobs with transportation access

and bring more jobs to Englewood and Chicago’s South

Side, particularly jobs in growing industries.

Landing good jobs is difficult because only 52 percent

of Englewood residents over age 25 have earned high

school diplomas and only 9 percent have an associate

or higher degree from a college or university. In 2000,

median household income in Englewood was $18,955,

less than half the citywide median. The unemployment

rate of 25 percent was more than double the citywide

average of 10 percent.

Household income will rise when residents obtain

living-wage jobs, and the key to getting and keeping good

jobs is ensuring that residents have the education and skills

needed. To achieve this, we will prepare residents for job

opportunities and improve access to jobs in industries that

offer long-term careers.

Efforts will focus on sectors that offer good wages,

benefits and opportunities for advancement. Teamwork

Englewood will work with the Chicago Department of

Planning and Development to assess market demand

and develop a marketing strategy tailored to the target

Improve access to jobs by creating a community database

(or adapting an existing database) for registration of job

seekers and providers. The database will include a

profile of job-seekers that highlights work experience,

certifications, skills and participation with job-counseling

or training programs.

1.3 Expand automotive services training for Englewood

residents and establish an automotive services franchise

to provide jobs for program graduates.

Growth within the automotive services industry can pro-

vide Englewood residents – particularly those re-entering

the community after incarceration – with skills and work

experience that lead to living-wage jobs. The automotive-

technician job sector is in the top 25 percent of fastest-

growing occupations, and over the next seven years there

is a projected annual shortage of 1,000 automotive

technicians in Illinois.

This high demand provides a significant expansion

opportunity for the Englewood-based Chicagoland Youth

and Adult Training Center (CYATC). The organization

already provides automotive-services training and work

experience to residents, including formerly incarcerated

individuals, prior to placing graduates in permanent jobs.

CYATC recently added an auto services component and

entered into a contract with the City of Chicago to service

up to 1,200 fleet vehicles.

1.2 Optimize local construction employment on public

and private development projects.

The construction sector not only offers jobs with above-

average wages and benefits, but is expected to grow by

about 15 percent nationwide between 2002 and 2012,

according to the U.S. Department of Labor. We believe this

national trend, coupled with major construction projects

planned for Greater Englewood, provides a window of

opportunity to employ residents. This is also an opportu-

nity to establish and foster minority- and women-owned

construction businesses in Englewood.

More than $220 million will be invested in construction

and public infrastructure improvements including Kennedy

King College, the 7th District Police station and planned

residential and retail developments. In addition, property

owners and investors are rehabilitating homes, apartment

buildings and community facilities. In our initial efforts,

we will:

Work with construction trade unions, Kennedy King

College and Dawson Technical Institute to help high

school students and others apply for apprenticeship

programs and overcome potential obstacles such as

the need for child care at early hours and reliable

transportation.

Partner with successful construction firms to mentor

emerging companies and provide technical assistance on

developing competitive bids, creating business plans and

obtaining certification as a minority business enterprise

or woman-owned enterprise.

Support participation of smaller firms that may not have

the capacity to bid on large contracts, by working with

developers and public agencies to break projects into

smaller components to enable the use of more

subcontractors.

STRATEGIES

Construction projects underway or planned offer opportunities for skilled

and entry-level employment.

We will work with CYATC to expand training and post-

training support and to create an auto-services franchise

that can provide job opportunities to graduates. We will

also meet with the owners of trucking companies that

utilize the CSX intermodal (truck-rail) facility at 59th and

Oakley to assess the need for truck services and repair.

1.4 Develop an urban agriculture district to provide

business, job training and employment opportunities

while improving availability of fresh produce.

Urban agriculture offers an opportunity to meet several

objectives of this plan. Farm fields and food processing

facilities can return vacant land and buildings to produc-

tive use. Urban agriculture also can provide job training

for teenagers and young adults, as well as entrepreneurship

opportunities for residents, using proven models devel-

oped by Growing Home, the Resource Center, and others.

Finally, making locally grown produce available to commu-

nity residents will increase their access to healthy food, as

outlined in Strategy 5.

Demand for organic food and specialty produce has

risen rapidly, but most of the region’s supply comes from

California and other areas outside our region. Some even

comes through the Englewood warehouse of a major

organic-food distributor, but we see a larger role for our

community. We will:

Establish an urban agriculture district. We will seek to

establish an urban agriculture district of 20 acres or

more near 59th Street at Racine. The district will

accommodate three to eight growers and will generate

15 to 50 jobs. Ideally, three to five businesses should

be established to create synergy and lower overhead costs

through shared spaces for meetings, training and sales.

The location provides excellent highway access for

transport to restaurants and grocers. The district might

also include businesses that grow landscape plants and

train workers in landscape maintenance. We will work

with the city to develop a strategy to gain control of the

land and create a community land trust.

Establish a food processing center with training and

incubator space for start-up companies. We will assess

the feasibility of establishing one or more food processing

facilities at appropriate sites along 59th Street to prepare

produce for market, and will explore development of an

industrial kitchen to help residents establish food-related

companies.

Establish a farmers’ market and produce stands where

fruit and vegetables from Englewood and other areas will

be available. Several independent entrepreneurs currently

bring their produce to Englewood for sale from their

truck or informal farm stands; this project will bring

vendors together at accessible locations to expand their

sales and attract more customers.

There is ample room to start an urban agriculture project on vacant

parcels between 59th Street and the railroad viaduct to the north.

STRATEGY 2

Renew Englewood’s identity by

reclaiming empty spaces and

enlivening the community through

cultural activities, gardens, new

parks and public gathering spaces.

For many visitors, the first and lasting impression of

Englewood is the blight and disinvestment conveyed by

hundreds of vacant lots along main streets and through-

out the community. Englewood can change this image by

reclaiming the empty land and renewing the community’s

identity through the arts, culture and history of the

community.

Vacant land today comprises one-fifth of the total area

of Greater Englewood – more than 700 acres. Even under

optimistic market conditions, it would take more than 50

years for the housing market to absorb all of the lots. It is

imperative, therefore, to pursue creative reuse strategies to

return the land to productive use.

Vacant land provides opportunities for new plazas,

gardens and parks. Where lots are concentrated in

contiguous parcels of several acres or more, it offers

opportunities for new businesses, community facilities

and housing. The land can also provide locations for

artistic, cultural and community programming. This

strategy focuses on creating a framework and guidelines

for land use throughout the community.

2.1 Promote coordinated development of “Englewood

Center” as our neighborhood’s downtown, including a

new Harold Washington Plaza that includes housing,

retail businesses and community gathering spaces.

The future “Englewood Center” will be a fully built up

area stretching west from the U.S. Post Office and Aldi

grocery store, past a new Walgreen’s and Wendy’s, and

north and south on Halsted to accommodate the college’s

six new buildings. It will include new retail and housing on

63rd Street from Halsted to Morgan.

For the last five years, the intersection of 63rd and

Halsted has been a less-than-inviting place because of

the vacant lots, demolition barriers and empty sidewalks

caused by delays in construction of Kennedy King College

and City of Chicago redevelopment plans. Now that con-

struction is underway, we will work as a community to

restore this intersection’s historic role as the neighborhood’s

centerpiece.

We will encourage neighborhood residents to make

use of the college’s library, bookstore, restaurant, athletic

facilities and day-care center, which will be open to

the public, and will work to attract compatible

developments including a new mixed-use space called

the Harold Washington Plaza.

With thousands of students, faculty and staff

coming to Kennedy King every day, we can create a lively

space on the northwest corner of 63rd from Halsted to

Morgan. This large now-vacant parcel can be redeveloped

as a mixed-use gathering point for students, employees,

residents and others. This area will be home to a quality

grocery store and new African-American businesses that

expand local retail options. Affordable condominiums and

new townhouses will provide wider housing choices for

new and existing families. The area should include green

space, improved landscaping, seating areas and a

performance space.

We envision a pleasant environment for walking,

shopping and cultural and entertainment activities, and

we see the Halsted and Ashland Green Line stations and

CTA bus routes as key transportation resources to

support this activity.

STRATEGIES

Harold Washington

Park and Plaza

Commercial and mixed use

CTA

HALSTED

63RD

64TH

65TH

PEORIA

63RD PARKWAY

HALSTED PARKWAY

Potential grocery

store site

Existing

commercial

New

mixed use

Existing residential

Existing commercial

Existing public/institutional

New single-family residential

New townhomes

New multi-family residential

New mixed-use

New commercial

New Kennedy-King College

Figure 6 Englewood Center

Redevelopment of the 63rd and Halsted area into

“Englewood Center” is a central element of the plan.

This mixed-use proposal shows one way to

accommodate new housing, open space and commercial

activities, including a grocery store, in the area west of

the new Kennedy King Collge.

2.2 Reclaim vacant lots for special events and

other community uses including green spaces,

exhibits and performances.

To put a new face on our community, we will develop sev-

eral public spaces along main streets to become locations

for events, public markets and performances. Activities will

celebrate the rich African-American culture of Englewood

and expand entrepreneurial opportunities for local artisans,

performing artists and vendors. To support such program-

ming, we will invest in landscaping, security, signage and

equipment, such as a portable stage and a place to store it

when not in use.

STRATEGIES

We will also establish community gardens on vacant

lots and encourage neighbors to grow their own vegetables

and flowers. We will support block clubs, individuals

and churches in creation of new community gardens and

provide training in use of raised beds to guard against soil

contamination from previous uses of the land. Community

signs will identify the gardens, while “take home” days will

encourage transfer of plantings, flowers and vegetables to

private and public gardens throughout the community.

One or more gardens could integrate a curriculum to

educate residents about how fresh produce contributes to

better health.

2.3 Create and implement guidelines for redevelopment

of vacant land for housing, commercial uses and other

purposes.

Englewood has an opportunity to become a leader in

creative and thoughtful reuse of vacant land. The best use

for vacant lots depends on where they are located, how

many are on a particular block and what types of uses are

nearby. We recommend that the neighborhood and the city

adopt a set of guidelines, such as those in Figure 7, to

provide a framework for development decisions and to

encourage beneficial uses. For instance:

SIZE REQUIREMENT RECOMMENDED USE

PROPOSED USE OF VACANT LAND

MINIMUM APPROX. APPROX.

(based on # of contiguous vacant lots on one residential block)

# OF LOTS SQ. FT. ACREAGE

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10+

Adjacent Neighbor Acquisition 1 3,125 0.07

Community Garden 2 6,250 0.14

Single Family Infill 5 15,625 0.36

Large Lot Single Family Infill 6 18,750 0.43

Public/Institutional Accessory Use 6 18,750 0.43

Production Housing 10 31,250 0.72

Urban Agriculture Use 14 43,750 1.00

Neighborhood Park 42 131,240 3.01

Figure 7 Guidelines for redeveloping vacant lots

ENGLEWOOD CENTER RENDERING

DECEMBER 2005

ENGLEWOOD COMMUNITY PLAN

LISC CHICAGO NEW COMMUNITIES PROGRAM (NCP)

63rd Street

Vacant lots sandwiched between adjacent homes

should generally be conveyed to one of the adjacent

homeowners for additional yard space. We will work

with the city to ensure that land can be conveyed at

prices affordable to homeowners.

Two to four contiguous vacant lots could be used for

business purposes, community gardens or residential

“infill” development.

Five to nine contiguous vacant lots could be developed

with new single-family residences. In these cases,

combining narrow lots into larger ones should be

considered to provide larger homes and/or yards.

When vacant lots are adjacent to or near a school or

other public or institutional use, the lots can be conveyed

to that user for a play lot, open space, parking or other

accessory uses. Schools should be given priority. Special

attention should be given to providing appropriate

screening and buffering between new uses and any

adjacent residential area.

Ten or more contiguous vacant lots provide opportunities

for production-scale housing development by developers

who want to generate a critical mass of new development

and realize economies of scale.

Ten or more contiguous vacant lots could also be

developed for community uses such as an urban

agriculture district or public plaza.

2.4 Utilize public art and signage to promote

Englewood’s renewed identity.

As land is reclaimed and put to beneficial uses, we will

promote Englewood through a variety of media to change

perceptions about the neighborhood and educate residents

and visitors about the resources and values of the

community. We will:

Install “Welcome to Englewood” signs at community

gateways or along traffic arteries. Some signs will

promote new development, the Living Museums (Project

8.5) or availability of land for development. Possible

locations include 63rd Street at the Dan Ryan

Expressway, Garfield Boulevard at Morgan, Halsted,

Ashland and 71st Street.

Install sculptures designed and created by local artists at

neighborhood gateways.

Redevelop vacant lots and underused properties along

Morgan Street, with a special emphasis on bringing

productive activities to lots near schools and churches.

We will support a confederation of Morgan block clubs

to link up with a similar organization in Auburn

Gresham, the Morganway Owners and Residents

Association.

Figure 8 Harold Washington Plaza

Development of the northwest corner of 63rd and Halsted

as Harold Washington Plaza will help make Englewood

Center once again the “downtown” of the community.

The change in use of the intersection of 63rd and Halsted

streets, from a retail center to a mixed-use and educational

center, represents just one aspect of renewal that is neces-

sary for our neighborhood. Englewood has always had a

number of smaller commercial areas along streets including

Halsted, 69th, Racine, Ashland and Garfield Boulevard. All

of these areas have seen a decline in stores and shoppers,

and may be suited to redevelopment.

Today’s shopping patterns no longer support the long

strips of retail that once grew along streetcar and bus

lines. A new approach is needed to consolidate shops and

services at key locations, while transitioning other parcels

to non-retail use. Halsted Street south of 65th Street, for

instance, has too much empty space to fill solely with retail

stores. But busy intersections, such as 63rd and Ashland

and 69th and Ashland, can attract a dense concentration of

retail uses.

The land use framework shown in Figure 9 shows

“mixed-use” areas (shown in orange) where neighborhood

shopping districts should be retained while also encourag-

ing new residential or institutional development. More

intensive development areas (shown in red) should main-

tain their focus on retail uses and new business develop-

ment should be directed to these areas. Over time, portions

of the former shopping streets should be transitioned to

residential uses, which will help rebuild the population base

and provide more shoppers for the retail districts.

STRATEGY 3

Rebuild a vibrant and diverse retail and

business community at key locations

throughout the neighborhood.

City resources should be strategically invested to

support improvements to the shopping districts. These

might include use of city-owned land, designation of

Special Service Areas (SSAs) and use of capital improve-

ment bonds and Tax Increment Financing (TIF) revenues.

Other funding for improvement projects can be provided

by the State of Illinois and City of Chicago Linked Deposit

programs. Also important are resources that support

growth of existing businesses and use of new tools such

as the New Markets Tax Credit, Renewal Communities

Incentives and Illinois Treasurer’s Business Improvement

Program, so that local businesses can fully participate in

the redevelopment and growth of the neighborhood..

3.1 Create a business council that organizes and

advocates for local businesses, helps strengthen

personal-service and business-to-business companies

and promotes partnerships.

We will establish a business council to support and grow

neighborhood business districts. Through the council,

merchants and business assistance agencies will coordinate

special events and reduce costs by utilizing shared services.

The council will:

Provide networking opportunities, host seminars and

conduct a survey to learn about local business capacity,

growth potential and needed workforce skills.

Monitor public improvements that affect the business

districts and advocate for local business interests.

Conduct a purchasing survey among not-for-profits,

churches, community organizations and other institu-

tions to identify services and goods needed.

Identify and promote local sources for the needed goods

and services and incorporate this information into

community-wide and targeted marketing campaigns.

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STRATEGIES

Figure 9 Land-use framework

Redevelopment within Englewood should reflect this

broad pattern of land use. The dotted line at the upper

right shows the approximate alignment of the planned

railroad improvement under the Chicago Region

Environmental and Transportation Project (CREATE).

Police department

Fire Department

Neighborhood gateway sites

Library

CTA station

Hospital

CREATE railway alignment

Schools

Parks

Rehab and infill residential

Industrial

Urban agricultural district

Englewood center

Residential/mixed-use arterial streets

Production-scale residential development

Commercial node

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3.2 Expand the small base of African-American-owned

businesses and foster growth by providing technical assis-

tance and linkages to business development incentives.

We will organize a network of successful entrepreneurs to

mentor emerging business owners and provide technical

assistance and guidance on subjects such as development

of business plans, loan programs, entrepreneurship

training, promotion of home-based businesses and help

with city regulations and licenses. We will create a list of

technical and financial resources for emerging businesses

and develop regular networking opportunities to encourage

peer-to-peer learning. We will also seek to expand

international market linkages to improve the

competitiveness of local businesses.

3.3 Within targeted neighborhood shopping districts,

attract quality retail businesses and help existing business

owners acquire space necessary to meet local needs.

We will work to retain and expand existing businesses

within the commercial districts targeted for growth

(Figure 8) through use of adjacent vacant lots for

expansion or off-street parking, as discussed in Project

2.3. We will identify business operators who own their

facilities and have expansion potential and will work with

the city to make available to these businesses adjacent

vacant land. A combination of infill development and

new residential construction can help fill in the gaps on

our commercial streets (Figure 10).

We will also work to attract businesses requested by

residents and business owners during the planning process.

In addition to produce and grocery stores, the community

called for a bookstore and office-products store, clothing

stores that cater to adults and senior citizens, coin laundries

and dry cleaners, family restaurants, copy center, video

rental, electronics, child care, music store and professional

services businesses that meet the needs of our predomi-

nantly African-American population.

Figure 10 Redevelopment options for arterial streets

Opportunities exist along Halsted and other commercial

streets to redevelop underutilized and vacant sites. A variety

of approaches can be used depending on the location and

interests of local landowners and developers.

Existing residential

Existing commercial

New mixed-use building with

storefront and dwelling units

New commercial

New residential

To attract these businesses, we will identify appropriate

sites within the targeted business districts, including

city-owned sites that might be offered at a discounted price.

We will work with Retail Chicago and financial institutions

such as Marquette Bank and Park Bank (formerly Pullman

Bank) to prepare and distribute a marketing brochure

outlining available incentives and highlighting public and

private investments planned for Englewood.

3.4 Promote transit-oriented development near the

Green Line terminal at Ashland.

With 1,900 riders entering the station every day and a

235-space Park-and-Ride lot, the CTA Green Line terminal

at 63rd and Ashland represents a strong opportunity for

both retail and housing development. We will establish a

mixed-use zone within a quarter-mile radius of the station

and promote development of multi-family housing and

retail and service businesses where residents can shop on

their way to and from the neighborhood.

A special focus will be the possibility of creating an

African Market Place in one or more storefronts at this

high-visibility intersection. The Market Place could include

any number of small businesses selling African-American-

oriented products. Joint marketing and the proximity of

other businesses could help all participants gain customers,

and costs could be reduced by pooling services like charge-

card processing and advertising.

64TH

63RD

62ND

LAFLIN

ASHLAND

MARSHFIELD

Figure 11 Transit-oriented development at 63rd and Ashland

With 1,900 riders a day entering the train station and additional traffic from buses and pedestrians, the corner of

63rd and Ashland offers opportunities for both retail and residential development.

STRATEGIES

Mixed retail service and

entertainment uses

New townhouse residential

on arterial streets

Infill housing

opportunities

Existing residential

New infill residential

Existing public/institutional

New townhouse residential

Existing commercial

New commercial

New mixed-use

Road

Grass

Walk

New commercial

development

Thousands of families left Greater Englewood in recent

decades. In 2000, the population dipped to 85,504, nearly

a 30 percent decline from 1980. This population loss

caused disinvestment across the community and left hun-

dreds of vacant homes, many of which were demolished.

Housing values and rents have not kept pace with gains

in other neighborhoods; the median value of $66,724 in

2000 was about half the city median. This means that our

local housing remains affordable for those with enough

income to purchase a home. Rents in Greater Englewood,

however, are much closer to citywide averages, $538 per

month compared to $616 citywide.

STRATEGY 4

Jump-start the housing market to create a

balanced, mixed-income community while

providing support services to local families

and individuals.

In the last few years, housing and land values have

begun to increase as local developers and investors from

outside the community purchase residential buildings or

vacant land. As investment grows, we must maintain

quality, affordable housing options and provide opportuni-

ties for working renters to become homeowners.

New development should be compatible with local

architectural styles and should include appropriate

buffering or transition space when housing is adjacent to

other uses such as commercial facilities or schools. Special

consideration should be given to design along historic

Garfield Boulevard to maintain the architectural integrity

of that street, which serves as an entry point to the

neighborhood. An example of sensitive infill development

is shown in Figure 12.

Figure 12 Filling gaps along Garfield Boulevard

Special consideration should be given to the contextual design of new and infill development along historic

Garfield Boulevard.

Decorative wrought-iron fencing

STRATEGIES

4.1 Create a rental property “owners network” and a

“family services network” that link quality, affordable

rental housing and family support services.

We will establish a network of African-American and

community-sensitive rental property owners to provide

responsible maintenance and management of rental housing.

Members of the network will benefit from reduced costs by

participating in shared contracts for janitorial services, pest

control, landscaping, snow removal and tenant-application

review and screening. The program can also increase the

market for local businesses that offer the needed services.

A network of family-services providers will also be estab-

lished to provide wrap-around support to families in buildings

that are part of the network. Families and community service

agencies will work together to maintain high-quality housing

while increasing the opportunity for renters to achieve hous-

ing stability and move towards homeownership.

4.2 Help working renters to become homeowners

through services that help establish a path to ownership.

Families in buildings within the owners network will be

invited to participate in an asset-building program to help

transition them to homeownership. For each family, a

three-year escrow savings account will be established with

savings from the families supplemented by contributions

from the owners network. Participating families will be

required to complete courses in home maintenance and

financial planning and to participate in area block club activ-

ities. During the third year, families will be able to

participate in a first-time-homebuyer program.

4.3 Develop or expand housing and support-service

programs tailored to the needs of specific populations.

Residents and service providers have identified a number

of special-needs populations that may need housing or

support services. We will develop programs and

partnerships to:

Provide housing for special-needs populations including

mentally ill and physically disabled residents, residents

recovering from substance abuse, and those affected by

domestic violence.

Provide transitional and second-stage housing to enable

families and individuals to move toward stable and

permanent housing.

Provide assistance for seniors who want to stay in their

homes or move to a nearby facility that offers support

services or assisted living programs.

4.4 Establish a housing resource center to provide

technical and financial assistance to homeowners, home

buyers and renters.

This resource center will help homeowners preserve and

maintain existing housing by providing financial education;

counseling on mortgages, foreclosure-prevention and

reverse mortgages; and access to grant and low-interest loan

programs for repairs and home-improvement. It will make

referrals to programs that assist those seeking subsidized or

market-rate housing, including residents considering their

first home purchase. A special effort will be made to attract

young people and families to the neighborhood.

The community will develop more new housing for both homeowners

and renters.

A 2003 study by the Chicago Department of Public Health

indicates that Englewood residents are dying of cancer and

other diseases at a much higher rate than most Chicago

residents. Englewood ranks in the top one-fifth of all

Chicago community areas in a range of negative health

findings, from low birth weight and high infant mortality

to chronic lower respiratory disease, liver disease and

prevalence of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases.

More than half of the children in local elementary schools

have not received all required immunizations for their

age group.

The City of Chicago, Cook County and the State of

Illinois have established programs to address these issues,

and initiatives such as “Closing the Gap” and “Greater

Englewood Healthy Start” are beginning to improve many

aspects of public health. St. Bernard Hospital provides a

Pediatric Mobile Health Unit that offers immunizations,

exams, health education and referrals.

This strategy is designed to make better use of these

and other health resources so that Englewood becomes a

great place to walk, work out and enjoy good nutrition.

The healthy lifestyle and preventive health approaches

in this strategy build on efforts to enliven public spaces

(Strategy 2), make Englewood safer for walking (Strategy

6), improve access to fresh produce (Strategy 1), and

locate goods and services within walking distance of our

homes (Strategy 3). Taken together, these strategies support

healthy lifestyles for residents of all ages.

5.1 Establish Englewood walking clubs to promote

good health while increasing a sense of community and

improved safety.

We will establish informal walking clubs to encourage

residents to meet for daily walks. Walking-club T-shirts

will allow club members to recognize each other and will

promote a feeling of security and community as walkers

pass and greet each other. Regular physical activity and a

healthy diet can reduce the risk of diabetes as well as heart

disease, stroke and other chronic diseases.

5.2 Attract a full-service produce store, produce market

or grocer with a large produce selection.

We will work with the Chicago Department of Planning

and Development to attract one or more businesses

that provide a wide range of fresh fruits and vegetables.

Appropriate sites within the designated neighborhood

business districts will be identified.

5.3 Expand availability of healthy food options at small

grocery stores.

We will educate local youth about improved nutrition and

engage owners of local stores by initiating a survey of local

grocers, conducted by youth, designed to improve food

choices and increase healthy eating habits. Youth will learn

that it is their responsibility to help their families improve

their eating habits. They will receive a small stipend to

provide the community with information on local options

for healthy food.

STRATEGY 5

Promote healthy lifestyles that include

physical fitness, good nutrition and better

use of health-care resources.

STRATEGIES

5.4 Establish a farmers’ market and local produce

stands that offer fresh fruits and vegetables.

We will establish a farmers’ market where African-

American farmers and others can offer produce direct

from the farm. To expose local youth to the business of

farming, we will recruit and train youth assistants for the

farm stands. We will also bring together existing vendors

who already sell produce in the community to create the

nucleus of a market, and will incorporate fresh produce

from the planned agriculture district. The market could

be incorporated into the Englewood Agriculture District

(Project 1.4), African Market Place (Project 3.5) or

Englewood Center (Project 2.1).

5.4 Use signage, community events and health fairs

to promote health resources and programs, with a

particular focus on immunization and infant mortality.

We will develop a broad campaign of public health

messages to improve usage of existing health-care

resources and educate residents about health risks. To

implement the campaign we will:

Work with local artists to design effective, attractive

signs and posters to promote existing health programs

and convey public health messages. Special attention will

be given to reaching the parents of school-aged children

to promote immunization services.

Work to make immunization services more accessible

at places where parents and children frequent, including

churches and parks, and increase participation through

incentive campaigns.

Integrate health education and services into community

events. We will promote health programs and resources

at block parties, annual church resource fairs, the Back-

to-School Parade and Kwanza Celebration. On-site

health screenings, eye exams and other services will be

offered in coordination with park programs and special

events that attract families. “Community peer educators”

will be trained to conduct public health education at

events and in conjunction with Park District Family

Nights and In-Service Days at schools.

St. Bernard Hospital is one of many local resources that can help

improve the health of Englewood residents.

The number of serious crimes has fallen more than 20

percent in the 7th (Englewood) Police District since 1999,

with decreases in all categories of “index” crimes including

homicide, sexual assaults, batteries and theft. However, the

district continues to have among the highest crime rates in

the city, and many residents remain fearful of walking to

the store or sending their children to the park because of

the possibility of crime.

To improve safety and security, we must steer youth

away from gangs, improve community/police relations

and create a climate where neighbors watch out for each

other and call the police. “We need to get the community

to empower itself to not be fearful,” said resident Levell

Walker at one of the planning meetings. “If the criminals

feel that everyone is watching them, then a lot of the bad

activities won’t happen.”

Special emphasis should be put on improving relations

between youth and police, and developing programming

for youth to reduce the influence of gangs. At a Youth

Forum in March 2005, teenagers said they often fear local

police, rather than feel protected by them, because there

are few opportunities for positive interaction among youth

and police.

Many projects in this plan are designed to bring more

people onto local streets and provide opportunities for

pleasant interaction, commerce and recreation. As these

projects and programs are designed, safety considerations

should be taken into account and partnerships created with

police, block clubs, churches and residents.

6.1 Provide opportunities to steer youth away from

gangs and into long-term employment.

We will work with businesses and institutions to develop

paid, year-round internship opportunities that expose

youth to professional services, skilled trades and successful

entrepreneurs in and outside the neighborhood. We will

involve youth in retail initiatives and revamp community

service projects to distinguish between civic responsibility

activities and other services for which they should be paid.

STRATEGY 6

Improve safety and security throughout

the community.

STRATEGIES

6.2 Improve community/police relations in ways that

help to eliminate police corruption.

Working with Chicago Alternative Policing Strategy (CAPS)

and a strong network of community service agencies, we

will create new block clubs and provide training and

support on safety and crime issues, including reporting of

possible police corruption. The 7th District Commander

will work with community representatives to increase

participation by police officers in community service

activities that strengthen relationships between police and

residents, particularly youth.

6.3 Re-establish an Englewood gang-intervention task

force that is guided by proven “best practices.”

We will work to reestablish an Englewood gang-interven-

tion task force to bring together youth workers and to

build communication and outreach that reduces gang

activities and gang violence.

6.4 Increase the capacity of block organizations to

organize clean-up and beautification projects and

increase public involvement on safety issues.

Planning participants have voiced a consistent appeal for

clean-up and beautification activities to make the com-

munity more attractive and to support development of new

housing. They have also expressed concern about crime in

Englewood, both real and perceived. Our block club orga-

nizations have a key role to play in making sure that the

community is clean as well as safe. We will build on exist-

ing greening activities and use the increased engagement

of youth and elders to initiate a monthly clean-and-green

program throughout the community. The City of Chicago

Department of Streets and Sanitation has agreed to serve as

a monthly partner, providing materials, tools, support per-

sonnel and equipment. We will also help block organiza-

tions to effectively communicate with residents and the 7th

District Police regarding community safety concerns.

Providing positive activities for local youth and improving police-youth

relations were identified as priorities at the Englewood Youth Summit.

In 2004 the majority of Englewood schools were on

academic probation and the percentages of special

education and foster care students were among the highest

in the city. We must create an improved environment for

learning that promotes academic excellence and ensures

that all students are provided with the resources necessary

to improve performance.

In 2004, the Chicago Public Schools announced the

closing of one area elementary school (Bunche), suspended

the acceptance of freshmen students at Englewood High

School in preparation for restructuring the school into

small schools, and re-opened Lindblom High School as a

selective-enrollment college preparatory school. Bunche is

scheduled to reopen in 2006 as a new school managed by

Providence St. Mel, and Englewood will be restructured as

a campus of small schools, where we seek to create neigh-

borhood schools focused on careers.

Much more change is needed, including capital invest-

ments to improve school facilities and expanded on-site

access to health care and social services.

7.1 Strengthen a network of community-service provid-

ers to ensure positive changes at local schools that will

benefit students.

A team of community partners will work with CPS,

Kennedy King College and the University of Illinois to

develop a new model for improving student performance

for the remaining students at Englewood High School

Campus, freshman students at Robeson High School and

a pilot group of middle-school students preparing to enter

high school. We will pursue a range of projects including:

Preparation of end-of-year assessments for all enrolling

freshmen.

“Performance Camps” for all freshman with reading

and comprehension below grade level and increased

mentors and tutors for 8th to 10th grade students.

Reading and math literacy software on all 200

computers at Englewood High School.

Provision of 30 student teachers to be assigned to

freshmen classes.

Professional development training and support for

freshmen class teachers.

Basic-skills improvement programs for sophomore and

junior students.

A “community adoption” network in which all freshman

students and their families will be supported by members

of local faith institutions.

Recruitment of resident, business and community

agency representatives for a Transition Advisory Council

(TAC) to guide restructuring of Englewood High School

Campus.

STRATEGY 7

Bring new resources to schools to

expand on-site health and social services

and improve academic performance.

STRATEGIES

We will also seek to establish a “public agencies coopera-

tive support office” at Englewood High School Campus

where public agencies such as the Illinois Department

of Children and Family Services, Illinois Department of

Health and Human Services and the Juvenile Probation

Office can provide on-site services.

7.2 Develop mental health clinics and family counseling

services at elementary and middle schools and make

more use of student teachers and mental-health and

social-work graduate students.

In partnership with universities that are committed to

increasing their level of community service, we will estab-

lish in-school mental health clinics and family counseling

services. We will work to expand the number of student

teachers in our classrooms and bring in more graduate

students to provide on-site mental health and social work

services. This will increase the capacity of our schools to

address discipline issues impacting classrooms.

Bringing new resources into schools, from tutoring to social and health

services, is a necessary step in school improvement.

7.3 Create partnerships between struggling schools and

high-achievement schools and strengthen faith-based

partnerships to establish teen mentoring programs.

To increase the number of freshmen eligible for enrollment

at Lindblom Math and Science Academy, we will develop

new partnerships and academic support programs between

Lindblom and its feeder schools. We also will establish a

mentoring program for high school students to help them

move toward successful post-secondary careers, including

alternative education programs and vocational training.

We will expand existing tutoring and mentoring services

throughout the community, seeking out new mentors who

have the time necessary to build and maintain relationships

with young people, and will create incentives to maintain

involvement of mentors, such as educational credits.

Greater Englewood benefits from the presence of strong

community institutions including Kennedy King College,

St. Bernard Hospital, the Children’s Home and Aid

Society (CHASI), Salvation Army and others. It also has

more than 300 churches and social-service organizations

that are active participants in community development

efforts, including Imagine Englewood If, Ada S. McKinley

Community Services, Chicago Commons and many others

(see Figure 3, page XX).

We will call upon these and other community institu-

tions to expand the range of recreational opportunities for

residents of all ages, to support and assist schools and our

students and to promote lifelong learning that is accessible

to all residents.

Working together, we will provide support for learning

in our families, workplaces and schools. We will foster a

sense of community and strengthen positive civic engage-

ment by rebuilding connectedness between neighbors

– particularly between our youth and elders – and between

residents and community institutions.

8.1 Establish an Englewood Facilities Capital

Campaign to improve existing facilities serving youth

and young adults.

Rather than funneling all available resources to new

facilities, we will make efficient use of available resources

by improving existing facilities that currently serve (or

can serve) youth and young adults. We will assess the

potential of existing parks and schools, the new Kennedy

King campus, the PEACE/Will Feed facility at 64th and

Peoria (which has a gym and bowling alley), Englewood

Church and other local buildings to provide recreational

and other activities and to house new community facilities

(such as a Gospel Heritage Museum and cultural center.)

We will use planning workshops to examine the reuse

potential and economic feasibility of facilities that are

empty or being replaced, including the 7th District police

station at 6120 S. Racine, the current CHASI facility

at 59th and Marshall, the old Kennedy King College at

68th and Wentworth, and the Masonic Temple at 6400 S.

Green, which has been abandoned since the 1980s.

8.2 Establish a Community Development Sustainability

Fund to develop long-term resources for youth, green

space and community performance initiatives.

Given the high unemployment rate of local teens,

programs that provide community service opportunities

need resources to compensate youth for a portion of the

services they perform. Block clubs and neighbors groups

require resources to sustain green-space activities and to

support artists’ performances. We will:

Establish a local match fund through contributions

from market-rate housing and economic development

projects.

Initiate an “Each One Give One” individual-giving

campaign to encourage congregation members of faith

institutions to give one dollar monthly to the match

fund.

Assist youth to develop cooperative micro-enterprises.

8.3 Increase usage of park facilities by elders and youth

through expanded programming and a community-and

faith-based transportation network.

We will expand the capacity of recreation programs

by establishing a network of local professionals who can

provide services and activities in a cost-effective and

sustainable way, and will identify potential corporate

sponsors for such activities. We also will improve access to

recreation programming through a transportation network

supported by community- and faith-based institutions.

STRATEGY 8

Create diverse opportunities for

recreation, lifelong learning and civic

engagement.

STRATEGIES

8.4 Establish a Council of Elders to provide an oral

history of significant community events and to foster

inter-generational communication with youth.

To strengthen relationships among youth and seniors

and to preserve Englewood’s history, the recently estab-

lished Council of Elders will share with local youth their

knowledge of historically significant sites and events in

Englewood. The youth will gain computer, photography,

oral and written skills by documenting these memories in

a “video catalog.” This video catalog and other documen-

tation will become part of the living museums described

in Project 8.5.

8.5 Create education and information trails near schools

and “living museums” in public lobbies.

We will create a network of “education trails” that will

enliven empty spaces, improve safety and encourage future

development. The trails will be designed by educators and

local artists and might include elements of math, poetry,

local history, African-American history and even personal

health issues like infant mortality. The first trails will

connect Nicholson and Stagg schools (passing several other

schools in between) and link middle schools to Lindblom

College Prep. Block clubs will play a lead role in maintain-

ing trails and designating additional trails. All trails will

build upon the Safe Passage program and provide “safe

haven” locations to improve safety for children and adults.

We will seek corporate and museum sponsors to “adopt”

trails and fund design, artist fees, construction and

maintenance.

We will also create 25 exhibits to honor the achieve-

ments of Englewood residents and prominent African

Americans. Featuring research and interviews conducted

by local youth and others, the exhibits will be displayed in

lobbies, parks, Englewood libraries, St. Bernard Hospital

and other public places. The first exhibit has already been

created in the offices of Teamwork Englewood at Pullman

Bank, honoring Richard Stamz, a longtime Englewood

resident, radio personality and community advocate.

8.6 Increase access to community technology centers

and other educational media, such as radio and cable

TV, to provide opportunities for home study and financial

education.

Several community facilities and churches already work

together to spread technical expertise and offer access to

computers, including Hamilton Park, Mt. Olive Church

and local libraries. We will expand the reach of this

network and further reduce the “digital divide” that

hampers low-income communities by:

Recruiting professionals to donate one day a month to

provide computer training from basic to advanced skills.

Creating theme nights at computer centers and

exploring the feasibility of bringing wireless internet

access to Englewood.

Educate residents on financial issues such as the

often-disguised interest rates and fees associated with

currency exchanges, payday loans and credit cards, and

link residents to financial education programs on-line

or through radio or cable TV.

Assess financial-education needs of residents and identify

and promote existing programs to meet these needs.

Where there is an unmet need, we will work with

Kennedy King College and organizations such as the

Monroe Foundation and the South Side Federal Credit

Union to design appropriate programs, and will work

with local banks to ensure that banking is made more

accessible.

One way to promote lifelong learning is to create “Living Museums” in

public lobbies and other Englewood locations. Above, a tribute to local

radio personality Richard Stamz in the offices of Teamwork Englewood.

A major topic throughout the planning process was the

need to develop support programs specific to the needs

of important population groups in Englewood. These

programs may overlap with other strategies in this plan,

but are highlighted because of their importance to the

community’s future. Of particular interest are programs

focused on formerly incarcerated individuals, wards of the

state, single heads of households and “grand families.”

9.1 Establish a re-entry services network for formerly

incarcerated individuals and their families.

When men and women are released from the Illinois

prison system, one of the areas they are most likely to

return to is Englewood, according to two separate studies

conducted by the Chicago Department of Planning and

Development and the Urban Institute. These “new citizens”

face a lack of available housing, poor employment pros-

pects and incomplete knowledge of local programs that can

provide support. A September 2005 Urban Institute study

noted that the community can be “an important social

resource for former prisoners by providing local services

that facilitate their transition back into society.”

We will provide a model support program that links

incarcerated individuals returning to Englewood

(those not already served through the Sheridan Safer

Initiative-Englewood) with a support network that fosters

community re-integration and a reduction in recidivism:

The local faith community will provide “support

coaches” as a component of their prison ministry

programs.

Exodus Renewal Janitorial Company and Chicago

Youth and Adult Training’s automotive services

component will provide training, work experience

and job placement.

A health and housing collaboration network will

provide assistance based on personal development

assessments and will initiate restorative justice

components to re-integrate the new citizens into the

neighborhood through community service.

STRATEGY 9

Initiate services to special-needs

populations to address critical issues.

STRATEGIES

9.2 Assist wards of the state who are “aging out” to

prepare for independent living.

Social service providers participating on the Housing

and Family Support work group identified the need for

expanded support for foster children and other wards of

the state who are reaching the age of maturity (18 years)

and who will need guidance or resources to become

independent. We will work with qualified local agencies

to build up that support and connect youth to available

resources before they become independent, so that they can

remain in Englewood and become productive members of

our community.

9.3 Provide a continuum of support for male and female

single heads of households

More than 6,300 of Greater Englewood’s 8,700 family

households with children under the age of 18 are run by

single mothers or fathers. Their children represent the

majority of students at local schools and are an important

part of our future. Residents and social service profession-

als have stated the need for a wide range of services and

support for these families, especially those that are hungry,

homeless or without their own support networks. We will

develop a continuum of support through local agencies,

churches and support groups to make sure that these

families have access to the resources they need to raise

healthy children.

Clara’s House and the Interfaith Housing Development Corp. are

working together to develop Clara’s Village in West Englewood.

9.4 Help “grand families” address challenges of

raising new families.

Census data from 2000 show that more than 2,650

grandparents in Greater Englewood are responsible for

raising one or more grandchildren, and many more live

with their children and help with the upbringing of

grandchildren. These “grand families” have different needs

than other families and can benefit from targeted forms

of support. For instance, a grandparent living in an older

house may have enough bedrooms to raise grandchildren,

but may need assistance with home repairs and mainte-

nance. Or a grandparent in a small rental apartment may

need to find a larger apartment to provide adequate space

for sleeping, homework and privacy. We will organize a

collaboration of nonprofit and public agencies to plan for

and provide this type of support.

Englewood has many resources and much expertise that

can be used more effectively to promote community

improvement. The talents and experience of residents,

institutions and employees of area companies and agencies

can be better utilized simply by making sure people have

information about the resources they need.

Many church leaders, small-business owners and

individuals came together during the planning process

and can contribute to the spread of information and

implementation of this plan.

10.1 Establish an Englewood information network to

gather and disseminate information about local

resources.

Local youth will be trained and employed in summer and

year-round jobs as community organizers and information

“account managers.” A coordinated information delivery

system will be established to provide information at places

people frequent, such as coin laundries, hair salons, park

facilities and churches. Also, the youth will help develop

an Englewood web site to market the community to

developers, potential homebuyers and others. We will also

work with the Kennedy King radio and television program

to establish a “community life and culture” show that

celebrates and promotes Englewood and its residents.

10.2 Convene a Community Services Network to share

information, promote local resources and coordinate

service delivery.

Teamwork Englewood will continue to convene

community social-service providers on a regular basis

to improve coordination and delivery of services. The

meetings help these busy and often-stretched organizations

to discuss best practices, introduce new staff, share lessons

learned and examine emerging challenges.

10.3 Establish a “Neighbor to Neighbor” program that

provides information to new residents on services, area

resources and local businesses.

A consortium of Englewood agencies, businesses and

service providers will collect and update information

from existing community directories and compile a com-

prehensive community services directory that is updated,

posted on the internet and published every other year.

New residents will be encouraged to join block clubs, shop

locally and get involved with community organizations.

We will also create a CD/DVD with information about

working, living and playing in Englewood. Responding

to resident requests, Teamwork Englewood will produce

a pocket-size brochure that will serve as a quick reference

guide to assistance services.

STRATEGY 10

Create a community network to spread

information, resources and expertise

within Englewood and beyond.

STRATEGIES

Englewood Quality-of-Life Plan

Many organizations have agreed to serve as lead organization or participating organization for

implementation of the projects in this plan. These organizations include (but are not limited to):

WORK PROGRAM

AEP Adam & Eve Project

AMASA American Martial Arts Association

BDPA Black Data Professionals Association

BYA Black Youth In Action

BC Block clubs

Bond Bond School

BA Boulevard Arts

DB 23rd Illinois Rep. Dan Burke

CNT Center for Neighborhood Technology

CUT Center for Urban Transformation

CAPS Chicago Alternative Policing Strategy

CAP Chicago Area Project

CBHA Chicago Better Housing Association

CDA Chicago Department of Aging

CDHSIC Chicago Department of Human Services Interagency Council

CFF Chicago Family Foundation

CFYAC Chicago Family Youth and Advisory Council

CMHA Chicago Mutual Housing Association

CPDPJ Chicago Police Department Peer Jury

CYATC Chicago Youth & Adult Training Center

CHASI Children’s Home and Aid Society – Englewood

CHI City of Chicago

CCPSP City, Community, Private Sector Partnership

CH Clara’s House

CAA Community Artists Association

DTI Dawson Technical Institute

DL Double L Community Center

EBCC Englewood Black Chamber of Commerce

EBPTF Englewood Black Political Task Force

EBC Englewood Business Council

ECPC Englewood Cultural Planning Council

EEC Englewood Elders Council

EHSEC Englewood Historical Society Elders Council

EFISN Englewood Formerly Incarcerated Services Network

EHC Englewood Health Consortium

EHN Englewood Hunger Network

EMHN Englewood Maternal Health Network

ESAN Englewood Service Agency Network

EYC Englewood Youth Council

ER Exodus Renewal Society

FT Faith Tech

FI Financial institutions

GC Genesis Construction

GEFTF Greater Englewood Family Task Force

GH Growing Home

HS Healthy Start

HD Housing developers

ICAN Vision Productions

IEI Imagine Englewood

ICRD Institute for Community Resource Development

IC Interfaith Consortium

JS Jugganott Studios

KKC Kennedy King College

LA Local aldermen

LBCN Local Block Club Network

LB Local businesses

LC Local churches

LHC Local health clinics

LS Local schools

LCP Lindblom College Prep

MS Maria’s Shelter

MB Marquette Bank

MHN Maternal Health Network

MOSE Mayor’s Office of Special Events

MISA Mental Illness & Substance Assistance Consortium

MF Monroe Foundation

MSBO Morgan Street Block Organizations

MOBC Mt. Olive Baptist Church

M Museums

NHS Neighborhood Housing Services

OECDC One Englewood CDC

OL Operation Link-up

POE Pastors of Englewood

PEACE

PACT Positive Anti-Crime Thrust

PH Providence House

PHF Provident Hospital Foundation

PBI Pullman Bank Initiatives

REICRG Real Estate Investment Capital & Resource Group

ROE Rebirth of Englewood

RHS Robeson High School

SF Safer Foundation

SBH St. Bernard Hospital

SA Salvation Army

7DPSC 7th District Police Steering Committee

SC South Commons

SSCFCU Southside Community Federal Credit Union

SWOP Southwest Organizing Project

SWWT Southwest Women Working Together

TE Teamwork Englewood

T Thresholds Rowen Trees

TPP Totally Positive Productions

UAP Urban Agriculture Partnership

WEUMC West Englewood United Methodist Church

WF Will Feed

ATTRACT NEW INDUSTRIES AND SERVICE FIRMS THAT CREATE LIVING-WAGE JOBS WHILE PREPARING RESIDENTS FOR

REGIONAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES.

1.1 Prepare and place residents in health care and medical services jobs and assess the feasibility of developing a SBH, PHF, KKC

medical laboratory testing facility in Englewood.

1.2 Optimize local construction employment on public and private development projects. KKC, DTI, EBCC, ROE, SWWT, EBPTC

1.3 Expand automotive services training for Englewood residents and establish an automotive services franchise to CYATC, KKC

provide jobs for program graduates.

1.4 Develop an urban agriculture district to provide business, job training and employment opportunities while improving GH, UAP

the availability of fresh produce.

RENEW ENGLEWOOD’S IDENTITY BY RECLAIMING EMPTY SPACES AND ENLIVENING THE COMMUNITY THROUGH

CULTURAL ACTIVITIES, GARDENS, NEW PARKS AND PUBLIC GATHERING SPACES.

2.1 Promote coordinated development of “Englewood Center” as our neighborhood’s downtown, including a new Harold CCPSP

Washington Plaza that includes housing, retail businesses and community gathering spaces.

2.2 Reclaim vacant lots for special events and other community uses including green spaces, exhibits and performances. IEI, PEACE, CUT, MSBO, ICRD BC, PH, WEGC

2.3 Create and implement guidelines for redevelopment of vacant land for housing, commercial uses and other purposes. GEFTH, SEDC, TE

2.4 Utilize public art and signage to promote Englewood’s renewed identity. PBI, TE CAA, BA, NHS, RHS, CBHA, WF

REBUILD A VIBRANT AND DIVERSE RETAIL AND BUSINESS COMMUNITY AT KEY LOCATIONS THROUGHOUT

THE NEIGHBORHOOD.

3.1 Create a business council that organizes and advocates for local businesses, helps strengthen personal-service and EBC, EBCC

business-to-business companies and promotes partnerships.

3.2 Expand the small base of African-American-owned businesses and foster growth by providing technical assistance EBC, EBCC CDHSIC, TE

and linkages to business development incentives.

3.3 Within targeted neighborhood shopping districts, attract quality retail businesses and help existing business owners EBC, LA, CHI, TE EBCC

acquire space necessary to meet local needs.

3.4 Promote transit-oriented development near the Green Line terminal at Ashland. GEFTF, CNT

STRATEGY

1 4-52-3

ORGANIZATIONSTIMEFRAME (YEARS)

LEAD ORGANIZATION

POTENTIALPARTNER

ORGANIZATIONS

WORK PROGRAM

Schedule and Priorities

WORK PROGRAM

JUMP-START THE HOUSING MARKET TO CREATE A BALANCED, MIXED-INCOME COMMUNITY WHILE PROVIDING

SUPPORT SERVICES TO LOCAL FAMILIES AND INDIVIDUALS.

4.1 Create a rental property “owners network” and a “family services network” that link quality, affordable rental housing and REICRG, GC

family support services.

4.2 Help working renters to become homeowners through services that help establish a path to ownership. ROE, OECDC, PBI, LC, MB, NHS, MF

4.3 Develop or expand housing and support-service programs tailored to the needs of specific populations. MISA, EIAC, TE, NHS, IH, CH, SWWT, LC,

PBI, CMHA, IH, MS

4.4 Establish a housing resource center to provide technical and financial assistance to homeowners, home buyers and renters. PBI, TE

PROMOTE HEALTHY LIFESTYLES THAT INCLUDE PHYSICAL FITNESS, GOOD NUTRITION AND BETTER USE OF

HEALTH-CARE RESOURCES.

5.1 Establish Englewood walking clubs to promote good health while increasing a sense of community and improved safety. LBCN

5.2 Attract a full-service produce store, produce market or grocer with a large produce selection. TE, CHI TE, CHI, LA, CUT, ICRD

5.3 Expand availability of healthy food options at small grocery stores. EBC, CUT

5.4 Establish a farmers’ market and local produce stands that offer fresh fruits and vegetables. BC, ICRD, MOSE

5.5 Use signage, community events and health fairs to promote health resources and programs, with a particular focus on LS, EHC, SBH, MISA, HS, EMHN

immunization and infant mortality.

IMPROVE SAFETY AND SECURITY THROUGHOUT THE COMMUNITY.

6.1 Provide opportunities to steer youth away from gangs and into long-term employment. CF, CAP, CPDPJ, IEI, PEACE, BYIA

6.2 Improve community/police relations in ways that help to eliminate police corruption. CF, CAP, CPDPJ, IEI, PEACE, BYIA

6.3 Re-establish an Englewood gang-intervention task force that is guided by proven “best practices.” CF, CAP, CPDPJ, IEI, PEACE, BYIA

6.4 Increase the capacity of block organizations to organize clean-up and beautification projects and increase public MSBO, TE, CAPS

involvement on safety issues.

BRING NEW RESOURCES TO SCHOOLS TO EXPAND HEALTH AND SOCIAL SERVICES THAT HELP IMPROVE

ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE.

7.1 Strengthen a network of community-service providers to ensure positive changes at local schools that will benefit students. ESAN

7.2 Develop mental health clinics and family counseling services at elementary and middle schools and make more use of BS, EHC

student teachers and mental-health and social-work graduate students.

7.3 Create partnerships between struggling schools and high-achievement schools and strengthen faith-based partnerships to IC, LS

establish teen

STRATEGY

1 4-52-3

ORGANIZATIONSTIMEFRAME (YEARS)

LEAD ORGANIZATION

POTENTIALPARTNER

ORGANIZATIONS

CREATE DIVERSE OPPORTUNITIES FOR RECREATION, LIFELONG LEARNING AND CIVIC ENGAGEMENT.

8.1 Establish an Englewood Facilities Capital Campaign to improve existing facilities serving youth and young adults. TE

8.2 Establish a Community Development Sustainability Fund to develop long-term resources for youth, green space and TE

community performance initiatives.

8.3 Increase usage of park facilities by elders and youth through expanded programming and a community-and faith-based POE ECPC, AMASA, ICV, TPP, J

transportation network.

8.4 Establish a Council of Elders to provide an oral history of significant community events and to foster inter-generational EHSEC, EYC

communication with youth.

8.5 Create education and information trails near schools and “living museums” in public lobbies. LCP, EHSEC, EYC, TE AMASA, CF, CAP, ECPC, JAC, M, OL

8.6 Increase access to community technology centers and other educational media, such as radio and cable TV, to provide FT, EBCFIP, MF ACORN, FI, MB, ROE, SSCFCU, DB,

opportunities for home study and financial education. SWOP

INITIATE SERVICES TO SPECIAL-NEEDS POPULATIONS TO ADDRESS CRITICAL ISSUES.

9.1 Establish a re-entry services network for formerly incarcerated individuals and their families. EFISN, POE PACT, MOBC, WEUMC, SF, ER, AEP

9.2 Assist wards of the state who are “aging out” to prepare for independent living. BYIA, T, DL, MISA, SA, HS, KKC, IC

9.3 Provide a continuum of support for male and female single heads of households SWWT, POE, CH, WF, EHN

9.4 Help “grand families” address challenges of raising new families. PBI SC, WF, EEC, CDOA, NHS, DL

CREATE A COMMUNITY NETWORK TO SPREAD INFORMATION, RESOURCES AND EXPERTISE WITHIN ENGLEWOOD

AND BEYOND.

10.1 Establish an Englewood information network to gather and disseminate information about local resources. GEFTF, EHC, IEI

10.2 Convene a Community Services Network to share information, promote local resources and coordinate service delivery. TE CDHSIC

10.3 Establish a “Neighbor to Neighbor” program that provides information to new residents on services, area resources and GEFTF, EHC, IEI BC, CAPS, 7DPSC, EHC, HD, LB

local businesses.

STRATEGY

WORK PROGRAM

10.

1 4-52-3

ORGANIZATIONSTIMEFRAME (YEARS)

LEAD ORGANIZATION

POTENTIALPARTNER

ORGANIZATIONS

TEAMWORK ENGLEWOOD

Shirley A. Coleman

Alderman

16th Ward

Charles A. Holland

St. Bernard Hospital

Leon Jackson-Board Chair*

Bills Shade & Blind Service, Inc.

Saul H. Klibanow

President

Park Bank Initiatives, Inc.

Elder Willard L. Payton*

New Birth Church of God in Christ

Reverend Albert Shears

Greater Englewood Parish Development Corp.

Diahann Sinclair*

Park Bank Initiatives, Inc.

Joseph Patterson

Commander

7th District, Chicago Police Department

Latasha Thomas

Alderman

17th Ward

Arenda Troutman

Alderman

20th Ward

Daniel G. Watts

President and CEO

Park National Bank

Gregory Whitehead

Chairman

Albert Whitehead PC

Henry P. Wilson

Chairman

Southeast Community Development Council (SCDC)

Shelley Hughley

Executive Director

Southwest Women Working Together

Clyde El-Amin

President

Kennedy King Community College

Justine Mosley-Stephens

Englewood Back To School Parade

Rev. Leon Jenkins

Pastors of Englewood Greater Salem MB Church

Former Board Members

Reverend Jacques A. Conway

Greater Englewood Parish

Tina M. Skahill

7th District Chicago Police Department

Michael Stinson

Pastors of Englewood

Dr. Henry Wiggins

St. Bernard Hospital

Dee McGill

Pullman Bank (Park National Bank)

* Officers

2005 Planning Taskforce

April Watkins

Denise Brown

Emily Dunn

Gail Paty

Henry Wilson

Jean Carter-Hill

Jenice Sanders

Jerry Weaver

Josephine Robinson

Keith Harris

Lakita Harold

Levell Walker

Nolan Shaw

Otis Monroe

Shelly Hughley

William Jones

William Hayes

Jay Jones

Sandy Brown

John Ellis

New Communities Program

NCP is a long-term initiative of Local Initiatives Support

Corporation/Chicago to support comprehensive community

development in Chicago neighborhoods. It seeks to rejuvenate

challenged communities, bolster those in danger of losing

ground and preserve the diversity of areas in the path of

gentrification. Each effort is led by a neighborhood-based

lead agency that coordinates programs among other local

organizations and citywide support groups.

The program gives each of the lead agencies several

resources: two full-time staff positions (an NCP director and

organizer), technical support for planning and documenting the

planning process, a pool of loan and grant funds distributed on

a competitive basis for project seed money, and opportunities

for learning from both peers and subject-area experts.

All NCP neighborhoods spend their first year undertaking

a structured community planning process that leads to the

quality-of-life plan, then move on to implementation. They

are encouraged to be “doing while planning,” undertaking

short-term “Early Action Projects” such as launching a youth

program, opening an employment center, creating public art

or sponsoring local health fairs.

NCP is designed to strengthen communities from within

– through planning, organizing and human development.

The comprehensive approach is designed to help broaden

opportunities for local residents through better education,

broader housing choices, safer streets, stronger personal

finances and new economic opportunities. The strengthened

community is better equipped to take advantage of larger

market forces, attract new investment and enhance the

overall quality of life.

For more information

Wanda White-Gills

New Communities Program Director

Johnnie Muhammad

New Communities Program Organizer

Myrtis Haywood

Administrative Services

Teamwork Englewood

815 W. 63rd St.

Chicago, IL 60621

(773) 602-4507

(773) 874-7653 fax

[email protected]

www.teamworkenglewood.org

Sean Harden Program Officer

New Communities Program

LISC/Chicago

1 N. LaSalle St., 12th Floor

(312) 697-6442

www.newcommunities.org

www.lisc-chicago.org

Staff and Consultants

LISC/Chicago

Andrew Mooney Senior Program Director

Joel Bookman Director New Communities Program

Susana Vasquez Deputy Director

New Communities Program

Sean Harden Program Officer

Patrick Barry Scribe

Camiros Ltd.

Leslie S. Pollock Principal Planner

Pete Saunders Project Planner

Eileen Figel Project Planner

Denise Lea Planner

Dena Hicks Landscape Architect

Jing Cui Urban Designer

Brad Lents Landscape Architect

Kym Abrams Design, Inc.

Kym Abrams Creative Director

Kelly Komp Design Manager

Illustration and Photo Credits

Steven Mach illustration, page 18

Patrick Barry, cover (far left, middle left, middle right),

pages 10, 16, 31, 35

Martha Brock, cover (far right), pages 2, 17, 33,

Eric Young Smith, pages 3, 14, 21, 22, 39

Teamwork Englewood, pages 9, 12, 37

The New Communities Program (NCP) is supported

by a major grant from the John D. and Catherine T.

MacArthur Foundation. Additional funding has been

provided by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, Joyce

Foundation, Lloyd A. Fry Foundation, Living Cities,

Mayor’s Office of Workforce Development, Nationwide

Insurance, Partnership for New Communities, Polk

Bros. Foundation and Surdna Foundation.