service, and high school & college prep. The new facility at 61st and Cottage Grove will more than double

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1 From the POAH Chicago Office The transformation of the South Cottage Grove Avenue corridor surrounding community continues with four projects in development new homeownership offerings. The newly rebred Woodlawn Park offers a mix of housing new business opportunities. The Burnham at Woodlawn Park, a five story, 65-unit senior building, will be built south of 61st Street. In addition to new apartments amenities for residents, the building will include offices for our Chicago property management headquarters a resource center for our social services providers. Immediately to the north, Metrosquash, Inc. is building a new facility to house eight squash courts, classrooms tutoring space. Metrosquash is a non-profit after-school, weekend summer program currently serving more than 160 students in 5th grade through college each year. The program uses squash as a vehicle to engage students their families, includes intensive academic tutoring, mentoring, travel, community FROM THE CHICAGO OFFICE service, high school & college prep. The new facility at 61st Cottage Grove will more than double from front families in the capacity allow the program to exp to serve manycontinued more schools, students Woodlawn neighborhood. the Alderman redevelop up to 75 buildings with 1- to 4-units, thereby vacant POAH will break ground later this year on a 24-unit market-rate rentalrestoring building with 6,500apartment square feetbuildings of first-floor he community to corner help stabilize neighborhood blocks. commercial space on the east side of Cottage Grove at the of 61st Street. t, employment, tal North social The positive news in Woodlawn is not of 61st Street, POAH is relocating the remaining Grove Parc households living on the west side of limited Cottage ed a Center for to construction projects. Data recently released Grove expects to demolish the eight remaining Grove Parc buildings later this spring. The plans for this space are a commercial project 75 units of mixed-income housing. Kennedy-King by the Chicago Police Department (CPD) 01 S. Halsted. indicates that crime decreased dramatically in with Neighborhood Housing Services of Chicago the Community Investment Corporation, another o deliverworking those The chart below illustrates the reductions of our goals is to bring new homeowners to Woodlawn help them with the purchase rehabilitation angement with in homicides shootings, but were in process. This effort called Renew Woodlawn hopes to redevelop up to 75 buildings with rates 1- to 4-units, able Housing downneighborhood in all major categories thereby restoring vacant apartment buildings to helpfact stabilize blocks. violent crime, ce center in property crimes quality-of-life crimes. sidentsthe in the positive news in Woodlawn is not limited to Homicides Homicides construction projects. Data recently s the Center for Working Families office released by the Chicago Police Department ce center is located at 830 E. 63rd St.(CPD) indicates that crime decreased dramatically in The chart below the reductions of the center, funds illustrates are provided by my in homicides shootings, but rates were in fact down in all hborhoods Grant the Local Initiative majorresources categories violent ISC). These are used tocrime, coverproperty crimes quality-of-life crimes. vices. It is one of the greatest resources (-64%) 84 (-25%) Several factors are driving this improvement. CPD put more beat special operations fer its residents. I encourage anyone on the street in critical neighborhoods, Several factors are driving this improvement. CPD putofficers more beat special operations officers on t, training, financial counseling or family the street in critical neighborhoods, including Woodlawn, last year, deployed new police including Woodlawn, last year, deployed by to arrange an appointment. Grove new police academy graduates some2014 of A Newsletter for Woodlawn Residents to SPRING tled to case management in addition the most active locations. Additionally, comes the Center provides the general munity-based organizations, churches

2 academy graduates to some of the most active locations. Additionally, community-based organizations, churches neighbors continue working together to provide prevention intervention programming at levels not seen in recent years in Woodlawn. Let s hope this positive trend holds in Bill Eager, Vice President, POAH Chicago

3 Senior Housing Update Construction of The Burnham at Woodlawn Park, Woodlawn Park s senior building just south of 61st Street on S. Cottage Grove Avenue, is scheduled to begin shortly. The Woodlawn Senior Design Committee, composed of seniors from the former Grove Parc, has been active in the planning process, participating in focus groups, tours discussions about layout, lscaping possible activities for the building. In 2013 the committee members met with property managers service coordinators at several senior facilities to tour units, community spaces fitness rooms to help guide the design decisions at The Burnham. The Burnham at Woodlawn Park is planned as a five-story, 65-unit independent apartment building, with a community resource center on the first floor. Metrosquash, the renowned organization that combines sports with mentoring academic instruction for children, is building a facility next door.

4 New Buildings are Named After Nearby Parks Green Spaces With another phase of development completed two more buildings under way, POAH has rebred its Woodlawn redevelopment as Woodlawn Park launched a website The name connects the community to the abundance of nearby green spaces local parks. The former Westwood Apartments along 62nd Street west of Cottage Grove have been renamed The Washington at Woodlawn Park after Washington Park. The new construction at S. Cottage Grove Ave. are named The Grant at Woodlawn Park The Jackson at Woodlawn Park, respectively. The soon-to-be constructed senior building will be The Burnham at Woodlawn Park, for the stretch of lakefront running north from Woodlawn toward the Loop. Smaller buildings will simply be identified by their addresses (6418 S. Maryl at Woodlawn Park, for example). Our rebring coincides with the launch of our efforts to return vacant but architecturally significant small buildings in Woodlawn to the hs of new homeowners, said Bill Eager, Vice President, POAH Chicago. We have named the effort Renew Woodlawn to underscore our overall approach to the neighborhood. The environmentally healthy energy conserving buildings of Woodlawn Park are as follows: The Grant at Woodlawn Park 6129 South Cottage Grove Avenue The Jackson at Woodlawn Park South Cottage Grove Avenue Renaissance Apartments Multiple addresses in East Woodlawn The Washington at Woodlawn Park (formerly Westwood Apartments) Multiple addresses along 62nd Street in West Woodlawn Renovated (1 to 4 unit) Properties: o 6456 S. Maryl at Woodlawn Park o 5615 S. Prairie at Woodlawn Park o 6418 S. Maryl at Woodlawn Park o 6159 S. Evans at Woodlawn Park o 6323 S. Ingleside at Woodlawn Park o 6428 S. Ingleside at Woodlawn Park Future: The Burnham at Woodlawn Park (senior bldg) S. Cottage Grove Avenue The Midway at Woodlawn Park Address TBD

5 Community Looks to Establish Chamber of Commerce in Woodlawn The South East Chicago Commission (SECC) is supporting the formation of a Woodlawn Chamber of Commerce to help spur economic vitality, job creation efforts to attract more business retail opportunities to the community. Small business is one of the key factors to Woodlawn s economic growth a chamber organization can best help local businesses to grow thrive, said Wendy Williams, Executive Director of the South East Chicago Commission. The SECC is making great strides in terms of capacity building; several individuals have stepped up to assume leadership roles we have formed an advisory committee to guide the process. SECC is working on the next steps including filing for nonprofit (501.c.3) status, selecting a board of directors, forming by-laws establishing a meeting schedule. Through our active community participation, the SECC will continue to provide technical assistance guidance as needed, said Williams. The Chamber will focus on strengthening existing businesses, attracting new businesses stimulating economic development in Woodlawn. The Chamber is expected to lead aggressive public policy business growth initiatives while creating meaningful events programs to inform, engage connect new existing businesses to each other the community. In addition, the Chamber is slated to discuss community initiatives actions that can be implemented to address neighborhood quality of life issues in Woodlawn. For more information visit,

6 Sunshine Gospel Brings New Small Business Incubator Sunshine Gospel Ministries is hoping its new small business incubator program, Sunshine Enterprises, will help revitalize Woodlawn employ 200 community residents in the process. The incubator, which is opening in a formerly aboned building at 501 E. 61st Street, will feature the first business to be launched - Greenline Coffee, a coffee shop with free Wi-Fi, a meeting room, indoor outdoor seating organic, fair-trade coffee roasted locally by Bridgeport Coffee Co. Greenline Coffee is scheduled to open later this spring. Sunshine Gospel Ministries, through its business incubator program, hopes to train promising entrepreneurs in how to manage capital, leverage technology choose growth opportunities for their business ventures. Businesses in Woodlawn often operate using cash only, which limits their ability to grow learn about more sophisticated financing options, said Joel Hamernick, Sunshine Enterprises Executive Director. We are identifying existing small entrepreneurs in Woodlawn equipping them with successful action plans that will increase their revenue add jobs to the community. To be included in the incubator, aspiring entrepreneurs must participate in a twelve-week Business Leadership Academy designed to take individuals through the process of developing their business model. To find out how you can apply, call ext. 18 or apply online,

7 Gr Opening of the Second Phase of the Woodlawn Park Development Woodlawn s political civic leaders joined with Preservation of Affordable Housing (POAH), public officials, residents neighbors to celebrate the gr opening of The Grant at Woodlawn Park, the second phase of the Woodlawn Park project that is replacing the long-troubled Grove Parc Plaza. Ald. Willie B. Cochran federal, state local leaders praised POAH s revitalization efforts, through which Grove Parc s 504 Section 8 units are being replaced by 420 residential units of mixed-income housing 80,000 s. f. of retail, community commercial space. Woodlawn Park is a critical anchor for the future of Woodlawn, said Alderman Cochran. By replacing a physically deteriorated Section 8 development with a successful mixed-income housing development, we are changing the character of Cottage Grove Woodlawn as a whole. Located at 6129 S. Cottage Grove Avenue, The Grant at Woodlawn Park marks the completion of 350 new rehabbed mixed-income apartments in the neighborhood by one of the nation s leading affordable housing developers. Another 96 units will get under way this year. Our investment in Woodlawn Park is creating a community that offers residents the resources support they need to maintain stable housing to achieve their goals aspirations, said POAH President Amy Anthony. By de-concentrating poverty on the site replacing the existing Section 8 development with mixed-income housing retail development, we are creating safe affordable housing for the hardworking families in the Woodlawn community. Woodlawn Park has been touted as a critical anchor for the future of the entire neighborhood was chosen to be one of eight redevelopment projects across the nation to receive a Choice Neighborhoods Initiative (CNI) grant from the U.S. Department of Housing Urban Development (HUD). With $30.5 million in funding, POAH its partner, the City of Chicago, are making investments in affordable market-rate housing, education, parks, commercial activity to ensure a healthy sustainable future for Woodlawn. The CNI award has exped accelerated our Woodlawn plans to go beyond housing attract other private, philanthropic public funders eager to be part of a plan that includes upgrading integrating every aspect of the community from housing to parks, education to public safety, from job creation to improved streetscapes lscapes, said Anthony. We have now replaced three full blocks of the long troubled Grove Parc Apartments more work is scheduled to begin later this year, said Bill Eager, Vice President, POAH Chicago Office. Our housing work along Cottage Grove throughout the community will plant the seeds for additional investment across this historic community.

8 The Jackson Wins Architecture Award The Jackson at Woodlawn Park won the third place Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Award for Architectural Excellence in Community Design at the 20th Annual Chicago Neighborhood Development Awards. The building was designed by Lon Bone Baker Architects, which received the award. The Driehaus Award was created to recognize developments that respect strengthen the city s architectural heritage, especially in neighborhoods confronting economic social challenges.

9 Letter from the Alderman Knowing the needs of the community workforce development, employment, family resources, mental social counseling I established a Center for Working Families on the Kennedy-King College Campus at 6301 S. Halsted. Part of the agreement to deliver those services included an arrangement with Preservation of Affordable Housing establishing a resource center in Woodlawn so that residents in the community could access the Center for Working Families office resources. That resource center is located at 830 E. 63rd St. To help cover the cost of the center, funds are provided by my office, the Choice Neighborhoods Grant the Local Initiative Support Corporation (LISC). These resources are used to cover staffing provide services. It is one of the greatest resources the 20th Ward has to offer its residents. I encourage anyone looking for employment, training, financial counseling or family services to call or stop by to arrange an appointment. Grove Parc residents are entitled to case management in addition to all the other services the Center provides the general public. ( , In 2013 alone, both locations for the Center for Working Families have combined to help 402 people find employment, placed or trained 310 youth through summer programs, provided financial literacy workshops for 1,128 participants. I am very proud of The Center for Working Families. It is a very big accomplishment. This is an answer to a great dem. That answer delivers on my promise to provide Job Opportunities, Training, Education, Workforce Development, Mental Social Health Services. It s products like this that let us continue to say that We Are Getting Things Done in the community. I also want to acknowledge another partnership in Woodlawn that helps us achieve even more employment goals the Network of Woodlawn (NOW) The Woodlawn Preservation Investment Corporation (WPIC). Combined, we are improving the quality of life for the people in the 20th ward will continue to work hard to address any all the challenges we are faced with. Our objective is to deliver you a Promise Community. - Alderman Willie B. Cochran, 20th Ward