Juan Calderon has been involved in the Puerto Rican Cultural Center for most of his life.
He graduated from the center’s child care program and participated in the center’s public health program. He has become part of the Building Infrastructure for Human Services team – just as the center looks to create Puerto Rico Town.
“Our framework was envisioned around self-determination, self-realization and self-reliance,” said Calderon, 35. “Part of our ten-year vision is to resettle Puerto Ricans and Latinos who have left the area, whether it’s because of gentrification and displacement or high cost.”
The city of Puerto Rico will have four pillars: affordable housing, educational resources, health care, and a commercial corridor.
Now, with a new $2.7 million initiative, the pillar of affordable housing is close to converging.
The Puerto Rican Cultural Center was one of three organizations selected to split funding for the Neighborhood Developers Initiative, a new program run by Community Desk Chicago with funding from the McCormick Foundation, The Chicago Community Trust, and Polk Bros. Foundation and JPMorgan Chase.
The Desk was created by The Chicago Community Trust in 2019, in partnership with the Boston Consulting Group Center for the Future of Illinois and JPMorgan Chase.
explained Ja’Net Defell, director of The Office.
In addition to the center, Teamwork Englewood and South Shore Chamber Community Development Corp. were selected. for the program, which will provide each group with the necessary resources for development.
“We have spent a significant portion of the time advocating for community projects that we believe build the wealth of communities and also improve the quality of life,” Deville said. “We have been very intent on targeting these types of projects, because in general these projects are more risky projects that often have a very difficult time accessing the capital to move these projects forward.”
The office was also intentional about supporting communities of color, “neighborhoods where there has been potential concern about gentrification,” Deville said. These communities were also ripe with “opportunities to change neighborhoods due to a major event,” she added.
On the South Shore, this “big event” is the Obama Presidential Center.
“The South Shore community is rich in assets,” said Tonya Trace, the chamber’s executive director. “With the announcement of the Obama Presidential Center less than a mile away, there are investors interested in the South Shore community, and we want to make sure we have a voice and a seat at the table, so that what’s happening in the South Shore community reflects residents and community stakeholders.”
The two-year program will culminate in the creation of a community development project by each organization. The financial assistance will be distributed in phases; To date, the planning grant has been disbursed.
Next steps include a financial assessment of the existing groups’ abilities to achieve their goals, which leads to an action plan for community development projects and customized learning programs about real estate.
A counselor is also provided for each group. Trips across the country will also be covered by The Desk so groups can learn from other community organizations.
The funds will allow Teamwork Englewood to build on the Englewood Quality of Life Initiative, a community-led plan that organizes and supports the neighborhood’s economic development efforts.
“We want to support this momentum and add to the growth that can occur at Greater Englewood,” said Cecile DeMello, CEO of Teamwork Englewood. “We are eager to learn and bring these tendencies to society and build in a society that desperately needs sustainable economic development.”
Deville said sustainable development is a key driver of the programme.
“A lot of times in neighborhoods, people think the solution is a big motivational project,” she said. “We have to move beyond the stimulus project because in most cases, especially when you’re talking about the black and Latino communities, you assume the market will take over, and it doesn’t always happen that way.”
For Calderon, the office provides the center with an opportunity to serve their community.
“This is our culture,” he said. “Often, we had to patch resources together. This is a one-time capacity building program [that] We continue to build on what we have been moving in as an organization for the past 50 years. “
Teamwork Englewood representatives did not respond to requests for comment.
Shiyan M. Daniels is a reporter for the Chicago Sun-Times ViaReport on Americaa non-profit journalism program that aims to enhance the newspaper’s coverage of communities on the southern and western sides.
