Quality of Life Planning

It gives us great pleasure to announce that New Covenant CDC and NLCCC have been selected to receive LISC funds to facilitate an updated Quality of Life Plan for North Lawndale. This represents the first time a community will be coordinating a CMAP comprehensive plan and LISC Quality of Life Plan simultaneously. This will strengthen our planning process by helping us to better address capacity issues and provide more focus on those areas that the CMAP comprehensive plan provides a very light touch.

As a result of the QLP, we will be able to focus more attention on public safety, education, arts and culture and parks, recreation and open space than we would have without the LISC funds.

The end result will be what we know in our hearts will be THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN produced by local residents of a Chicago Community. We thank Lawndale Christian Development Corporation for blazing the trail for us back in 2005. We thank LISC and look forward to taking our planning process to the next level.

This is the first time we have had a planning process to impact the entire North Lawndale community in 58 years. In order to make this a more meaningful process, we really, really, really need your help taking the plan to the people and getting as much input as we can in the next phases of the plan. If you are willing to go canvassing, host a meeting, make announcements at churches and community meetings, please let us know. Some of you have shared your availability, but we need a critical mass to make an impact and maintain safety as we take to the streets.

Exactly a year ago today, (June 24, 2015) NLCCC submitted an application to CMAP for technical assistance to complete a comprehensive plan for the North Lawndale community. On June 15, 2016, we submitted our letter to LISC, expressing interest in becoming the lead agency to facilitate continued Quality of Life Planning (QLP) in North Lawndale. If we are successful, the QLP process will be done in tandem with our comprehensive planning process. This will allow us to focus on developing the physical environment while strengthening our ability to improve the capacity of local residents, organizations and businesses to take advantage of the changes the plan will bring. The QLP process will highlight those areas that are not currently emphasized in the CMAP comprehensive community planning process, including education, public safety, arts and culture, technology and health care.

We are very fortunate to have received 36 letters of support from various stakeholders to back up our letter, including: Alderman Michael Scott Jr., New Covenant CDC, Lawndale Christian Development Corporation, Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, Valerie F. Leonard, Chicago Youth Centers, Congressman Danny K Davis, Commissioner Robert Steele, Commissioner Jesus “Chuy” Garcia, Frank Bass, BBF, Celestial Ministries, CCA Academy, Jane Addams Hull House Museum, Deer Rehabilitation Services, Inc., DRW College Prep, Free Spirit Media, Foundation for Homan Square, HSI, JPA, Kathy Powers, Old St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, K-Town Historic District Association, Chicago LAMP, New Age Services Corporation, The Night Ministry, NLEN, State Senator Patricia Van Pelt, Sankofa Safe Child Initiative,Sinai Health System, St. Agatha Family Empowerment, The Learning Center, Theresia Thurman, UCAN, WestCare, St. Anthony Hospital.

We thank you for your support to date, and the support you will provide. Because of your efforts, and those of people who have laid the foundation for this work, North Lawndale has hit the “reset button”, and is turning the corner. The work is not easy, but every effort is valued and moves us closer to realizing our vision of North Lawndale as a healthy, vibrant community with a diversified and innovative economy, competitive work force, engaged citizens and infrastructure that supports long term, sustainable growth. A copy of our packet has been embedded below.

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