Near West Side CDC

http://nearwestsidecdc.org/

Since 1988, the Near West Side Community Development Corporation (Near West) has been organizing and providing supportive services to low and moderate income residents in the West Haven community. Our longstanding work in West Haven gives us a deep understanding of the problems residents face as well as the solutions necessary to improve their quality of life. Near West implements the following services to residents: 1) provides programming in the areas of job preparation, life skills training, and financial literacy 2) offers social services to residents in public housing 3) maintains and develops the area’s commercial corridor 4) offers permanent housing to residents who would otherwise be homeless 5) implements youth programming focused on athletic, artistic, and academic activities In addition to offering wrap-around services, Near West promotes civic engagement among community members as the lead agency for the New Communities Program under the Local Initiative Support Corporation/Chicago. Near West works with residents to develop, design, and execute sustainable strategies for the comprehensive development of the community. Over the past 10 years, Near West has carried out strategies in rebuilding the neighborhood’s social infrastructure, improving the physical and aesthetic identity, improving access to education for everyone and attracting more jobs to the area.