As the rest of the region came to a halt during February’s Polar Vortex, the team at Connections for the Homeless in Evanston worked on overdrive. For more than 72 hours, staff members, volunteers and program participants went above and beyond to ensure their neighbors were safe and warm.
For nearly 40 years, the Primo Center for Women and Children has cared for our most vulnerable neighbors on the city’s west side — women and children who are homeless. Through housing, shelter and childcare programs, Primo Center not only places families in safe living situations, but empowers parents to break cycles of poverty and homelessness for their children.
A few years ago, when Jahnice Johnson would play with their son Ja-lijah, she kept noticing he wasn’t speaking new words or making new motions despite being enrolled in speech and physical therapy. As a young child with a developmental disability, Ja-lijah was entitled to educational and therapeutic services through Early Intervention — a federal program that pairs toddlers with a range of therapists to improve their skills. However, the providers frequently missed visits and Ja-lijah wasn’t progressing.
In honor of April’s Sexual Assault Awareness Month, we recognize the strength and resilience of survivors of sexual assault and celebrate our compassionate community partners who work to end violence and encourage healing in our city.
The scope of domestic violence is vast and often hidden behind closed doors, leaving victims feeling trapped with nowhere to turn. But for Megan*, enough was enough.
In the winter months of 2016, Claudia Gonzalez*, a mother of three living in Brighton Park, unexpectedly lost her job. Though she aggressively searched for alternative employment, she couldn’t keep up with rent payments for her apartment.
On a hot July day in the south suburb of Blue Island, 16 miles from the Chicago Loop, a dozen local kids and their families trickled into the town’s quiet community library. They weren’t simply there to feed their minds with stories, but to fill their stomachs at the library’s summer lunch program.
In the weeks following her 2014 kidnapping and brutal assault, Venesa Brakes was ill, homebound and rife with questions about how to move forward. Venesa, a South Side native, laid in bed calling local service providers, awaiting a connection to legal aid workers who would help her navigate the grueling, complex journey ahead.
In addition to poor eating habits and the high price of healthy foods, a neighborhood’s poor walkability and limited access to safe outdoor space can contribute to childhood obesity, a problem too many children in Marshall Square face.Situated between North and South Lawndale, Little Village is home to a large Hispanic community, vibrant Mexican culture and one of the highest rates of childhood obesity in the city.