Profile of Near West Side Community Development Corp.

Near West Side Community Development Corporation (NWSCDC) was established in 1988. For over 20 years, the organization has been actively developing affordable housing, organizing and providing supportive services to low and moderate income residents in the West Haven community. Learn more about NWSCDC's mission, accomplishments and key programs.

Organization

  • Incorporated in 1988 and has been active for over 20 years in the West Haven community
  • Stated mission is to create a viable, mixed-income community in West Haven without the displacement of low and moderate income residents

Accomplishments

  • Developed affordable residential and commercial real estate, including 35 moderate-income homes, a subsidized fifteen-unit rental building, over 100 CHA replacement units and a 20,000-square-foot shopping center.
  • Designated a Chicago Housing Development Organization (CHDO) in 1995, which empowered NWCDC to provide supportive services to low-income families, including home maintenance and lease compliance advisory support, landlord-tenant rights seminars and home buyer's counseling services.
  • Piloted an initiative that served as a model for the CHA Service Connector program. NWSCDC was instrumental in the conceptual development of outcome measurements and goals for service connector activities.
  • Produced the only existing protocols for the interface of property management, state government, local supportive service providers, and employment services directly related to addressing the issues of housing permanence and eviction prevention.
  • Designed the Home Visitors Program (HVP). HVP served as an important forum to identify and address issues associated with transitioning public housing tenants into new mixed-income developments. Since beginning the program in 2000, over 600 families (and over 1,000 individuals) have been serviced.

Programs

NWSCDC has placed a high priority on working with families of Henry Horner/West Haven housing developments:

  • Tenant Selection Committee & the Henry Horner/West Haven Security Working Group – Meets regularly with Brinshore-Michaels, the developer, to discuss concerns and opportunities related to the existing CHA housing and new mixed-income developments.
  • Small Grants Program – Provides modest funding to residents to stimulate community improvement activities. For example in the summer of 2003 NWSCDC awarded grants to the Major Adams Academy and Chicago Commons to support recreational programming for Horner/West Haven youth.
  • Community Partners – Fosters communication and interaction among existing public housing tenants and new families in the community. The group is comprised primarily of representatives from community agencies.
  • Resident Support Groups – Addresses CHA relocation issues and hosts informational workshops on housing, leadership and education. There are two groups, one comprised of Phase II residents and the other of current Henry Horner/West Haven residents