Pilsen Resurrecting with the Community Residents
Alex Morales, Resource Development Project Manager, who visited DePaul University, to talk to about The Resurrection Project, a organization that has helped the residents of Pilsen neighborhood thorough housing programs improving their quality of life.
“One thing it’s important for Pilsen and it is going to help you, be a reference for, you know, the area (…) it had been important for the labor movement,”
Alex Morales spoke at DePaul University about TRP, on Monday night ( Photo By Luz Garcia Cubillos)
Pilsen is located at Lower West Side of Chicago. This historical neighborhood has been at the epicenter of many cultures and the home of immigrants who came to United States. Initially, people from Czechoslovakia, Russia and Poland settled there and began to raise their families. Then Italians, Germans and Hispanics came.
Unfortunately, the violence and the lack of organization hit this community by bringing difficulties such as the lack of infrastructure and peaceful environment.
“One of those problems in Pilsen was not having enough police around the neighborhood,” Morales affirmed, while recalled all the issues due to disinvestment in the neighborhood.
A tragedy in the 70’s turned things around. A family died after their house burned in a Christmas day, as Morales recalled. That tragedy woke up the community; it got the attention of authorities, churches and the national media. In an era where the confusion, despair, uncertainty reigned; a project changed the face of the neighborhood. Pilsen did rise from the ashes of disbelief and the lack of belonging with the help of ‘’Resurrection Project.’
TRP was found 20 years ago with the help of six community parish which united efforts. Each one donated $5,000 to start addressing the problems were affecting Pilsen. It relieved it; organized people and offered services that helped to integrate the neighborhood.
The three pillars of the TPR’s mission have been: community organizer, education, development which helped to improve the quality of life of Pilsen. And after so many years of hard work, TRP still helps to build affordable and save houses for ownership, rental housing. In addition, it runs programs like: ‘Elev8′, focus in integrate parents ans children or “Mujer Avanzando” which helps singles mother through education programs, wealth creation, and childcare services.
The Resurrection Project will keep working to help the community to have a better future by improving the quality of life, therefore, Pilsen will be the Phoenix bird of Chicago.
