United Power for Action & Justice

United Power for Action & Justice

United Power is a non-partisan community organization composed of 40 religious congregations, not-for-profit groups, hospitals, health centers and civic organizations from across Cook County. Ascension Parish is a member of this organization.

United Power brings people together across boundaries of race, class, faith, geography, and political ideology to act together on their values and to work on common issues of concern identified by people in United Power’s member institutions. Issues worked on by United Power include creating affordable housing for the disabled, working families and seniors, rebuilding communities struggling with vacancy and violence, reducing gun violence, immigration, access to health care, and addressing government corruption. United Power also works to help its members strengthen their own institutions (e.g. parishes, synagogues, mosques, schools and community organizations).

Volunteers with United Power work together to craft concrete and realistic solutions to large and difficult public issues. Most recently, Ascension has worked with United Power on successful efforts to create affordable homes, safe streets, and good schools on the Southwest Side of Chicago (through the Reclaiming SW Chicago campaign) and to expand this campaign to the North Lawndale neighborhood. For more information contact parishioner Nick Brunick: [email protected] or Jim Schwarber: [email protected]

Click the following titles to expand "Updates," which offer the latest information on our efforts and list opportunities to get involved

United Power Update 2024

In this season of glad tidings, we celebrate over 50 new homeowners in 2024.

In this season of transformation, we celebrate scores of vacant lots and buildings transformed into jobs and new affordable homes.

In this season of light and miracles, we celebrate entire blocks where vacancy and violence have been replaced by safety, peace, and hope.

These transformations occur when we act together as people of faith – when we work together to repair our world and to create the kingdom of God on Earth.

United Power’s Reclaiming Chicago/Reclaiming Communities ministry demonstrates that we CAN do something about poverty, violence, and homelessness. We CAN rebuild our communities and City – if we act strategically, at scale, and together.

If you would like to make a year-end financial contribution to United Power for Action and Justice, please use this link: Click here to contribute to United Power for 2024.

If you would like to make a year-end financial contribution to Reclaiming Chicago NFP (which is our fund for building affordable homes at scale), please respond to me and I can get you the information to make a contribution.

Thank you for all the ways that each of you has been part of this ministry – thank you for your prayers and ideas, your attendance at meetings and assemblies, your outreach to funders and to elected officials, and your participation in clean-ups and service with others.

No matter how small you think your action(s) might be, they add up. And when organized and mixed with the action of others, they result in transformation.

United Power and Reclaiming Chicago

The Reclaiming Chicago ministry is now rooted and acting in four (4) neighborhoods on the south and west sides of the City: Chicago Lawn, North Lawndale, Back of the Yards, and Roseland.

Attached please find an Annual Report for Reclaiming Chicago NFP which provides a full accounting of these efforts as of September of this year.

Also, please see below for a recent article in the Chicago Sun-Times.

The article is linked here and below.

Chicago's plan to turn vacant South Side, West Side lots into homes is seeing results - Chicago Sun-Times

Reclaiming Chicago Lawn (SWOP)

SWOP has completed the rehab of the building at 6725 S Campbell. Some of you helped clean this building out when it was abandoned and fire-damaged. Today, it is home to six (6) families on a street that has become a safe, quiet place to live thanks to SWOP’s broader work in the community

SWOP is completing the rehab at 6000 S. Talman. Many of you also helped clean out this building – when it was vacant and abandoned. In another month, construction rehabilitation will be complete and this building will be home to ten (10) families on a vibrant street where SWOP’s work has resulted in a 70% drop in crime.

On January 6^th, SWOP will close on the sale 6216 S Campbell to a new homeowner -- which is part of SWOP’s current phase of six (6) rehabs of beautiful brick bungalows and 2-flats.

This year, SWOP will also close on the financing to tear down the decrepit building at 6301 S Western and replace it with a beautiful new apartment building with forty (40) affordable homes for working families. When completed this will be a new gateway to the community.

Reclaiming Roseland (Hope Center and CNI)

The Hope Center Foundation and CNI are creating a new neighborhood of homes in the Kensington Park area of Roseland just down the street from where the Red Line extension will be. These are the first new homes in Roseland in almost 60 years. See below for recent news coverage of new homes completed and sold and new homeowners in the community.

https://abc7chicago.com/post/roseland-families-move-brand-new-homes-thanks-hope-center-foundation-working-build-1k-chicagos-far-south-side/15673980/

Rebuilding Roseland one new homeowner at a time

North Lawndale and Back of the Yards

The Reclaiming efforts continue in North Lawndale and Back of the Yards where dozens of homes have now been completed and sold. The homes are beautiful; blocks are being rebuilt; local residents and contractors are being employed on the home rehabs and construction; and scores of families are now building wealth and equity through homeownership.

The new homeowners include a young school teacher who grew up in the neighborhood where she bought, who lives, works, and worships in the community, and who lived with her parents for the past two (2) years so she that could save her money for two (2) years in order to buy her home. She wants to help lead efforts to reclaim her community. The new homeowners include individuals who work in construction, in manufacturing, at the local health center, at hospitals, and at social service organizations like Deborah’s Place. The new homeowners include young families, young professionals, newcomers to our country and long-time renters and residents who are all chasing the American dream, people who live, work, and worship in the community, and an individual who was formerly homeless. The new homeowners mean new neighbors, new consumers, new eyes and ears on the street, and maybe most importantly, new leaders in the community.

We have much to do in 2025. By the time we are celebrating the 4^th of July, we hope to be celebrating another 75 homes completed and 75 more homeowners.

March 2024

In this season, we are reminded that light and life are always present – we need only seek it out.

God calls us forth each day to pray and act together in our world…to use the power of love and our God-given gifts to transform the world around us – to replace the darkness and death with light and life.

United Power for Action and Justice gives us an opportunity to do that here in our city – by working together to transform vacant lots and buildings into homes, to transform violent streets into safe blocks, and to help families secure a home and build wealth and equity through homeownership.

Working together, we can create neighborhoods with affordable homes, good jobs, safe streets, and good schools in every part of our city. Each of you has helped these efforts – making a difference in the lives of thousands of our brothers and sisters.

But we can only succeed if many people from every part of our city and region continue to be involved – including many people here from Oak Park.

Updates on United Power Progress –

Over 75 homes are under development across four neighborhoods
Since Thanksgiving alone, 14 new homes have been completed and sold in Lawndale and Back of the Yards. 14 new homeowners have moved into new homes! See attached photos for new homeowners in Back of the Yards and Lawndale

6 additional homes are completed and under contract with new homebuyers and slated to close in the next 30 days
12 more homes are nearing completion

Roseland – the first new homes in 61 years are under construction there – just down the street from where the new Red Line extension will go
SWOP and Chicago Lawn – over 20 homes and apartments are being rehabbed – including a formerly vacant 6-flat building, a formerly vacant 10-flat building, and 6 single family or two-flat properties.

Creating much-needed affordable homes; creating new homeowners in our city; replacing violence and vacancy with safety and opportunity; creating jobs with local residents and businesses; putting vacant properties back on the tax rolls; and rebuilding neighborhoods for families….led by local residents full of faith and courage…. and supported by people from across our region.

That is what this ministry is about.

Most importantly – it is creating hope and possibility – showing that we can do something about the challenges we face no matter how daunting they seem.

There is so much more work to be done.

December 2023

The work of Reclaiming Communities continues – with 67 homes now under construction across four neighborhoods, with SWOP’s efforts continuing to expand, and with new homes and new homebuyers being created in Lawndale and Back of the Yards. We will have 10 new homebuyers in their homes before Christmas ! A true “Home for the Holidays” story!

Precious Blood (PBMR) is a community-based, faith-based ministry located in the Back of the Yards neighborhood. Like Ascension and St. Giles, Precious Blood is a member of United Power. PBMR does amazing work in the community. I have been blessed to get to know Father Dave, Sister Donna, Fred, and Joseph from PBMR during this past year. They are doing God’s work every day.

Precious Blood is partnering with The Resurrection Project (TRP) in leading the Reclaiming Back of the Yards efforts. Like Reclaiming Southwest Chicago with SWOP, Reclaiming Back of the Yards is a comprehensive, community-based effort to reclaim the community from vacancy, violence, and disinvestment. TRP is building 15 single-family homes on vacant lots in Back of the Yards. TRP and PBMR hope to be building 100 more next year - to replace vacant lots with new homes, new neighbors, and new hope for the community.

Progress Continues –

Reclaiming Roseland – First New Construction Homes in Roseland are Underway!

The first new homes in 60 years are now under construction in Roseland. United Power members CNI and the Hope Center began construction on 11 new homes this past week. These homes are being constructed just down the street from where the new Red Line stop will be constructed in Roseland. By next Spring, there will be 11 new homes and 11 new homeowners/neighbors in Roseland. Check out some of the terrific coverage of this progress:

Chicago’s Roseland neighborhood building affordable modular homes – NBC Chicago

https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/roseland-modular-home-affordable-housing-initiative

First Roseland HOPE Home to be Delivered – The Southland Journal

SWOP – Reclaiming SW Chicago –

On Saturday morning October 28^th, folks from Ascension and Oak Park parishes helped leaders and neighbors from SWOP clean out the vacant building at 6000 S Talman to prepare it for transformation into homes. (Photo Attached).

The rehab should be finished by next Fall and will provide 10 affordable homes for working families, newcomers to Chicago, and those in need.

SWOP currently has six (6) different vacant properties under rehabilitation in their current phase of Reclaiming SW Chicago. Once completed, these newly rehabbed buildings will provide over 25 new affordable homes (some rental and some ownership) as well as new stability on blocks that previously had vacant buildings.

Reclaiming Back of the Yards and Reclaiming North Lawndale

New construction homes are being completed and sold in both Back of the Yards and Lawndale.

Photos of a recent home closing in Back of the Yards are attached. The family that purchased the home was renting in the neighborhood and is very active in the neighborhood.

In North Lawndale, a young woman who spoke at the United Power Assembly at St. Rita of Cascia earlier this summer is closing on the purchase of a new construction home on Avers this week! She is one of 10 new homebuyers who will be closing on new construction homes in North Lawndale in the next month.

Update with details on opportunities to get involved - August 2020

Dear Friends,

I hope that all of you are doing well. 2020 has been a challenging year – and some days it seems like the challenges will never end. But no matter how challenging the times, we need to keep finding ways to act together on our faith to make our world more like it should be – to disenthrall our world from cynicism, hate, and apathy and to make room for love, hope, and transformation.

United Power remains focused on doing just that – by advancing the Reclaiming Communities work to build 1000 homes on the South Side and 1000 homes on the West Side – led by local community institutions and supported by United Power members from across Cook County - to create safer streets and better schools, and to create opportunities for families to build equity and wealth.

Please see below for updates and upcoming opportunities to get involved --

Service/Work/Fellowship Day in Chicago Lawn with SWOP – Saturday August 29^th

We had a great service/fellowship day in July with SWOP! A big thanks to the many Ascension parishoners who donated the funds needed to buy supplies to help do home repairs for seniors in the neighborhood! And thanks to the 30 plus Ascension adults and youth who showed up to work!

We will be heading to Chicago Lawn and St. Rita’s Parish again next Saturday, August 29th for another day of fellowship and collaboration. We will be doing some repair work on three (3) homes and we will be doing some more clean-up and preparatory work on the vacant lot at 60^th and Campbell.

Paul Kraft from Ascension ASP has been leading the way and doing amazing work organizing the scopes of work and work crews for next Saturday. And we have also benefited from the tremendous expertise of Andy Sjostrom who is a very talented carpenter and craftsman who has very generously been donating his time to help us prepare for next Saturday. We have a limited number of spots for next Saturday so let me or Paul Kraft know ASAP if you are interested in attending. We will leave from the Ascension parish center parking lot at 7:30am on Saturday. But please first let Paul or I know if you are interested because we need to make sure we have the right amount of workers/helpers for the work.

Saturday, September 26th at 10 AM. Outdoor Meeting/Action in North Lawndale for 250 Homes.

United Power is organizing an outdoor meeting (limit of 50 people) which will include key

elected officials to help solidify the commitment of 250 city-owned vacant lots towards the effort to begin building 250 affordable homes in Lawndale next year. Please let me know if you are interested in attending. Because of the pandemic, we are of course limited in how many people we can take to this meeting (and we will be organizing the meeting in a safe and responsible way) but please let me know if you are interested.

United Power Member – All Saints Episcopal – leads effort to raise $250,00 to build model home in North Lawndale.

United Power member, All Saints Episcopal, has led the way in raising $250,000 to help build the first model home in North Lawndale. This will allow the key groups in North Lawndale to begin showcasing this new home to future homebuyers – in preparation for the effort to begin building 250 homes next year. If this effort interests you, please let me know.

Fall Meeting with Senate President Don Harmon.

Senate President Don Harmon has been working hard to help support the Reclaiming Communities efforts in Chicago Lawn (with SWOP) and in North Lawndale (with Lawndale Christian and other key United Power groups there). We appreciate his efforts and plan to hold a part in-person/part virtual meeting with him this Fall to help advance United Power’s efforts to bring homes, jobs, and opportunity to places that need it. Stay tuned for details.

The Reclaiming Communities Approach – Lessons from New York City

Last month, I shared a recent story from WBEZ on United Power’s efforts to build or rehab 1000 homes on the South Side and 1000 homes on the West Side – as a way to bring investment, safety and opportunity to the South and West Sides and to help families build wealth and equity. Below, please find two stories about the efforts in New York City, which began in the 80s and which continue today – to rebuild communities there. When the work began in NYC in the 80s in East Brooklyn and the South Bronx, the levels of vacancy and violence were even greater than those faced on the South and West Sides of Chicago today. But by building affordable homes for working families at scale through an effort led and owned by the local community, tremendous progress was made.

This story by Jim Zarroli of NPR was done shortly after the massive foreclosure crisis that happened just after the 2008 Great Recession. This story explores how even though foreclosures were ravaging so many neighborhoods at that time, there were essentially NO FORECLOSURES in the thousands of Nehemiah Homes that had been built over the years to rebuild East Brooklyn.

https://www.npr.org/transcripts/113931948?storyId=113931948?storyId=113931948

The story below details the tangible successes of the Nehemiah homes and homeowners – in terms of wealth and equity building and advances in education and income.

https://www.npr.org/2018/10/04/654085265/the-american-dream-one-block-can-make-all-the-difference

Please reach out to me if you have ideas or want to get more involved.

Hope to see you all soon.

Take care

Nick

Volunteer

Ascension Parish and United Power

Update following youth service day and opportunities to get involved - September 2, 2020

Dear Friends,

On Saturday, August 29, we had a tremendous crew of about 25 adults and youth participate in a service/work/fellowship day in Chicago Lawn– and boy did we benefit from the many talents of the people who came and gave of their time and treasure – we had great planters, builders, mowers, garbage haulers, designers, and dreamers. And I think we all had a good time!

We cleaned up a vacant lot at 60th and Campbell (across the street from a now-vacant corner building that SWOP is transforming into three affordable homes for families). We put up an initial sign for the garden; we mowed the lot (thanks to Mike Nowicki); we planted some flowers; we worked with, met and talked with neighbors; and we gathered ideas for the design of the community garden/park for that site. Susie and Dave Cahill are going to generously draw an initial design of the community garden based on the feedback we gathered.

We also repaired three homes – providing much-needed gates at one; reinforcing and stabilizing a back porch at another; and replacing and rebuilding the back stairs at a third. All three residents (Paul, Gail, and Lois) were very happy and grateful.

Included here are pictures from Lois’ home. Lois has lived in her home in St. Rita’s Parish since 1950. She went to Marquette School just down the block from her home. As Lois shared with us, even though she is in her 80s, she still mows her own lawn and plants her own garden. But she needed some help with her back stairs – which were falling apart. Thanks to the organizational skills of Paul Kraft, the tremendous teaching and carpentry skills of Andy Sjostrom and his team, and the loving labor of Mark McCann, Emily McCann, and Emily’s friend, Lois got a new set of stairs.

This is part of our larger effort to support our brothers and sisters on the South and West Sides in their courageous efforts to rebuild their communities and to rebuild our City. SWOP’s current phase of Reclaiming SW Chicago includes the transformation of vacant buildings into 35 homes and apartments (as well as a handful of commercial spaces) in the location where we worked on Saturday.

Here are opportunities to get involved in our parish United Power efforts.

We will have another service and fellowship day for youth and adults this Fall. If you are interested, please email
We will have a very important United Power meeting in North Lawndale on September 26 to help secure 250 vacant lots for the construction of 250 affordable homes there starting next year.
We are working to set the date for another important meeting in early October related to securing resources for replacing vacancy and disinvestment with hundreds of affordable homes on the south and west side.

If you would like to learn more about any of these upcoming opportunities, please send an email to [email protected].

Have a great day, Nick Brunick Volunteer, Ascension Parish and United Power

IN THE NEWS:

Inspiring Tale of a Chicago Neighborhood that Would Not Die - AP News

IN THE NEWS:

Group 'Reclaims' Neighborhood around St. Rita of Cascia Parish - Chicago Catholic

Nonprofit converts vacant properties into affordable homes in Chicago Lawn neighborhood - ABC7 News

First mental health crisis unit in Chicago opens at Holy Cross Hospital - WGN9 News