Marshall Square Resource Network Impact Report: A Blueprint for Neighborhood Investment

IMPACT REPORT 2010 - 2025

A blueprint for neighborhood investment

STEERING COMMITTEE Luis Gutierrez, Chief Executive Officer, Latinos Progresando HEALTH CO-CHAIRS Dan Fulwiler, Chief Executive Officer, Esperanza Health Centers Raul Garcia, Director of Community Relations, Sinai Chicago EDUCATION CO-CHAIRS Anamaria Orbe, Principal, Charles G. Hammond Elementary School Virginia Hiltz, Principal, Maria Saucedo Scholastic Academy PEACE CO-CHAIRS Bela Moté, Chief Executive Officer, Carole Robertson Center for Learning Omar Magaña, Executive Director, OPEN Center for the Arts COMMUNITY RESPONSE CO-CHAIRS Cristina De La Rosa, Executive Director, Erie Neighborhood House Marcy Gonzalez, Chief Operating Officer, Latinos Progresando

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INTRODUCTION A BLUEPRINT FOR NEIGHBORHOOD INVESTMENT This report highlights the potential of place-based investment and collaborative strategies, as seen through the growth and impact of the Marshall Square Resource Network since its founding in 2010, and describes shared goals for 2024 and beyond.

THE MARSHALL SQUARE COMMUNITY The Marshall Square Resource Network (MSRN) is rooted on the east side of Chicago’s South Lawndale community area, a community located five miles southwest of Chicago’s downtown, historically known as Marshall Square. Settled by Czechs and Germans in the 19th century, but today enlivened by a flourishing Mexican American presence, South Lawndale is regarded as the Mexican capital of the Midwest. South Lawndale’s culture, economy, and institutions reflect the neighborhood’s immigrant hopes and histories.

BROAD, BOLD COLLABORATION Through a collaborative process that includes community organizations, small businesses, schools, and community residents, the MSRN develops and implements an annual plan that includes goals and activities centered on the community-identified issues of health, education, peace, and community response, as well as broader community development initiatives and Network infrastructure.

While the Network has strategically focused its efforts in Marshall Square, its impact reverberates across and beyond the bounds of the community.

MSRN APPROACH & IMPACT In 2009, the community recognized a striking lack of investment in organizations and institutions located on the east side of South Lawndale, in the area historically known as Marshall Square. In 2010, three organizations --Latinos Progresando, Taller de Jose, and La Familia Unida--came together to address the issue, and the Marshall Square Resource Network was born.

Collectively, they recognized the opportunity to have a deep impact and leverage community resources by initially concentrating on a small geographic area. It is this collaborative approach that has been key to our success in attracting resources to the neighborhood in over a decade since its founding.

Today, the MSRN is a broad, bold, place-based coalition of over 60 nonprofits, businesses, and government entities that engages, educates, and makes transformative neighborhood improvements, counters historic inequities, and creates a community where all families can thrive. The MSRN, led by Latinos Progresando, is the designated Little Village Neighborhood Network, funded by United Way of Metropolitan Chicago.

While the Network has strategically focused its efforts in Marshall Square, its impact reverberates across and beyond the bounds of the community. With its success, the MSRN’s geographic focus continues to grow, both within South Lawndale, as well as beyond community lines to address historic segregation and attract investment.

The growth of the Network from three to more than 60 organizations and residents has demonstrated the power of community coming together and organizing around a coordinated community plan: we have realized millions in community investments over the past five years, bolstered small businesses, and made considerable strides in social cohesion and community vibrancy. The MSRN’s impact can be seen across the community: parent leaders educating over 300 of their peers about social emotional learning, collaborations bringing mental health services to immigrant students at neighborhood schools, green spaces designed by and for families, a collaborative response effort resulting in our community’s main commercial corridor not losing a single business due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

OUR FUTURE As the MSRN evolves its work in 2024 and beyond, the Network will build on these successes by focusing on eight key areas: (1) capacity building, (2) health, (3) peace, (4) community response, (5) education, (6) commercial corridor development, (7) cross-community collaboration, and (8) resident engagement.

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OUR VISION

OUR MISSION

The vision of the MSRN is a thriving Marshall Square community in which residents have the knowledge, capacity, and options to achieve dreams and contribute to community well being.

The mission of the MSRN is to strengthen the diverse Marshall Square neighborhood by leading collaborative initiatives that improve community well being.

WELCOME TO OUR COMMUNITY A flourishing Mexican American culture enlivens South Lawndale, a community located five miles southwest of Chicago’s downtown, often regarded as the Mexican capital of the Midwest.

South Lawndale was first settled by eastern European, Czech, and Bohemian immigrants in the late 19th century, after the Great Chicago Fire pushed the downtown population westward.

Population growth was driven by local industrial development in the early 20th century. By the mid 20th century, it was largely a Polish immigrant community.

with most residents living in multi-unit structures built prior to World War II. Residents enjoy a tight-knit community with considerable overlap among familial, professional, and social networks. The neighborhood’s identity is grounded in community-wide narratives of aspiration and solidarity.

SOUTH LAWNDALE at a glance

71,399 residents In the 1970’s, the neighborhood became 81% home to a large number of Mexican Hispanic/Latino immigrants. This population shift is exemplified by institutions like St. Casimir’s Church. Originally named for the 25% patron saint of Poland and Lithuania, St. under 19 years old Casimir’s changed its name in 1990 to Our Lady of Tepeyac, as the congregation had 74% shifted from a mostly Polish to a mostly speak Spanish at home Mexican membership. $38,953 On the east side of South Lawndale, in median income the area historically known as Marshall

Organizations such as Esperanza Health Centers, Sinai Chicago, and Saint Anthony Hospital are pillars of the neighborhood, with deep networks of community trust.

Thanks to robust resident engagement, health providers and nonprofit organizations have integrated wellness programming into community life, providing crucial wrap-around services for residents of all ages. The fruits of these efforts are seen, for example, in the mental health programming offered in public schools by neighborhood partners.

Nonetheless, community data indicate health disparities. Though maternal and infant health, heart disease, and cancer incidence in South Lawndale are approximately average or better than average for Chicago communities, several other metrics point to a disproportionate health burden. Among these are adult obesity (40.4% in South Lawndale compared to 33.2% city-wide) and diabetes (24.5% vs. 10.2%).

These health disparities are driven by social determinants of health, including obstacles to care, socioeconomic factors, Square, the neighborhood is compact, and environmental burdens. Lack of Ingredients for a heaLTHY COMMUNITY insurance is a major obstacle, with 17.76% dense with residences. It is home to Marshall Square is strengthened by commercial districts on Cermak Road/ of South Lawndale residents estimated to an array of health and wellness assets, California Avenue, the 173 acre Douglass be uninsured, roughly double the 9.32% including significant resident engagement Park, the Apollos 2000 restored theater, city-wide. Access to appropriate health around this community priority. a small health district, and links to other services is further limited by immigration parts of the city via the CTA Pink Line status, language, education, trust, and stations. Cultural and familial connections The neighborhood is home to numerous stigma. Only 55.3% of residents receive health care providers, including hospitals, are prominent in community life. Multineeded care, compared to 77.7% city-wide. community clinics, and behavioral health generational households are common, centers.

The wider context for these obstacles is

an array of socioeconomic factors that impact health and well-being. South Lawndale ranks among the communities with the highest hardship (91.8 vs. 55 for Chicago as a whole) as measured by the Chicago Department of Public Health’s “Hardship Index”, which incorporates unemployment, age dependency, education, per capita income, crowded housing, and poverty. The majority of adults struggle with challenges on their own, with 55% of South Lawndale adults reporting being lonely, left out, and alone.

Comparatively, 35% of Chicago adults experience this social isolation.

Community environments and resources for healthy living are scarce, relative to other neighborhoods. For example, only 30.3% of community members report easy access to fruits and vegetables, compared to 58.1% city-wide. And while Chicago has 2.42 park acreages available per 1,000 residents, in South Lawndale the availability of these green spaces drops to 1.60 acres per 1,000 residents.

The neighborhood’s health initiatives, risk factors, and health outcomes jointly illustrate the need for continued focus on community wellness.

Educational Status and Resources Prizing education and the opportunities it affords, community residents work together with neighborhood schools and organizations to promote educational achievement.

Students of all ages benefit from this coordinated commitment to learning.

Community advocacy has brought additional pedagogical resources to neighborhood schools. Public schools in Marshall Square offer open enrollment, magnet, and citywide (“small school”) program types, with roughly half being magnet schools. Throughout Marshall Square, after-school educational programs offer homework assistance, mentorship, cultural enrichment, and social-emotional

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community shape reduced access families have to educational resources. Basic educational tools of today - computers and internet access - are fewer in South Lawndale than across the city: 15.5% of households have no computing device, and 22% of households have no internet access.

The neighborhood’s strong network of schools and deep commitment among residents are powerful educational assets.

Nonetheless, gaps in attainment, reduced access to resources, and underlying factors amplifying the need for support and collectively assert the importance of continued community work around education.

Community Conditions for Peace Community members are invested in working together to ensure safety in public and private spaces. Schools, nonprofit organizations, faith-based institutions, and businesses work together to provide mentorship programs, safe passages for students, safe school cultures, after-school engagement, violence prevention programs, and coordinated advocacy around community safety. learning (SEL) support for both children and adults. Many of these initiatives are collaborations among schools and local community groups, with special emphasis on social-emotional learning, parent leadership, and reengagement of disconnected youth.

Several benchmarks of educational performance indicate opportunities to provide additional support to ensure that students reach academic goals. The high school completion rate for residents 25 or older is 62.86 in South Lawndale, compared to 86.51 across Chicago.

Moreover, only 12.15% of South Lawndale residents are college graduates, compared to 43.73 citywide.

Such metrics reflect underlying social conditions that shape learning needs and opportunities. High poverty rates in the

Through these collaborative efforts, residents are building a vision of peace that reaches beyond physical safety to encompass the free and inclusive engagement in neighborhood life.

Despite these improvements, Marshall Square still struggles with community safety. The percentage of adults who report that violence occurs every day or every week is 56.8% in South Lawndale, while citywide, residents experience violence to a lesser degree, with 33.2% of adults indicating this frequency of violence in their neighborhood. This translates to the perception of how safe individuals feel in their neighborhood.

About a third (36.6%) of South Lawndale residents report feeling safe in their neighborhood either all of the time or most of the time. Strikingly, almost

two-thirds (61.5%) of Chicago residents feel a much greater sense of safety.

These numbers reflect an elevated exposure to conflict and violence that greatly impact neighborhood and family life. Building on existing social assets and strong neighborhood bonds, additional community collaboration is needed to advance peace and safety.

Factors Affecting Community Stability While the Covid-19 pandemic highlighted just how tenuous these safety nets are, Chicago’s Social Vulnerability Index provides further insights into the degree of insecurity facing community residents.

The Index creates scores for each of Chicago’s 77 community areas for use by the city’s public health officials and emergency response planners to identify the communities that will most likely need support before, during, and after a major disease outbreak, hazardous event, or other similar disaster. With a score of 85.76%, South Lawndale is among the communities with the greatest need for support. As a point of comparison, the score for the city as a whole is 61.99%.

One factor that contributes to neighborhood instability is the continuous change in immigration policy and processes. With more than one-third of the South Lawndale population being foreign-born, immigration changes have a community-wide impact. On an individual level, immigration status has a major impact on access to health care, employment, and other essential resources. While South Lawndale has a legacy of new residents arriving from Mexico, like other Chicago neighborhoods, it is also experiencing the impact of newer arrivals. Adequate community response requires a network of trusted community voices sharing accurate, honest information and providing accessible, affordable resources.

The fear and trauma surrounding domestic violence similarly requires coordinated action from diverse community partners. Domestic violence prevention and response are at the intersection of several spheres of service, including housing, health care, mental health counseling, and legal services.

Poverty, language, education, insurance status, and immigration status can be barriers to securing each of these resources. Community advocacy and support for survivors therefore requires a bold, unified message from neighborhood residents, leaders, and providers.

Economic Status, Employment & Entrepreneurship The small health district in the community is a significant employer in South Lawndale. Outside of the two hospitals, several health centers and specialty care clinics dot the neighborhood.

Hundreds of family-owned businesses drive economic vitality, and a spirit of entrepreneurship is reflected in these local enterprises. While the commercial strip along 26th Street is notable as an economic engine, second only to Michigan

Avenue in revenue, the neighborhood is also home to numerous family-owned businesses along the Cermak Road and California Avenue commercial corridors.

These intersecting streets which form the commercial core of the eastern edge of the community in Marshall Square are populated with storefronts rented by low-margin, small businesses such as taquerías, clothing stores, corner grocers, and general merchandise shops.

Business growth along the Cermak/ California commercial corridors is often stunted due to language barriers, immigration status, limited professional networks, racism, and insufficient banking relationships. There are other realities of a fragile neighborhood economy: residential and commercial displacement pressures, documented by the DePaul Institute of Housing Studies; residential wage loss that impedes investment into the neighborhood’s locally owned businesses; lessened access to pandemic economic recovery funds due to immigration status, and disproportionate economic burden from inflationary pressures.

The local economy at a glance $38,953 Median income $15,855 Per capita income 10.2% Unemployment TOP EMPLOYMENT SECTORS 1) Healthcare 2) Manufacturing 3) Transporation 4) Accommodation & Food Service 5) Retail Trade

THE MSRN APPROACH: BUILDING BLOCKS OF OUR SUCCESS The MSRN utilizes a collective impact model to design meaningful and sustainable solutions to build on the array of existing community assets and to respond to the complex, interconnected challenges facing the community. It is a bold, creative coalition committed to community ownership and empowerment. Inspired by community members’ trust and vision, the MSRN centers community voices and values in neighborhood decision making.

The MSRN brings together a broad spectrum of health, human services, and education providers alongside businesses, civic institutions, and advocacy groups. Leveraging cross-sector partnerships, the MSRN builds on existing community assets in order to support residents’ health, expand educational opportunity, foster a neighborhood culture of peace, respond to emergency situations resulting from longstanding and systemic disinvestments, develop the neighborhood’s business corridors, and strengthen opportunities in partnership with neighboring communities.

Leadership in South Lawndale

The MSRN History

MSRN has uniquely impacted South Lawndale, providing leadership to large-scale, collaborative initiatives for over a decade. The MSRN’s value lies not only in its longevity, but also in its distinctive work.

The MSRN was launched in 2010 as a collective strategy by neighborhood organizations in response to the economic crisis.

At a time when residents most needed support, neighborhood organizations were facing closure and under duress. Recognizing the damaging effects of the downturn on the community, the founding members joined together to advocate for community resources, coordinate service and policy initiatives, and identify capacity building solutions.

THE MSRN...

Creates vision and designs solutions for a thriving neighborhood; Convenes an array of partners from across sectors to develop enduring relationships; Builds community through social connections; Guides collective responses to opportunities and issues; Connects across communities to realize shared visions; and Distills complex information and resources so that individuals and organizations can respond both independently and collectively to benefit the broader Lawndale community.

The Network values developing trust to support resource sharing, centering the voice of community residents, building the capacity of member organizations and sustaining impact by developing the necessary infrastructure to support the Network over the long term, while nurturing emerging leaders from across the Network. These are key to the MSRN’s distinct value.

That collective spirit has grown. Over the past decade, the MSRN has expanded from three organizations to 60. Members come together for a common good: creating neighborhood-based solutions that lead to improved well-being for residents.

TIMELINE 2010 The Marshall Square Resource Network (MSRN) is launched with founding members Latinos Progresando, Taller de Jose and La Familia Unida

2012 MSRN members collaborate to channel resources and information about DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals)

2014 MSRN partners host the inaugural Marshall Square Peace March in response to local incidents of domestic violence

2016 United Way of Metropolitan Chicago officially selects the MSRN to lead the Little Village Neighborhood Network

2017 The MSRN hosts the inaugural Marshall Square Education Summit (now the Marshall Square Community Summit)

2020 The MSRN leads collective response to Covid-19 pandemic in Marshall Square, broader Lawndale, and citywide as part of the Mayor’s Racial Equity Rapid Response Team

2020 The MSRN and North Lawndale Coordinating Council (NLCCC) issue a joint statement calling for racial solidarity in response to the death of George Floyd and resulting demonstrations

2021 The MSRN and NLCCC collaborate to host the inaugural Lawndale Peace Party

2023 The Lawndale Community Campus receives $1 million in capital seed funding from United Way of Metropolitan Chicago

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HOW WE WORK The MSRN’s work is led by an array of community partners with issue area expertise, and powered by Latinos Progresando, who leads coordination of Network activities. Whether tackling entrenched challenges, or creating a new community-focused event, the following approaches guide the MSRN’s work: Community engagement processes that build authentic, inclusive relationships between local businesses, neighborhood residents, nonprofit organizations, schools, and other partners; Community and organizational planning processes that engage and respond to the opportunities and needs of the neighborhood; Project management capabilities to support MSRN’s signature initiatives, as well as coordinate activities of the MSRN; Data collection systems to quantify the Network’s impact; and Communications vehicles to engage, inspire, and further the MSRN’s work.

Community Roots, Citywide Impact The MSRN is a vehicle for community representation and advocacy, including on issues that transcend neighborhood boundaries. The MSRN aligns our work with impactful community programming throughout Chicago.

It’s no secret that the zip code in which one is born is a major predictor of life outcomes.

Health inequality, wealth inequality, and racism are major drivers of these marked disparities. The MSRN’s mission is inextricably linked to a geographically broader set of challenges. Driven by this understanding, the MSRN dissolves the barriers that separate neighbors, separate neighborhoods, and separate marginalized communities from the city’s civic and economic assets.

Network partners jointly led Census promotion and assistance initiatives, Know Your Rights public outreach for immigrants interacting with law enforcement, and Get Out The Vote campaigns. Our heightened advocacy during the pandemic resulted in partnerships with the Mayor’s Office to reach over 31,000 Latinos with information, community resources, and small business development funds. Whether by co-hosting a Spanish-language town hall with the City of Chicago’s Office of the Mayor or holding local candidate forums, the MSRN is a channel for community voices to reach local leaders.

MSRN members hold leadership positions on several prominent, city-wide, equitydriven initiatives. Through their participation, MSRN members are ensuring that public and private city-wide initiatives prioritize and align with neighborhood priorities. For example, Marshall Square residents and MSRN members have played an active role in advocating for city-wide internet access, laying the groundwork for the MSRN’s leadership in Chicago’s campaign against the digital divide.

As the MSRN has deepened its work in Marshall Square, it also continues to expand its contributions to community work in the greater Lawndale community and beyond.

The MSRN dissolves the barriers that separate neighbors, separate neighborhoods, and separate marginalized communities from the city’s civic and economic assets.

MSRN IMPACT:

INVESTMENTS IN OUR COMMUNITY The MSRN Impact Report celebrates hard-won investments, leveraged to deepen the Network’s impact. Our work has improved the Network’s focal area of Marshall Square, with reverberating effects throughout South Lawndale and beyond to other Chicago communities.

The MSRN has leveraged more than $10 million in neighborhood capital investments in a constellation of neighborhood projects, bolstered small businesses, and made considerable strides in social cohesion and community vibrancy.

Our emphasis is securing resources to achieve the vision of residents: establishing and expanding publicly accessible spaces, catalyzing private investment for community benefit, and improving the walkability and safety of the community. Bringing in resources from across the city along with a sustained commitment to the neighborhood, for example from the Lincoln Park Zoo and The Nature Conservancy, helps to realize the dreams of community residents captured in our annual planning process and ongoing work.

Over the past few years, the MSRN has been instrumental in building relationships, reactivating spaces, and creating opportunities.

$10 million Raised for aquisition of and capital improvements at Marshall Square Resource Network anchor sites

$4.9 million Leveraged for collective impact infrastructure and programming focused on health, education, peace and community response

$1.4 million In direct financial assistance delivered to families most in need during the Covid-19 pandemic

$1.3 million Invested in Marshall Square commercial corridors for beautification, physical improvements, green space creation and grants for small businesses

$550,000 Reinvested directly in MSRN members as project-based and capacity-building grants

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2024 PLAN:

INVESTING IN OUR FUTURE Together, the MSRN member organizations mobilize resources and leverage investments to realize our vision of a thriving Marshall Square.

The MSRN creates opportunities to improve community life by focusing on eight key areas:

capacity building health peace community response education commercial corridor development cross-community collaboration resident engagement

CAPACITY BUILDING Goal: The MSRN will grow the Network’s collective and individual organizational capacity to nurture, grow, and evolve to meet new opportunities.

Strategies

Activities

Amplify MSRN’s ability to address community issue area priorities by providing training to partner organizations on key topics.

Provide train-the-trainer sessions to member organizations to expand the reach of issue area priorities.

Develop capacity building training to support the development of individual Network member organizations’ response to emerging opportunities.

Support the growth of individual member organizations through targeted capacity building initiatives.

Increase funding and support to Network members through MSRN subgrants.

Disseminate a resource guide with MSRN member information, funding opportunities, and community resources to support individual organizational development.

Create a joint funding strategy to advocate for key private and public community investments.

Advance progress on established community development pipeline projects to build community assets through public and private investments.

Identify new/expanded funding sources to support growth of collaborative programming through the Network.

Leverage Network membership to collectively advocate for public funding impacting the vitality of neighborhood organizations and families (e.g.

Medicaid eligibility and rates).

17 A hallmark of the MSRN is its capacity building work. At its inception, the MSRN recognized the power of investing in both organizational and collective efforts. The ability to respond to new opportunities, address challenges, and develop neighborhood leaders relies on strong community institutions.

Our commitment to sharing and jointly advocating for resources for community benefit has only grown since our founding. In addition to collectively advocating for resources, the Network also shares resources through an annual grant process to realize the Network’s plans and build organizational capacity among its members.

FOCAL POINT: Building a Community of Support through Expert Training To better support community residents, the MSRN draws on members’ expertise, engaging around and educating on critical issues impacting community residents to create a community of support, regardless of where a resident turns for assistance.

Each year, the MSRN Community Response Committee sponsors a Domestic Violence 101 training for staff of MSRN member organizations. Led by Mujeres Latinas en Acción and Sarah’s Inn, the training focuses on building foundational understanding of domestic violence and pathways for supporting survivors. Demand for the training continues to grow: in 2023, 56 organizational representatives attended in order to learn how to better support community members who may be experiencing domestic violence.

This training approach also provides a channel for raising emerging community issues: in 2023, for example, MSRN members sought ways to proactively assist recent immigrants experiencing domestic violence. Co-sponsored by the MSRN Community Response Committee, in partnership with the private immigration law firm Valdez & Vilim, LLP, the MSRN responded with an Immigration 101; the engagement of over 100 professional staff highlighted members’ desire for this specific knowledge.

The MSRN is continuously devloping its learning series to support professional development in line with community priorities.

HEALTH Goal: MSRN will improve the health of Marshall Square community members through education and disease prevention, promoting environments that support health, and access to health care.

Strategies

Activities

Promote healthy eating and active lifestyles through policy and practice.

Promote implementation of the healthy food and beverage policy among MSRN organizations.

Promote active lifestyles through community events and initiatives.

Represent and lead community engagement in public initiatives aligned with MSRN’s health issue area strategies (e.g., Healthy Chicago Equity Zones, Vision Zero.)

Coordinate community-focused health education.

Coordinate the Marshall Square Community Summit.

Provide information to MSRN members and community residents about emerging health issues.

Improve access to comprehensive health services for children and adults.

Provide developmental screenings, weight monitoring, parental information regarding nutrition/healthy lifestyle.

Provide behavioral and mental health support to children and teens.

Provide access to behavioral health support in school settings.

Educate and connect families to a medical home.

Create community environments that promote health.

Implement green space projects as part of the California Avenue Community Vision Plan.

Analyze air quality monitoring data gathered by community residents.

Improving health and wellness is a critical priority for Marshall Square community members. The MSRN promotes healthy environments, ensures access to health care, and bolsters health education in the community. Whether through behavioral health support delivered in elementary schools or telemedicine mental health screenings with teens, the MSRN strives to provide wrap-around services. Led by community advocacy, the MSRN’s health work strongly emphasizes the relationship between environment and wellness. Working with residents, the MSRN is promoting a healthy food and beverage policy in Marshall Square and leading infrastructure developments conducive to equitable transit and resident health. The breadth of these partnerships speak to the community’s bold vision of wellness in Marshall Square.

FOCAL POINT: Expanded Behavioral Health Services for Youth The principal of Hammond Elementary, Anamaria Orbe, knew what students at her school needed, but she did not have a resource.

That was, until she mentioned her concerns to Latinos Progresando CEO Luis Gutierrez. That same day, a meeting was coordinated between Principal Orbe and Esperanza Health Centers CEO Dan Fulwiler. Not only would a supportive behavioral health intervention benefit students, it would also improve the overall daily functioning of the school: teachers would be able to teach better and students would be able to learn better, as the most challenged students received the help they needed.

With funding support from an MSRN subgrant in 2019, Esperanza began providing individual counseling onsite one day a week to 20 students. Later, small-group sessions were added to help students develop healthy ways of expressing anger and develop other skills.

School staff noticed a difference, with a significant decrease in overall behavior problems. Teachers pointed out the effectiveness of the program’s wide impact on school staff; students receive consistent messages from the social worker, classroom teachers, and support staff, resulting in lasting behavior changes.

The success at Hammond led Esperanza to establish similar relationships with other nearby elementary schools: Saucedo and Spry.

With the opening of the Latinos Progresando Community Center in 2023, Esperanza has further expanded its behavioral health services into the community, with four clinical offices at this new location.

Knowing of the demand, Esperanza has approached expansion with an eye towards ensuring that access to behavioral health services remains accessible and available for the long-term. To do so, it sought state accreditation as a Behavioral Health Center. Relationships developed through the MSRN, matched with seed funding through the Network, provided the necessary start; these services can now foster and grow with steady funding support. The entire community benefits.

EDUCATION Goal: MSRN will promote equity for all children and their families in Marshall Square by strengthening the support network for schools, expanding access to resources, and increasing community engagement.

Strategies

Activities

Strengthen the school and family support network.

Implement social emotional learning train-the-trainer curriculum.

Increase awareness of MSRN resources to local schools and families.

Coordinate a summer camp for rising 4th-8th grade students.

Expand access to educational resources.

Facilitate increased access to the internet and devices for neighborhood families.

Facilitate digital literacy training for families of neighborhood students.

Increase engagement of families in community events and projects.

Engage local schools and neighborhood families in green space activation.

Engage local schools and neighborhood families in the planning and execution of the Marshall Square Community Summit.

Engage local schools and neighborhood families in the planning and execution of the annual Marshall Square Peace March.

19 Marshall Square families identify educational equity and achievement as a top priority for the community.

To this end, the MSRN utilizes its diverse membership to provide support for neighborhood schools, expand access to educational resources, and foster community-wide engagement in educational experiences. Whether through its campaign to connect neighborhood families to free internet or its regular conversations with local school leadership, the Network is improving conditions for learning. Guided by parent leadership, the MSRN is particularly focused on social and emotional learning (SEL), including joint SEL programming for students and caregivers. An annual summer camp and annual Marshall Square Community Summit exemplify efforts to take learning beyond the classroom and into the community.

FOCAL POINT: Enriching Opportunities through Summer Camp Community residents and school leaders have emphasized the importance of enrichment and educational support for neighborhood youth. In better-resourced Chicago neighborhoods, children often have a greater variety of summer enrichment activities from which to choose, and many programs are cost-prohibitive for Marshall Square families. At the same time, the relative lack of active learning over the summer presents a challenge for students as they rise to the next grade level. In response, the MSRN created an annual summer camp for students entering the 4th through 8th grades. Established in 2018, the camp is one of the Network’s most vital educational initiatives.

Organized by Latinos Progresando in collaboration with Maria Saucedo Scholastic Academy, and strengthened by diverse Network partnerships, the camp combines a focus on physical and emotional wellness with exposure to the environment, science, technology, sports and the arts. Institutional collaborations with OPEN Center for the Arts, the Farm on Ogden, Common Threads, the Museum of Science and Industry, Adler Planetarium, Openlands, Lincoln Park Zoo, and the Chicago History Museum have yielded a curriculum tailored to the academic, cultural, and experiential opportunities of Marshall Square youth.

The summer camp speaks to the power of cross-sector collaboration in securing access to educational resources and fostering a love of learning.

PEACE Goal: MSRN will shape a neighborhood culture towards more peaceful understanding and resolution.

Strategies

Activities

Facilitate connection and conversation around peace building.

Conduct bullying education for parents and youth.

Spread awareness about internet safety and best social media practices.

Engage peace organizations in planning the annual Peace March to offer opportunities to participate in and learn about services offered by MSRN partners.

Offer opportunities for new experiences, both within and outside of the neighborhood.

Engage outside partners to share immersive cultural experiences from around Chicago.

Engage MSRN partners to share virtual activities and workshops for families in the neighborhood.

Engage peace organizations in planning the Marshall Square Community Summit to offer opportunities to participate in and learn about services offered by MSRN partners.

Engage community stakeholders in efforts to build bridges across communities.

Organize virtual and/or in-person community forums around emerging topics.

Collaborate with NLCCC to implement One Lawndale events to bridge North and South Lawndale.

Bring together artists from North and South Lawndale to work on joint projects.

21 Promoting the neighborhood’s culture of peace and safety is a priority for Marshall Square community members.

The MSRN advances peaceful understanding and resolution by engaging families in new cultural experiences and fostering community-wide conversation. Youth programming, community events, and public art initiatives all provide immersive, life-affirming experiences that prevent alienation and dislocation. Whether the concern is navigating social media or confronting peer bullying, education and awareness are crucial to shaping an environment in which residents can flourish. Emboldened by residents’ leadership, the MSRN provides forums for the difficult conversations communities need to have. Cross-neighborhood public art projects, summer Peace Parties, and an annual Peace March are some examples of how the MSRN uses creativity to strive towards unity.

FOCAL POINT: Lawndale Peace Party The Lawndale Peace Party, hosted by the MSRN Peace Committee, began as an event to bring people from North Lawndale and South Lawndale together to promote peace and unity in our community. The event was created in the summer of 2021 as part of a summer series of events jointly presented by the North Lawndale Community Coordinating Council (NLCCC) and the Marshall Square Resource Network (MSRN).

Since its beginning, the Lawndale Peace Party has doubled in size. More than 250 people gather annually in Douglass Park to enjoy food and music provided by Lawndale artists and local vendors, share information about community resources, build friendships across communities, and promote peace.

In addition to creating a positive community event, the Lawndale Peace Party provides an opportunity for North and South Lawndale organizations to collaborate on a joint project, share resources, build relationships, and explore new opportunities to come together.

COMMUNITY RESPONSE Goal: MSRN will address the impact of immigration, domestic violence (DV), and other emergency situations on access to resources through strategic interventions and advocacy.

Strategies

Activities

Coordinate MSRN member responses, resources, and tools for individuals who experience domestic violence.

Promote and make accessible a DV resource referral list for MSRN organizations.

Provide education for and promote awareness of community DV resources to community members.

Provide DV training for staff of community organizations.

Build DV awareness among community businesses.

Respond to emerging issues impacting domestic violence survivors.

Engage community residents in the Peace March to offer opportunities to participate in and learn about domestic violence response and other services offered by MSRN partners.

Provide accurate and culturally relevant information and resources for community residents.

Maintain an immigration hotline to provide one-on-one legal consultation, application process support, and referral services.

Facilitate access to essential services for community members through one-on-one referral services and community resource guides.

Provide information about connections to immigration resources/services to promote family and community stability.

Remain responsive as new needs emerge.

Provide Immigration 101 trainings to member organizations to support their work with area residents.

Update the Community Response Plan to provide accurate information related to crisis incidents.

Implement preventive strategies to mitigate the impact of emergency situations on community residents.

Strengthen connections between MSRN member organizations and schools to increase awareness and utilization of services.

Identify preventive strategies to champion across the Network.

23 Addressing the impact of immigration status, domestic violence, and other emergency situations facing the neighborhood requires significant community-led advocacy and collaboration. Cross-sector partnerships dedicated to community response bring neighbors, families, nonprofit agencies, businesses, faith communities, and public officials to a common table for planning, problem solving, and pooling of resources.

FOCAL POINT: A PANDEMIC LIFELINE As the impact of Covid-19 reverberated through communities, the MSRN responded urgently to meet the immediate and evolving needs of residents of all ages.

With some of the highest Covid-19 mortality and case rates, the 60623 zip code was among the hardest-hit communities in Illinois. Notwithstanding that the pandemic caused widespread health, food, and housing insecurity, immigration status created both perceived and actual barriers to many community members in accessing critical resources.

In response, the Network pivoted programming to provide community-wide access to basic needs. The MSRN distributed more than 65,000 units of personal protective equipment to households and businesses, distributed food to over 3,100 families, and connected nearly 3,000 families to free high-speed internet. In addition, the MSRN provided more than $1.4 million in direct financial assistance to those experiencing extreme instability as an effect of the pandemic: seniors, victims of domestic violence, undocumented community members, and others in great need.

Network members continued a coordinated response by securing equitable access to the Covid-19 vaccine and distributing accurate vaccine-related information in the Marshall Square community and beyond.

COMMERCIAL CORRIDORS Goal: MSRN will catalyze investment and local ownership in the Marshall Square community through a constellation of neighborhood anchors. Our aim is to improve access to transit, support the growth of entrepreneurial Black and Brown-owned businesses, and connect neighborhood assets to broader economic and social networks in order to bridge the wealth gap.

Strategies

Activities

Identify individual business needs and connect small business owners to resources.

Provide one-on-one technical assistance to support individual business needs.

Create a resource directory of bilingual, culturally informed professional services that business owners can access for operational support.

Create a welcoming business environment.

Coordinate a corridor campaign along the California/Cermak commercial district to create awareness of the variety of local businesses.

Coordinate beautification projects and litter abatement to create a welcoming environment for Marshall Square businesses.

Encourage investments that support longterm business development and prevent small business displacement.

Partner with financial institutions to conduct Spanish-language educational sessions about commercial property ownership tailoring the content to reflect the specific conditions in Marshall Square.

Identify and link business owners to capital pools.

Develop commercial corridor infrastructure improvements.

Connect to city and state information and resources by participating in affinity groups.

Engage community members in the design and installation of public art.

Lead green-focused development projects along commercial corridors.

25 The MSRN’s focus is on improving the economic conditions for the residents and small business owners in the community, which collectively will improve the overall economic vitality of the neighborhood. Our approach leverages the strength of the MSRN and deepens relationships with local, entrepreneurial businesses to promote community economic viability and engagement in neighborhood life.

The Network anticipates the following economic impacts from our approach: sustenance and growth of household income for current Marshall Square small business owners; an increase in spending within the neighborhood economy; and an increase in small business assets through the procurement of commercial real estate. The MSRN believes that investment in shared community assets and community-owned businesses will spark additional engagement among residents, creating greater agency for residents and businesses at risk of displacement.

FOCAL POINT: Shop LOCAL Marshall Square The Shop Local Marshall Square campaign provided support to small, local businesses along the neighborhood’s Cermak and California Avenue commercial corridors during the height of the pandemic. The campaign brought the community together to patronize shops and services provided by neighborhood entrepreneurs. The media campaign, designed by Latinos Progresando, was shared across MSRN members. In addition to raising awareness about the diversity of businesses in Marshall Square among community members, the campaign also was successful in MSRN members prioritizing shopping locally for their own office and programming needs.

Due to this considerable collaborative response, our community’s main commercial corridor did not lose a single business during the Covid-19 pandemic. The Shop Local Marshall Square campaign was also instrumental in building relationships with neighborhood businesses, sparking interest in other commercial corridor services such as litter abatement through the social enterprise Clean Slate, connections to police to address safety concerns, and other initiatives to create a welcoming business environment.

“

Said one business owner: “Not only have they helped us, they’ve taught us a lot and exposed us to new things.

They helped us meet new people and dream bigger for our business and our employees. Even in the most difficult moments, they stood with us.”

CROSS-COMMUNITY COLLABORATION The MSRN and its partners are building support for the goal of a stronger, safer, healthier, more cohesive, and unified Lawndale region. The initiative is focused on unifying North and South Lawndale through cultural events and other programming, as well as attracting investment to improve the built environment and supporting community-led capital investments.

The “We Are One Lawndale” statement, issued jointly in 2020 by the MSRN and the North Lawndale Community Coordinating Council (NLCCC), exemplifies the importance of this collaboration. In response to the civil unrest following the murder of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police and the rising tension between South Lawndale, a predominantly Mexican neighborhood, and North Lawndale, a predominantly Black neighborhood, the statement emphasized solidarity, calling for unified action towards social and racial justice.

Together, we are building the foundation to attract critically needed resources to our shared communities and highlighting the vibrancy and opportunities within One Lawndale.

Goal: Address historic segregation by sharing resources and building bridges between North and South Lawndale.

Strategies

Activities

Build on the One Lawndale’s programmatic initiative in partnership with NLCCC to address shared issue areas.

Collaborate with NLCCC to implement One Lawndale events to bridge North and South Lawndale.

Develop coordinated programming to support the development and launch of the Lawndale Community Campus.

Lead a community development investment strategy to attract capital in support of One Lawndale.

Secure seed funding to support pre-development work.

Collaborate with Lawndale Community Campus partners to raise awareness through a coordinated campaign.

FOCAL POINT: Lawndale Community Campus “We Are One Lawndale” called for unified action. One Lawndale is acting on that call.

The Lawndale Community Campus is a catalyst for community-centric development, addressing the historic disinvestment in both Lawndale communities. Reflecting the desires of community residents to not only bring new development, but to enhance the neighborhoods’ overall vibrancy and viability through coordinated community development.

The Lawndale Community Campus creates a connected web of community resources across North and South Lawndale with investments into the following neighborhood anchors: Carole Robertson Center for Learning Latinos Progresando Community Center Latinos Progresando Resource Center One Lawndale Children’s Discovery Center One Lawndale Community Care and Surgery Center (Sinai Chicago) The campus addresses what the MSRN and its North Lawndale partners are hearing from the community: a need for safe space, walkability, and neighborhood amenities. It connects a number of existing assets: strong community networks through the MSRN and NLCCC, public transit accessibility through the CTA Pink Line, and the vast green space available at Douglass Park. It also aligns with other current and historic civic and philanthropic investments: Neighborhood Opportunity Fund United Way of Metropolitan Chicago Invest SOUTH/WEST Chicago Community Trust McCormick Foundation MacArthur Foundation

Chicago Health Equity Zones We Rise Together Equitable Transit-Oriented Development

Beyond improving the neighborhood landscape, the Lawndale Community Campus will have ripple effects throughout the communities by enhancing small business corridors, supported by a network of nonprofits.

RESIDENT ENGAGEMENT The MSRN engages residents in visioning, shaping and creating an equitable community in ways that are powerful affirmations of identity, ownership and agency. Community engagement is central to every facet of the MSRN’s work, and occurs through relationships built through “kitchen table” conversations, community interactions, hiring practices and convened groups. Community members participate in the MSRN’s issue area committees, shape priorities, and raise issues to elected officials.

Goal: MSRN will center residents, businesses, and organizations in the conception, design, and implementation of MSRN’s work.

Strategies

Activities

Create venues to collect resident input from Network member resident-driven advisory boards, boards of directors, and other resident groups, including youth.

Expand resident input into MSRN’s signature events by drawing on the knowledge and experiences of Network members’ resident-driven boards and advisory groups.

Engage residents in informing MSRN’s annual community plan through resident surveys.

Create venues to educate residents and Network partners about key issues and opportunities facing Marshall Square.

Create forums through MSRN quarterly meetings for city officials, elected representatives, and content experts to offer information on issues affecting the community.

Implement a series of resident meeting “report backs” on Network activities facilitated by resident leaders.

Create leadership opportunities for community residents in issue area projects to share and develop skills, and provide topical and experiential knowledge of issues.

Implement leadership training program.

Amplify voices of historically underrepresented voices in broader civic dialogue about policies, programs, and neighborhood life.

Represent the impact of policies and programs on residents through Steering Committee member communications in broader civic initiatives.

Identify and train residents to co-lead projects and workshops on issues important to them and connect to MSRN issue areas.

Create and coordinate responses for community input on topics facing the community.

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OUR PLANNING PROCESS The MSRN grounds its work in the ethic of community ownership. In its fullest sense, community ownership encompasses not only the buildings and structures that support community life, but also the sense of ownership that residents generate in co-creating a vibrant neighborhood.

Residents join member organizations in shaping the MSRN’s Community Plan, program design, and data collection.

Through this process, the Network creates tools, systems, and capital that reflect and affirm community identity and priorities.

Both in convened groups and in organic participation, the MSRN’s community planning acknowledges the historical and cultural context for community ownership, including the dynamics of race and power in Chicago. Relationships are the foundation of the MSRN; its strength comes from the hard-earned trust it enjoys in the community.

This MSRN Impact Report is the product of a years-long process of neighborhood input and planning, authentically anchoring MSRN objectives in community residents’ voices, values, and interests.

For 10 years, the MSRN has hosted public quarterly meetings, where information is

shared on policies and projects impacting the community. Live English-Spanish interpretation is provided, and community members utilize these meetings as an opportunity to be heard.

Anchored by community-defined priorities, the MSRN Steering Committee establishes a three-year strategic vision, and guides an annual planning process to further define goals, strategies, and activities to guide the MSRN’s response to these priorities. Issue-area committees refine the Network’s approach and support implementation of the Network’s goals in partnership with community residents.

In 2023, the MSRN engaged members and communities through a series of small group conversations hosted at MSRN meetings in June, August, and November. Participants provided feedback on emerging community issues, existing resources, and community investments.

This information was augmented by additional feedback about neighborhood concerns and priorities gathered from local businesses, neighbors, and parent leaders through scheduled meetings and one-on-one conversations. This feedback provided important feedback, guiding the MSRN’s Steering Committee in its priority

setting for the Network for 2024.

Each year as the MSRN Community Plan is implemented, the Network uses multiple channels of data collection and community input to evaluate the implementation process, its corresponding initiatives, and impact.

To ensure responsiveness to evolving community needs, the MSRN directly involves community members in assessing progress. Each issue area committee assesses progress towards its goals at monthly meetings. This is a venue in which resident feedback is shared both directly from community members themselves or through data collected through surveys, interviews, etc. Progress towards the MSRN Community Plan goals is also discussed at public quarterly meetings, where participant feedback from pilots and events is used to shape and improve programming. The MSRN also collects resident stories, hosts focus groups, and relationship building events to understand the impact of our work.

The MSRN’s rich history and commitment to learning provides a solid foundation for our plans for collective response.

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MSRN PARTNERS One of the MSRN’s greatest resources is its partners. Nonprofit organizations, businesses, government officials, and community residents living and/or working in Marshall Square form the heart of our collaborative approach.

The following is a list of the nonprofit organizations and public institutions we are proud to count among our membership.

&Rise Chicago American Heart Association American Red Cross Blue Door Neighborhood Center Carole Robertson Center for Learning Center for Independence through Conductive Education Central States SER Chicago COPA CPS Office of Equity and Family and Community Engagement Chicago Public Library Chicago Workers Collaborative City of Chicago Core Enlace Chicago Equal Hope Erie Neighborhood House Esperanza Health Centers Friends of Spry Greater Chicago Food Depository Hammond Elementary Illinois Action for Children Illinois Department of Children and Family Services Illinois Legal Aid Online Illinois Secretary of State’s Office Illinois State University Illinois Workers in Action It Takes A Village Family of Schools John Spry Elementary School Kanoon Magnet Elementary School Kids First Chicago La Familia Unida Latinos Progresando Lawndale Christian Health Center Lawndale Pop-Up Spot

*Jan 2024

Lincoln Park Zoo Make-A-Wish Foundation Maria Saucedo Scholastic Academy Mujeres Latinas en Acción New Covenant Community Development Corp.

New Vision Community Church North Lawndale Community Coordinating Council One Lawndale Children’s Discovery Center OPEN Center for the Arts Open Books Openlands Our Lady of Tepeyac Grade School Quiroga College Rush University Medical Center Sarah’s Inn SGA Youth & Family Services Sinai Chicago Spanish Coalition for Housing St. Anthony Hospital Telpochcalli Community Education Project The Nature Conservancy The Network The Night Ministry The Resurrection Project Taller de Jose Un Nuevo Despertar - A New Awakening Uniting Voices Chicago University of Illinois at Chicago Women for Economic Justice Working Bikes YMCA

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The MSRN appreciates the support of the United Way of Metropolitan Chicago, who shares our vision of creating strong neighborhoods through community-led approaches. As leader of the Little Village Neighborhood Network, the MSRN values this partnership and the impact it has had on our community.

Many other philanthropic partners have also invested in the MSRN’s place-based strategies, including providing funding for critical operational infrastructure: MacArthur Foundation, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois, Polk Bros.

Foundation, Healthy Communities Foundation, and the Chicago Community Trust, among others. Thank you for believing in this vision, and in our ability to drive it forward.

Thank you to the MSRN Steering Committee, school principals, and all of the organizational participants in the MSRN issue-based committees for bringing your expertise, trust and commitment to the table, every day, over all of these years. You are changing lives and changing our sector for the better.

Thank you to the many staff, consultants and volunteers, both past and present--too many to name--for your part in building this Network.

And finally, the warmest thank you of all to our parent leaders ‘padres líderes’ in Marshall Square--you have held us accountable, given so much of your time and energy, and led so much of this work. You are the community’s heart and soul.

REFERENCES Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, South Lawndale Community Data Snapshot, July 2023 Chicago Department of Public Health, Chicago Health Atlas Marshall Square Resource Network Member Reporting