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Publisher & Editor
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EDITORIAL BOARD
Morris Reed
Westside Health Authority/CEO
Karl Brinson
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Bernard Clay
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Michael Romain
The Culture
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BY DR. DEONDRE’ RUTUES Expert Contributor
In Part 1 of this series, I discussed how Hope and Self-Efficacy serve as critical psychological resources for individuals and communities navigating trauma. Those two components help people believe a better future is possible and remind them that they are capable of moving toward it.
But healing does not stop there. Trauma recovery also requires the ability to recover from setbacks and maintain perspective during difficult seasons. This is where the remaining two components of Psychological Capital — Resilience and Optimism — become essential.
As someone whose dissertation research focused on Psychological Capital (PsyCap), I have spent years studying how these internal psychological resources influence performance, mental health, leadership, and overall human development. What makes PsyCap powerful is that it does not ignore pain or hardship. Instead, it helps people develop the internal capacity to respond to adversity in healthier and more productive ways.
can negatively affect emotional regulation, physical health, relationships, and long-term mental wellness.
The problem is that survival mode can eventually become exhausting.
True resilience requires support systems, emotional awareness, coping skills, and
Optimism is not toxic positivity. It is not ignoring problems or pretending everything will work out perfectly. Healthy optimism is the ability to maintain hope and perspective while still acknowledging reality. Trauma can distort how people interpret life experiences. After enough pain, many individuals begin expecting disappointment before anything even happens. They may assume failure, rejection, conflict, or loss because those experiences have become familiar. Over time, negative expectations can influence decision-making, relationships, and behavior.
People often misunderstand resilience. Resilience does not mean pretending trauma did not happen. It does not mean people are unaffected by stress, grief, violence, or disappointment. Resilience is the ability to adapt, recover, and continue functioning despite adversity.
Many individuals in our communities have been surviving for years in environments filled with chronic stress. According to the American Psychological Association, prolonged exposure to trauma and stress
healthy environments. It is not something people should have to build alone.
Communities can strengthen resilience by:
• Encouraging healthy conversations around mental health
• Building stronger support networks
• Providing mentorship and accountability
• Teaching emotional regulation skills
• Creating safe spaces for youth and adults to process experiences
• Helping people develop routines, structure, and stability
One thing I often tell people is this: “Resilience is not about never breaking down. It is about learning how to rebuild.”
That distinction matters.
Research from the Mayo Clinic and other mental health organizations has connected optimism to improved stress management, healthier coping behaviors, and better psychological well-being. One practical way to strengthen optimism is through what psychologists call “reframing.” Instead of asking, “Why does everything bad happen to me?” try asking, “What can I learn from this situation, and what is still possible moving forward?”
That small shift can begin changing how people process adversity.
Another strategy is limiting constant exposure to negativity. What we consume mentally matters. Conversations, environments, social media, and relationships all influence psychological outlook.
Healing from trauma is not only about reducing symptoms. It is also about restoring belief, rebuilding identity, and creating environments where people can grow beyond survival mode.
Hope helps us see a future.
Self-efficacy reminds us we are capable. Resilience helps us recover.
Optimism helps us keep moving forward. That is the power of Psychological Capital.
By MICHAEL LIPTROT
Afaith-based nonprofit is now offering transitional housing for West Side families needing help securing a pathway to a permanent roof over their heads.
Breakthrough Urban Ministries opened The Residences at 3340 W. Carroll Ave. in May in Garfield Park. The 14-unit apartment complex offers two- and three-bedroom apartments and programming spanning up to two years for families working to build long-term housing stability and independence, according to the nonprofit.
“We have dreamed about creating housing that would do more than simply shelter families, but surround them with care, coaching, support, community, and the opportunity to thrive,” said Breakthrough executive director Yolanda Fields at the building’s opening. “This building says to families that you matter, your future matters, and that your children matter.”
The Residences’ transitional housing service offers year-round programming to families who can stay in their apartment for up to 24 months. In addition to housing, families will get individualized case management, financial coaching, education, employment support, and family support resources from Breakthrough staff. Amenities for the location include on-site laundry, an indoor playroom, an outdoor playground, and a community space.
“The goal is that you get to have a reprieve from whatever instability in housing you’re currently facing in order to stack your coins” and build savings, said Fields. “We are specifically looking for families who have income … [or] may already be involved in some kind of training or tech program that’s going to lead
to livable wages before the two years are up.”
The Residences do not have set income requirements or area median income percentage limits. However, families who are earning wages will be required to contribute 30 percent of their household income as rent, according to Breakthrough.
During the first six months of Breakthrough’s temporary family housing program, the focus is on building stability and goal-setting. The next year of the program is dedicated to financial counseling and preparing families for the skills needed to own a home. This will include partnerships with trade programs and Malcolm X College. Breakthrough will also rely on community partnerships to help residents find employ-
Breakthrough is targeting households of between two and six people for its programming. At least one household member must be 25 or older, and another must be a child in their legal custody or guardianship. Prospective residents must be facing housing instability. Program materials mention that the transitional home is designed for families who do not meet the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s “strict definition of homelessness, but still need housing stability and support.”
Breakthrough began in 1992 as Break Through Urban Center. Fields said its first program was affiliated with First Free Church Chicago at 5255 N. Ashland Ave. in Andersonville. Breakthrough relocated to East Garfield Park in 2008 and now has several developments in the neighborhood between Carroll, Homan, and St. Louis Avenues.
Last year, Breakthrough provided housing for 1,556 people between shelters and support centers, economic opportunities for 780 people, and distributed more than 426,000 pounds of food for 17,568 families, according to the organization’s annual report.
ment if needed.
The final phase of the program will then focus on preparing residents for permanent housing and transitioning to living on their own.
One dedicated person as the head of household will be tasked with attending programming and completing skill-building activities. As residents approach the end of the program, their dedicated life coach and case manager will work with them on next steps. If they can’t fully complete the program and graduate to homeownership or long-term housing, leases can be extended. A Breakthrough official said the program will work with other housing organizations if a tenant needs to move to another housing program.
Breakthrough’s new transitional housing project is funded by $11 million in donations, primarily from the James P. and Brenda S. Grusecki Family Foundation, and $1 million in federal Housing and Urban Development funding provided through the office of U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, according to Breakthrough officials.
Applications have closed for the first set of tenants at The Residences, with move-in expected for this summer. For more information, visit breakthrough. org/family-housing.
Good Earth is expanding from west suburban River Forest to take over the site of a McDonald’s that has been vacant for decades
By MICHAEL LIPTROT Block Club Chicago
Afamily-owned River Forest garden center business with South Side roots is coming to the site of a long-vacant building in Galewood. Good Earth, featuring a greenhouse, fresh market, and cafe, will be coming to the site of a former McDonald’s at 1933 N. Harlem Ave., the business announced in April.
The fifth-generation family business began on the South Side in 1928 and has operated a location in River Forest, known as Good Earth Greenhouse, since 2001. Good Earth’s plans for the site come after community members rejected a proposed five-story rental development at the lot in July and another failed plan for a car wash in 2023.
Renderings show a renovation of the lot’s existing building to house a retail space as well as a new outdoor garden center behind the building, an expansion of the existing patio, and a new 3,000-square-foot greenhouse beside the building.
a similar setup, including a garden center, florist, and cafe, business owners said. The store regularly holds events celebrating the spring equinox, National Puppy Day, and Earth Day.
Galewood neighbors can expect “premium quality plants, annuals, garden items and great service” at the new business, management said.
“We’re all about community,” Good Earth manager Regan Cronin said at a neighborhood meeting announcing the new store.
CREDIT: PROVIDED/HAGUE ARCHITECTURE
“Our business is [about] making things look good, so presentation is key. We want to bring beauty to a spot that’s been vacant for years.”
Good Earth was intentional in coming to the Galewood area due to its many neighbors who are interested in gardening. Several neighbors at the meeting recognized the business from patronizing the River Forest location, Cronin said.
for more than 80 years before closing around 2010, she said. Store officials said they want to “bring every aspect of our business that we have spent the past five generations building” to the Harlem Avenue location.
Good Earth’s landing at the Harlem Avenue building resolves years of uncertainty around the future of the McDonald’s building that has been vacant for around two decades.
In August, a five-story, market-rate rental building was proposed by Noah Properties and would have brought around 80 apartments to the site, but these plans were met with overwhelming opposition from community members and nixed by Ald. Chris Taliaferro (29th). A car wash was proposed for the location in 2023 but it never moved forward, according to an Austin Weekly report.
Good Earth is in the process of seeking a zoning change to operate at the location, a measure Taliaferro said he would support. In the meantime, store officials are looking for a permit to set up a pop-up garden center at the site for the current garden season.
Taliaferro said he is excited about Good Earth’s presence in the neighborhood.
“I think this is a great opportunity, not just for the ward, but for the immediate neighborhood it sits in,” Taliaferro said. “We have to have a vibrant ward and that helps to sustain our community. … We’re taking properties that have been vacant for a long time and just trying to bring the right fit for our ward.”
The retail space will house a market offering produce and other food products from local farmers, business owners said.
The Galewood location will operate similarly to Good Earth Greenhouse at 7900 Madison St. in River Forest, which features
“Love the neighborhood. It’s fabulous. It’s got great people living here, beautiful homes, and people who like to garden, who like markets,” Cronin said. “We [are bringing] a cafe and a food market there, so we have a good place for neighborhood gatherings.”
The family business was started by Cronin’s great-grandfather, who opened The Egg Store in Bridgeport, which operated
Learn More
For more information on Good Earth, visit goodearthgreenhouse.com.
The 78-unit mixed-income apartment complex will start accepting applications in June
BY MICHAEL ROMAIN
The Culture
For years, Athena Williams dreamed of seeing Austin treated more like Downtown and considered worthy of investment, beauty, luxury, and possibility.
Standing inside a nearly completed six-story apartment development rising next to the historic Laramie State Bank building, Williams said that dream is finally becoming real.
“This is almost like a dream come true for me,” Williams said during a recent tour of the property. “My father had a business on the West Side, and we used to walk home and see all the vacant lots. When I came home from college, the vacant lots were still there. I always felt that everything my parents taught me, I needed to give back to the community.”
The 78-unit mixed-income development, located adjacent to the long-vacant Laramie State Bank building near Chicago and Laramie avenues, is expected to begin accepting applications in June, with residents likely moving in shortly after Labor Day. Officials now expect construction to be substantially complete by Aug. 15.
The project represents one of the most ambitious residential developments Austin has seen in decades — and one that Williams said was intentionally designed to bring a true “downtown living” experience to the West Side.
“When I say we wanted to bring Downtown into Austin, we meant that,” Williams said. “It has amenities like real quartz countertops, soft-close cabinetry, closets for living space, and storage rooms so spacious you can fit a toddler’s bed in them.”
The building includes 78 apartments — five three-bedroom units, 27 one-bedroom units, and the remaining two-bedroom apartments. About 50 of the units will be income-restricted and affordable based on Austin’s Area Median Household Income, which is roughly $52,000. The remaining
market-rate units will also be priced below many comparable developments elsewhere in the city.
“These are upscale units,” Williams said during the tour.
Residents will enter through a secure foyer with a doorman station, access-controlled entry systems, and key fob and smartphone access. The first floor includes meeting and event space, property management offices, a mail and package room, bike storage, maintenance facilities, and public restrooms for guests.
On the fifth floor, residents will have access to a fitness room, a community room, and an outdoor rooftop plaza featuring sweeping views of the Chicago skyline. Outside, the building includes a landscaped courtyard that will be open to the public during daytime hours, though residents will be able to reserve and close the space for private gatherings.
“This is the first building in Austin that is an elevator building that’s not a senior building,” Williams said.
The development also incorporates envi-
ronmentally conscious infrastructure. According to Williams, the building is approximately 95% electric and even includes its own on-site transformer vault. The property also features a high-tech trash chute sanitation system that automatically disinfects and deodorizes after each use.
Twenty of the apartments are ADA-compliant, including eight fully accessible units and 12 adaptable units. Every bedroom contains its own closet, while each apartment includes additional storage and linen closet space.
The project was funded through the city’s former INVEST South/West initiative, launched under former Mayor Lori Lightfoot, which sought to attract large-scale development to long-disinvested commercial corridors. Though Mayor Brandon Johnson has moved away from the program’s branding, his administration has continued supporting the broader initiative.
According to reporting by WBEZ, the program aims to create “15-minute neighborhoods” where residents can access amenities, transportation and commercial activity within walking distance. Deputy Mayor Kenya Mer-
Housing Center will provide residential support services. Construction is being handled by Burling Builders, the longtime Black-owned Chicago contractor founded by Elzie Higginbottom in 1980.
Interest in the apartments has already been intense. Williams said the Housing Center has received more than 1,200 calls and met with more than 600 prospective residents in person. The application process will begin with a pre-screening requiring identification, proof of income, and Social Security documentation for all household members.
“We’re hoping that through a land trust model or shared appreciation model, we’ll help people obtain homeownership to create a legacy and secure more generational wealth.”
As she looked out from the rooftop plaza toward the downtown skyline, Williams reflected on what the project means not only for Austin, but for the people who stayed and believed in the neighborhood through decades of disinvestment.
ritt told the media outlet last year that the city wants “vibrant” and “walkable communities” regardless of ZIP code.
For Williams, the development is also deeply personal. Born and raised in Austin, she now lives in the community while overseeing the largest project the Oak Park Regional Housing Center has ever developed.
“My personal background is in real estate,” Williams said. “I come from a family that buys properties and fixes them up, so this is getting me back to my passion. I love it.”
The development partner, Pivotal Development, will manage the property, while the
But Williams said the apartment building is only the beginning. Redevelopment work on the historic Laramie State Bank building is expected to begin at the end of the summer. Plans for the bank include arts and cultural flex space, coworking areas, a small-business incubator, and potentially a future banking or commercial partner.
Ultimately, Williams said she hopes the project becomes part of a broader pathway toward generational wealth and neighborhood stability.
“These are all rentals, but the goal for us is to help people become homeowners,” she said.
“To do something of this magnitude through the Housing Center is monumental,” she said. “I want the community to celebrate this. We should all be celebrating this.”
Anyone interested in receiving an application or learning more about the project can contact the Oak Park Regional Housing Center’s West Cook Homeownership Center at info@westcookhomeownership.org or visit their office at 5934 W. Lake St. You can also visit the website at oprhc.org.
Park opens June 19 and will operate daily from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
The outdoor rink and plaza at 4008 W. Madison St. — built in 2021 on a long-vacant lot — will reopen to the public on Juneteenth following a $2 million overhaul that adds a new event stage, play areas, gathering spaces and colorful murals.
The Chicago Park District recently unveiled improvements to Park No. 602, a half-acre park that first opened as a roller rink and community plaza. The upgraded park includes a renovated roller rink with a painted skating surface, shaded pergolas, picnic space, a nature play
area with musical equipment and tree trunk benches, and murals focused on community empowerment and reclamation.
The project was spearheaded by the Garfield Park Rite to Wellness Collaborative, a coalition of residents and organizations working to reverse decades of disinvestment along the Madison Street corridor.
The latest improvements were funded through $1 million from the city and $1 million from the Chicago Park District. The original park project cost $1.5 million.
BUILD #WearOrange March Against Gun Violence | FRI 6/5
For National Gun Violence Awareness Day, BUILD hosts its annual #WearOrange March Against Gun Violence, bringing residents together for a day focused on peace, healing, and action. The event begins at 2 p.m. at BUILD, with the march stepping off at 3 p.m., followed by a community pop-up event with Play Streets featuring activities, resources, and opportunities for neighbors to connect. Free Wear Orange shirts are available while supplies last. (BUILD Austin Campus; Fri. 6/5, beginning at 2 p.m.; free. Register: https:// bit.ly/BUILDWEARSORANGE2026)
Navigating the Cook County Justice System | SAT 6/6
Cook County Clerk Mariyana Spyropoulos and partner agencies host a free community resource fair designed to help residents better understand the court system and connect with legal and community resources. Representatives from the Clerk of the Circuit Court, Office of the Chief Judge, State’s Attorney’s Office, Public Defender’s Office, Sheriff’s Office, and Cabrini Green Legal Aid will be available. (Hamilton Park Cultural Center Fieldhouse, 513 W. 72nd St.; Sat. 6/6, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.; free. More information available via QR code on flyer.)
Ald. Chris Taliaferro, in partnership with State Rep. Camille Y. Lilly, hosts a free community paper shredding event for residents looking to safely dispose of sensitive documents. (6750 W. North Ave., church parking lot; Sat. 6/13, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.; free. Info: 773-2376460, ward29@cityofchicago.org, or 29th Ward Service Office, 6272 W. North Ave.)
Safe Summer Proviso 2026 Movie on the Field Kickoff Event | FRI 6/5
Safe Summer Proviso hosts a free Movie on the Field kickoff event for youth and families as part of its 2026 summer programming. Snacks and refreshments will be provided while supplies last. (Proviso East High School; Fri. 6/5, 7:30-10:30 p.m.; free. RSVP: safesummerproviso@gmail.com)
Chapters of Chicago Summer Kickoff | SAT 6/6
Chicago Public Library kicks off its summer programming season with a family-friendly celebration featuring activities, giveaways, and experiences inspired by this year’s “Chapters of Chicago” theme. (Legler Regional Library, 115 S. Pulaski Rd.; Sat. 6/6, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.; free.)
Love Is On The Green Line: West Side Garden Party Activation | THURS 6/4
Love Is On The Green Line hosts a free outdoor gathering connecting Chicago’s West and South sides through art, storytelling, and community. The event includes seed planting, creative activities, music, and live artistic expression. (The Blk Room, 4015 W. Carroll Ave.; Thurs. 6/4, 6 p.m.; free. Register at brushfire.com/kcachicago/LIOTGL/631394/ details.)
12th Annual Bishop Bernard McKenzie Sr. Day Awards Ceremony & Musical | SUN 6/7
The annual Bishop Bernard McKenzie Sr. Day celebration features gospel music, special guests, and community fellowship honoring the late religious leader’s legacy. Featured guests include Darius Brooks and the Tommies Reunion Choir, Dennis Cole and GMAC, Pastor Derail Smith and the Cosmopolitan “Warriors,” James Cutts, Calvin Bridges, Cliff DuBose, and Divine. Janet Harris-Sutton serves as mistress of ceremony. (Acme Baptist Church, 8747 S. Paulina St.; Sun. 6/7, doors open 4 p.m., program begins 5 p.m.; free admission. Info: 773-370-8248.)
Level Up Youth Experience | SAT 6/13
Divine Purpose Youth Performing Arts Center presents the Level Up Youth Experience, an afternoon featuring gaming competitions, youth resources, singing and dancing performances, and opportunities for young performers. Participant stipends will be issued. Organizers are also seeking youth singers and performers. (Austin Town Hall, 5610 W. Lake St.; Sat. 6/13, noon-3 p.m.; ages 10-19. Info: Victoria Allen, 773-719-0542.)
Our Rights. Our Future. Our Move. | SAT 6/13
Organizers describe this community convening and brunch as a call to action centered on civic engagement, equitable housing, wellness, public safety, and economic development. The event includes a Think Tank Lab featuring interactive panel discussions followed by the “Building Black Bonds by Breaking Bread” brunch gathering. (Yours Cafe & Bistro, 1115 S. 5th Ave., Maywood; Sat. 6/13, noon-4 p.m.; register: https://bit.ly/blackb6)
If you know of exciting arts and cultural events happening on the West Side and the west suburbs, send the event information (including date(s), time(s), venue, and ticket link to ourculture.us/ contact-us. While we try our best to be accurate, check with the event organizers because details may have changed since the time of print publication.
