Austin Coming Together 113022

November 30, 2022

AUSTIN FORWARD. TOGETHER. 2022 QUARTER 4

THE AUSTIN RENAISSANCE

Since 2010, Austin Coming Together (ACT) has facilitated collaboration to improve education and economic development outcomes in Chicago’s Austin neighborhood.

Today, we serve a network of 50+ organizations committed to improving the quality of life in the Austin community. Our strategic plan is called Thrive 2025 and outlines how we will mobilize our resources to achieve four impact goals by the year 2025: Quality Early Learning, Safe Neighborhoods, Living Wage Careers, and Stable Housing Markets.

ACT BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Officers

CHAIR

Larry Williams

Broker, State Farm Insurance

VICE-CHAIR Angela Waller

Community & Government Relations Director, Advocate Aurora Health

SECRETARY Bradly Johnson

Chief Community Officer, BUILD Inc.

ACT STAFF

Leadership

Darnell Shields

Executive Director

Andrew Born Strategic Advisor

Operations

Deirdre Bates* Director of Operations

Dearra Williams

Executive Operations Lead/ Assistant to the CEO

TREASURER

LaDarius Curtis

Senior Director of Community Engagement & Health, West Side United EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Darnell Shields

Austin Coming Together

Directors

Sharon Morgan

Director of Graduate Support & Community Outreach, Catalyst Schools

Reverend Reginald E. Bachus

Pastor, Friendship Baptist Church

Strategic Initiatives

Sandra Diaz* Service Delivery Enhancement Manager, Austin Community Hub Janelle Martin Austin Community Hub Specialist

Emone Moore Engagement Coordinator, Austin Community Hub

ACT MEMBER ORGANIZATIONS

A House in Austin Academy of Scholastic Achievement

Austin Childcare Providers Network

Austin Community Family Center

Austin Weekly News (Growing Community Media)

Be Strong Families

Beat the Streets Chicago Because I Care

Bethel New Life

Beyond Hunger

BUILD Inc.

By The Hand Club For Kids Cara

Catholic Charities

Chicago Austin Youth Travel Adventures

Chicago Community Loan Fund City of Refuge Defy Ventures Illinois

Tenisha Jones

Senior Director of Strategy & Operations, West Side United

Reginald Little

Community Banking Professional Dawn Ferencak

Senior Marketing Strategist, Chicago Parent Deborah Williams-Thurmond

Community Outreach & Engagement Specialist, Habilitative Systems, Inc. Ruth Kimble

Founder & CEO, Austin Childcare Providers Network

Dollie Sherman Engagement Specialist, Austin Community Hub JeVon D. Moore* Planning & Investment Manager, Austin Forward. Together. Ethan Ramsay Lead Organizer, Austin Forward. Together.

Grace Cooper Project Specialist, Austin Forward. Together. Natalie Goodin Micro Market Recovery Program Coordinator Nicholas Galassini Micro Market Recovery Program Intern

Jerrod Williams

Law Clerk, Illinois Appellate Court Max Komnenich

Associate Principal, Lamar Johnson Collaborative

In Memoriam

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Jack Macnamara 1937–2020

FOUNDING BOARD CHAIR Mildred Wiley 1955–2019

Marketing & Development

Alicia Plomin* Director of Marketing & Development

Scott Prywitch Marketing & Development Coordinator

Maria Romero Luther Marketing & Development Associate

*Also part of the ACT Leadership Team

Erikson Institute

Friends of the Children

Friendship Community Development Corp. of Austin

Greater West Town Community Development Project Housing Forward i.c. stars

IFF Institute for Nonviolence Chicago

Jane Addams Resource Corporation

Kids First Chicago

KRA Westside American Job Center

Learning Edge Tutoring (fka Cluster Tutoring)

Legal Aid Chicago (fka LAF)

Manufacturing Renaissance Mary Shyrese Daycare

Maryville Academy Mercy Housing Lakefront New Moms

OAI, Inc.

Oak Park Regional Housing Center

Open Books

PCC Community Wellness Center

Project Exploration

Renaissance Social Services, Inc.

Sarah’s Inn South Austin Neighborhood Association St. Joseph Services St. Leonard’s Ministries

Stone Community Development Corporation

The Catalyst Schools

The Journey Forward

The North Avenue District, Inc. Towers of Excellence

UIC Jane Addams College of Social Work VOCEL

Westside Health Authority West Side Forward Worldvision Youth Guidance

AUSTIN FORWARD. TOGETHER: 2022 QUARTER 4.

Turning the tide: Why capital investment is crucial to community-led development

By Darnell Shields Executive Director, Austin Coming Together

Over the past year, there have been a sizable number of advancements in opportunities to redesign, revamp, and revitalize Chicago’s Austin community. Looking back at our progress is important not only to celebrate what has been accomplished but also to breathe life into the year ahead of us. With many community projects launched into motion recently, Austin Coming Together (ACT) is here to maintain its standing and support of community led transformation into 2023. Disinvestment is “the withdrawal or reduction of an investment” while misinvestment is “to invest incorrectly or unwisely,” and Austin has been hindered by both while other Chicago neighborhoods have continued to prosper. Traditionally, investment in Austin has been in activities and efforts that limit access to opportunities instead of increasing access, like mass incarceration and more policing.

Despite being the City’s second largest community in population with 93,000 people, Austin residents constantly find themselves struggling to access adequate resources like food, housing, healthcare, education, employment opportunities, and more.

The journey we are on is one that is shared among everyone. Only together can we tap

the promise and potential our community possesses in building a better and brighter future for all.

In response to growing challenges, the community came together several years ago to inspire dynamic change. The Austin Forward. Together. (AFT) quality-of-life plan, which ACT stewards, was created to address 23 strategies with 84 total actions across 7 Issue Areas between 2019 and 2024: Community Narrative, Education, Housing, Youth Empowerment, Economic Development, Public Safety, and Civic Engagement. Created by and for Austin residents, the plan is the primary vehicle that has sparked the Austin renaissance.

With many of the plan’s actions already having been initialized over the past four years, the Austin renaissance is underway and going strong. Four unique development projects have not only been significant

indicators of its progress but also have been amplifying and accelerating the progress of the AFT plan in several of its issue areas.

Those projects are:

• BUILD THE FUTURE (headed by BUILD Chicago)

• North Austin Community Center (headed by By The Hand Club For Kids)

• Laramie State Bank Redevelopment (headed by Austin United Alliance)

• Aspire Center for Workforce Innovation (headed by Westside Health Authority and Austin Coming Together)

The number of physical development projects in the works today is at a level Austin has never seen before. In addition to the sheer number of projects, the fact that they aim to develop permanent, long-term fixtures addressing a variety of issue areas in the community is what makes this moment truly

special. The unprecedented momentum across these projects could have never been a reality without the inextinguishable dedication and support from our member organizations, supporters, and residents of the Austin community.

Austin has led the charge in these efforts and is striving for real change. This representation of projects is unique in that they are ALL led by community-based organizations, partners, and residents. The time is now for the Austin community to continue working alongside one another in turning the tide. The support and investment we have received through these projects will move our community forward, and ensure we are no longer held back.

The Austin renaissance is transformative because it relies on the deep support and commitment of all who call Austin their home. n

AUSTIN FORWARD. TOGETHER: 2022 QUARTER 4.

Construction is underway on the North Austin Community Center, the sixth site for By The Hand Club For Kids which will serve as a sports, education, and wellness facility for youth and their families.

A selection of the many

development projects

that are part of Austin’s revitalization

Here are the details on some of the multiple development projects happening in Austin right now that are key to its transformation and connection to community goals listed in the Austin Forward. Together. (AFT) quality-of-life plan. AFT is a set of goals created by and for the community designed to address 23 strategies with 84 total actions across 7 Issue Areas between 2019 and 2024: Community Narrative, Education, Housing, Youth Empowerment, Economic Development, Public Safety, and Civic Engagement.

BUILD THE FUTURE AFT ISSUE AREA ALIGNMENT: Youth Empowerment, Public Safety

BUILD THE FUTURE is a bold $24 million campaign to invest in Austin youth with a full city-block campus, featuring 51,000 sq feet of new and renovated space at Austin’s southern gateway at Laramie and Harrison. This welcoming and supportive safe space will dramatically expand BUILD’s services and capacity and allow them to open more widely to the community. The transformed campus will stand for growth, opportunity, joy, and every child’s right to grow up and achieve their potential.

BUILD THE FUTURE WILL INCLUDE:

• A Youth Council to help ensure the project continues to be what Austin wants and needs

• Expanded hours and days to serve youth and the community

• Expanded capacity from 100 at the current site, to 2,000 in the new campus

• Full-sized, climate-controlled gym, track, and fitness center

• Public café and community garden

• Art studios and classrooms, galleries, performance spaces, and fully-equipped recording studio

• Makers lab, woodshop, and computing center, all hosting new workforce programs

• Youth lounges and homework spaces

• A mental health center with expanded services to youth and their families

• New greenspace, playfield, and outdoor community event space

NORTH AUSTIN COMMUNITY CENTER AFT ISSUE AREA ALIGNMENT: Youth Empowerment, Public Safety

THE BY THE HAND CLUB IN NORTH AUSTIN WILL INCLUDE:

• Form a Community Advisory Committee to help ensure the project addresses community wants and needs

• Offer 100 hours weekly of free activities for youth and adults

• Make scholarships available for after-school services for 400 K-12th grade students

• Professional-level basketball, soccer, baseball, volleyball, and futsal camps, leagues, and academies for youth of all ages with fees on a sliding scale to ensure neighborhood access

• A mental health center with expanded services to youth and their families

• Best-in-class sports programs, competitive opportunities, and health and wellness training provided by the nonprofit Intentional Sports

• A partnership with the Grace and Pace Revise Center to provide education, health, awareness, advocacy, and community-linked services to develop individuals’ and families’ capacity to thrive

• A chance for youth to improve their cognitive ability, social interactions, and the likelihood of graduating high school, just by playing sports

• Public café and community garden

• New greenspace, playfield, and outdoor community event space

By The Hand Club For Kids broke ground in August 2021 to begin construction on their sixth site in North Austin which will serve 400 kids from kindergarten through twelfth grade. The innovative space will be a 150,000-square-foot professional-level sports, education, and wellness facility on a 10-acre campus. It will provide the same opportunity for growth, impact, and sustainability as their other sites offer. Located on Laramie, it will have outdoor and indoor fields, including Chicago’s only FIFAregulation turf arena for year-round indoor sports.

AUSTIN FORWARD. TOGETHER: 2022 QUARTER 4.

LARAMIE STATE BANK

AFT ISSUE AREA ALIGNMENT: Economic Development, Housing, Community Narrative

The proposed $37.5 million project will renovate the landmark bank building to potentially include a:

• blues museum

• bank branch

• café

• business incubator

The Laramie State Bank Redevelopment Project will revive the now vacant yet prominently known landmark at Chicago and Laramie Avenues and transform it into a hub with a variety of commercial and residential amenities. Built in 1929, the design of the bank deeply reflected the renown and prestige the Austin community once had. The property’s reactivation and redevelopment are vital for Austin’s image and spirit. As an Austin landmark, this project will preserve history and fuel the growth to come in the community.

The approximately 20,000 sq ft of adjacent land might be redeveloped into a mixed-income, multi-story rental building that includes a green roof, a public plaza, social spaces, and outdoor art. The project is expected to generate up to 150 construction jobs and around 22 full-time positions. The plan is for construction to be complete by March 2024, with full occupancy in the building by March 2025.

ASPIRE CENTER FOR WORKFORCE INNOVATION

AFT ISSUE AREA ALIGNMENT: Economic Development, Community Narrative

The Aspire Initiative (ASPIRE) builds on the momentum of the AFT quality-of-plan by mobilizing existing community assets with a set of four new investments to impact the growth in educational and economic opportunities for Austinites of all ages. Learn more at AustinComingTogether.org/ASPIRE.

ASPIRE will kick off with The Aspire Center for Workforce Innovation, an effort to repurpose a closed school at Madison and Central Avenues into an anchor for commercial revitalization and a destination for topnotch workforce training. The site will be activated with a POPfit area that will have year-round outdoor workout equipment and a field that will transform into an ice rink in the winter.

The Aspire Center is a massive, long-term investment that will build area capacity to:

• Train over 4,900 workers in programs that will increase their ability to earn a living wage over a period of 5 years

• Create 100 new living wage jobs within the first five years and anchor $36 million in investment to the targeted geography of the community area

• Increase the income of 500 Austinites and help 250 more acquire access to capital for business and/or property ownership by the year 2030

The Aspire Center will transform the abandoned Emmet Elementary School into a state-of-the-art, multi-use facility that will include a:

• high-tech manufacturing training center for working-age youth and adults

• business incubator for startups

• restaurant with indoor/outdoor dining and social events

• financial opportunity center in partnership with BMO Harris Bank

• selection of other workforce and social service providers Read the AUSTIN

AUSTIN FORWARD. TOGETHER: 2022 QUARTER 4.

Plan Leaders

Community Narrative

TASK FORCE CHAIRS

Briana Shields

Briana Janeé Arts

Kenneth Varner Healthy Schools

Campaign

Dearra Williams Austin Coming Together

STRATEGY LEADS

Lasondra Kern Community Resident

Suzanne McBride Austin Talks

Michael Romain Austin Weekly News

Alicia Plomin Austin Coming Together Cindy Gray Schneider Spaces-n-Places

Economic Development

TASK FORCE CHAIRS

Jerrod Williams

South Austin Neighborhood Association

Heather Sattler Community Development Consultant

STRATEGY LEADS

Erica Staley Manufacturing Renaissance

Emily Peters Jane Addams Resource Corporation

Tina Augustus Chicago West Side Chamber of Commerce

Roxanne Charles West Side Forward

Education

TASK FORCE CHAIRS

Crystal Bell

Ella Flagg Young Elementary School (retired)

Charles Anderson Michele Clark High School

STRATEGY LEADS

Ruth Kimble Austin Childcare Providers Network

Madelyn James Austin Childcare Providers Network

Pam Price Chicago Public Schools

Cata Truss Community Resident Sean Schindl Kids First Chicago

Housing

TASK FORCE CHAIRS

Athena Williams West Cook

Homeownership Center

Allison McGowan Community Resident

STRATEGY LEADS

Shirley Fields Hunters Realty

Rosie Dawson Westside Health Authority

Athena Williams West Cook

Homeownership Center

Public Safety

TASK FORCE CHAIRS

Bradly Johnson BUILD Inc.

Marilyn Pitchford Heartland Alliance

STRATEGY LEADS

Adam Alonso BUILD Inc. Edwina Hamilton BUILD Inc. Bertha Purnell Mothers OnA Mission28 Jose Abonce The Policing Project Ruby Taylor Taproots, Inc.

Youth Empowerment

TASK FORCE CHAIRS

Carmen Scott-Boria BUILD Inc.

D’elegance Lane Community Stakeholder

STRATEGY LEADS

Deonna Hart BUILD Inc.

Aisha Oliver

Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago

Helen Slade

Territory NFP

Dollie Sherman Austin Coming Together

Civic Engagement

TASK FORCE CHAIRS

Deborah Williams-Thurmond Habilitative Systems Inc.

STRATEGY LEADS

Arnold Bearden South Austin Neighborhood Association (SANA) Crystal Gardner Protest to the Polls Sharif Walker Bethel New Life

Contact ACT’s Lead Organizer, Ethan Ramsay at 630.474.4016 or eramsay@austincomingtogether.org for more information

Igniting investment: How continued support will shape the lives of Austinites

By Scott Prywitch Marketing & Development Coordinator, Austin Coming Together

With the progress and actions seen among these development projects, the Austin community has found itself at a pivotal moment.

The support from member organizations and resource partners has moved the community forward, but their continued involvement and investment are beyond necessary to ensure the trajectory of the Austin renaissance.

CONTINUING THE MOMENTUM

Projects already in the works, such as the revamping of the Chicago Avenue and Central Avenue commercial corridors, have sparked the interest of some charitable foundations for further engagement and investment. For example, Austin Coming Together (ACT) hosted The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation in August for an immersive tour of Austin highlighting a variety of development projects including BUILD THE FUTURE, the ASPIRE Center for Workforce Innovation, the Laramie State Bank redevelopment, and Austin POPCourts! Tour guests got the chance to see the many successes of these development projects and hear from representatives of the community-based organizations leading them.

BRINGING HOPE

The revitalization of Austin through these projects is not only important for its physical development and sustainability, but it’s also important for its lasting image and spirit. The change brought about by these projects will prove that hope for a thriving Austin is valid. With the power of the Austin renaissance, Austin residents will not bear the burden of accessing basic resources. They will reclaim the narrative of their community and be empowered to live happier healthier lives. With the power of the Austin renaissance, Austin residents will blaze a trail for future generations to flourish.

ACT is excited about what these projects will bring to the Austin community and its residents. However, to advance along this path toward full transformation, individual and organizational efforts must be deeply connected and committed to Austin’s overall strategy, plans, and goals.

Not only does investing in Austin’s redevelopment mean progress on the AFT plan will be amplified and accelerated, but sustained support assures that outcomes happen as intended: to create a brighter, more equitable future for the Austin community. n

Austin has defined its needs and is on the path to address them. But we need funders to continue to stay at the table and be responsive to those needs.

DARNELL SHIELDS, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF AUSTIN COMING TOGETHER

LEFT TO RIGHT—Athena Williams, Executive Director of Oak Park Regional Housing Center, talks about the redevelopment of the Laramie State Bank building during an Austin community tour for The MacArthur Foundation; Team members from The MacArthur Foundation take photos as they hear about the plans to reactivate Laramie State Bank and the adjacent land into a mixed-use space; A close-up of original terracotta tiles on the outside of Laramie State Bank that are part of its 1920’s world-class Art Deco architecture.

We about AUSTIN. We about OUR CITY. We about EQUITY.

Chicago’s Austin community is full of incredibly passionate individuals and groups who truly care for one another. It has beautiful architecture, housing stock, and an immense potential for growth. But it is also struggling now more than ever from health inequities ranging from job loss to food insecurity.

Austin Coming Together (ACT) has worked alongside our 50+ member network to serve and care for Austin families since 2010. ACT’s Austin Community Hub and its provider network engage Austin residents in order to build trusted relationships and help them get connected to opportunities that improve their lives!