Keeping My Community

Cynthia Scott has lived in Lathrop Homes for over 20 years. “I don’t want to leave here, where can I go?” said Cynthia. “I only make a slightly above minimum wage and I’m trying to raise three of my four children at home. It is difficult for us living in Lathrop. The rules for lease compliancy are always changing. We’re afraid to breathe, but I have hope.”

Lathrop Homes is part of the Chicago Housing Authority (CHA) Plan for Transformation. CHA is planning to redevelop or demolish the 926 unit low income housing complex and replace them with 1200 mixed income units. This will displace many current residents.“My neighborhood has excellent transportation, shopping, beautiful landscaping, and walking paths along the river. I understand why many developers would just like to shove the poor out of the way to build million dollar town homes.I have been very involved in my community since I moved here. My children have attended Schneider Elementary School, my grandson attends there now. I’ve volunteered at the school for many years and was part of the Parent Mentor program provided by the Logan Square Neighborhood Association (LSNA). I am a member of and work at the Church of Good News, whose congregation consists of mostly Lathrop Homes residents.

Cynthia Scott doesn't want to leave her home.

Many residents, like me, don’t understand what CHA’s Plan for Transformation means for us. We’ve been working closely with the Local Advisory Council, LSNA, and others to get to various tables to share ourvision of what the plan should look like. We have met with the former Executive Director, Terry Peterson, and have support from our Alderman, Manuel Flores.

We (Lathrop Homes residents) are attending training sessions with LSNA, the Voorhees Center, and the City Design Center to get a better perception of what the Transformation Plan is. This has been very helpful for me. I’ve never seen development plans before and feel more comfortable being able to distinguish between what we have now and what could be. All we need is for CHA to listen to us.

We need continued support for our vision from the entire city. We want to keep our homes, we want to keep our greenery, we want opportunities to purchase, we have jobs, we are a mixed income development, please don’t just shove us aside.”