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Chicago’s Back of the Yards Neighborhood
Boys Town Chicago will provide help, healing and hope to at-risk children in Chicago’s Back of the Yards neighborhood, located on the city’s southwest side and the backdrop to Upton Sinclair’s famous book The Jungle. There are nearly 30,000 people living in the historically immigrant area, bordered by 43 rd Street to the north, 55 th Street to the south, Halsted Street to the east, and Western Avenue to the west.
The paramount challenge this neighborhood faces is the overwhelming poverty and peripheral issues of poverty within the community. As a gateway community, many of the constituents have ‘pending’ documentation issues related to their immigration status. Without appropriate documentation, access to food subsidy, adequate housing, healthcare and gainful employment is difficult at best. Gangs, drugs, and violence thrive in this type of environment. Continuing an education while acquiring a second language presents additional challenges.
The Back of the Yards/New City is a ten by ten block area that is home to more than 5,000 elementary age students. Nearly 100-percent of the school age population qualifies for Free and Reduced Lunch indicating a high poverty index. Almost 70-percent of the population is under the age of eighteen.
For the past few years, 20 to 25 youth were buried, fallen victims of neighborhood violence. This is the issue that united the efforts of a group of community leaders to become the Peace and Education Coalition of the Back of the Yards, New City. This non-profit group and other interested parties have met monthly since 1997 to address issues surrounding the youth and their families most in need and develop strategies to address those needs to provide a healthier and safer neighborhood. The Coalition is one of the driving forces behind bringing Boys Town to Back of the Yards.
