W.E.C.A.N. - Woodlawn East Community And Neighbors Inc.
In 2010, Woodlawn East Community And Neighbors (W.E.C.A.N.) celebrated thirty (30) years and counting of service to the residents of Chicago's South Side Woodlawn community. Woodlawn is a community in transition - with issues ranging from one of the highest foreclosure rates of any Chicago neighborhood and one of the highest rates of senior gentrification, and ten schools plagued with high dropout and low performance - and the promise of opportunities for growth with the $120 million Woodlawn Gardens development - formerly called Grove Parc, new commercial development in the 63rd and Cottage Corridor, a new non-profit organization, the Woodlawn Children's Promise Community, bringing transformational change to those ten (10) Woodlawn schools, and more than 4,800 housing parcels for which innovative ideas and strategies can bring sustainable development for the current and future residents of the neighborhood. FORECLOSURE - A KEY CHALLENGE IN WOODLAWN Over the past three years, foreclosures hit Woodlawn residents at one of the highest rates of any Chicago neighborhood. According to several housing databases, more than 750 properties entered foreclosure between January 2008 and December 2010. AFFORDABLE HOUSING - NEW PROBLEMS REQUIRE NEW SOLUTIONS HISTORIC RENOVATION AND REHABILITATION - STABILIZING AND SAVING NEIGHBORHOODS W.E.C.A.N.'S HOUSING AND COMMUNITY SERVICES TRACK RECORD Since 1986, W.E.C.A.N. has saved through acquisition, rehabilitation or intervention more than 5,000 units of housing for Woodlawn residents. W.E.C.A.N.'s current portfolio of 134 units of housing include studios, one-bedroom and two-bedroom units in four buildings located at 1554 East 65th Street, 6230 South Dorchester, 6146 South Kenwood, and 1411 East 65th Place. Rental rates are kept affordable for low-income residents. |
W.E.C.A.N. AFFORDABLE HOUSING UNITS
6450 South Stony Island Avenue
W.E.C.A.N.'s corporate offices are housed in a mixed-use building that includes a barber shop, grocery store, and the W.E.C.A.N. after-school program.
1554 East 65th Street
29 apartment units are available in this classic mixed-use structure which was acquired and rehabbed by W.E.C.A.N. in 1990.
6230 South Dorchester - Eddie Mae and Alex Johnson Apartments - 64 Units Of Housing For Low-Income Residents
W.E.C.A.N.'s largest affordable housing development, the Johnson Apartments - named for one of W.E.C.A.N.'s first Board members - provides 64 units of studio and one-bedroom housing for Woodlawn residents earning 50% or less of metropolitan Chicago's adjusted median income (AMI).
6146 South Kenwood Avenue - Butler-Lindon Apartments
Butler-Lindon Apartments features 41 units of affordable housing for low-income residents and seniors.
1411 East 65th Place
W.E.C.A.N.'s 6-flat building on 65th Place includes six 3-bedroom units.
WECAN Development Corporation WECAN Development Corporation is part of a new initiative, the Woodlawn Development Collaborative, to acquire and rehab foreclosed housing in Woodlawn.Up to 200 units of housing will be turned into affordable housing over the next five (5) years. | W.E.C.A.N.'s Housing Resource Center serves Woodlawn and the Southeast Side wards 5, 7 and 20. 
The W.E.C.A.N. Housing Resource Center offers innovative services to assist residents in various categories:
- homeowners
- tenants
- owners of multi-unit buildings
- developers of new housing
- rehabbers of existing housing
Services include:
- foreclosure intervention for homeowners at risk of foreclosure
- homebuyer counseling for Woodlawn residents
- developer marketing services
- historic preservation development initiative
- tenant-rights services and referrals
- assistance with utility bills
- seminars and informational workshops
- apartment rental referrals
WECAN's Housing Resource Center provided services and referrals for mor than 200 Woodlawn residents in 2008, and helped save 18 units of housing from foreclosure and 24 residents from homelessness. The Housing Resource Center presented six seminars in 2008, eight (8) seminars in 2009 and six (6) seminars in 2010 to more than 350 attendees, the vast majority of them Woodlawn residents. In 2011, the WECAN Housing Resource Center has expanded its services delivery to include: - The innovative Foreclosure Intervention Support Team
- The Woodlawn Development Collaborative
- Donated properties being rehabbed as affordable housing
- A new development initiative - construction of a senior assisted living center in Woodlawn
For more information about the WECAN Housing Resource Center, check out the web page. | W.E.C.A.N. REFERRAL NETWORK, FAMILY SUPPORT CENTER LINK COMMUNITY RESIDENTS TO RESOURCES AND ASSISTANCE Woodlawn's low-income residents are eligible for a variety of services provided by city, county, state, and federal agencies; WECAN's comprehensive referral network connects community residents with service referrals. Within each of WECAN's buildings, trained counselors help residents develop life planning strategies and access job training, job readiness and job retention services. WECAN's Supportive Services programs are included in the new WECAN Family Support Center, which provides a comprehensive overview of and assistance in obtaining benefits from city, county, state and federal sources for all Woodlawn community residents. Through the Family Support Center, Woodlawn residents can access benefits from: - City of Chicago agencies (Office Of Community Development, Department of Family And Suppportive Services)
- Cook County (Cook County Board of Commissioners)
- State Agencies (Illinois Department of Health, Illinois Department of Human Services, Illinois Department of Public Aid, Illinois Housing Development Authority
- Federal Agencies (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, U.S. Department of Labor, U.S. Department of Commerce)
The Family Support Center can connect you to information and resources that empower you in improving the quality of life for yourself and your family. |