New City Initiatives
New Eclipse Community Alliance provides after school tutoring and safe place for neighborhood children. In this program, children’s educational activities are supported and enhanced through our after school tutoring program, which helps about 17 students daily. Homework is done; reading is practiced, and essential skills enforced in a quiet setting with caring and knowledgeable adults to help them complete the tasks assigned by their teachers.
The main goal of the tutoring program is to have the students successfully complete their homework every night, so that they may excel academically. There are three groups of students for the tutoring program. All three groups meet Monday through Friday. While the focus is on homework help, there is also content specific tutoring available in reading/English language arts, math, and science.
The New Eclipse Community Alliance has been building a Community Technology Center (CTC) that allows students and adult community members’ access to a computer and the Internet. This is critical for homework for children, for adult learners pursuing a GED/HSED or to complete resumes or conduct job searches. The goal for this center is to have 30 state of the art computer workstations available and in use benefitting the community.
The Center will also offer structured computer classes that will allow participants to learn the basic operations of a computer, including: using the cursor, the mouse, creating and saving a file, opening files, closing files, setting margins, editing files, using different types of fonts and sizes, mastering the use of the printer, and being able to write basic letters and documents on Microsoft Word. We also hope to offer advanced level classes that instruct participants in advanced applications and uses of Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, and PowerPoint.
The New Eclipse Community Alliance intends to address the problem of limited educational attainments by the adults in the neighborhood. To impact this issue, New Eclipse has implemented an Adult Education Program that includes free GED/HSED classes, ESL, and Basic Skill Improvement workshops that focus on improving the reading, writing, and math proficiencies of residents with high school diplomas. Many of the residents in the neighborhood can benefit from improving their reading and math skills. This will broaden their employability and improve their lives.
Community Involvement
In 2011, Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) Chicago began investing in our neighborhood through the New Communities Program (NCP). NCP is a long-term initiative to support comprehensive community development in 18 Chicago neighborhoods. LISC Chicago is a national organization with a community focus, organizing capital and other resources to support initiatives that will transform distressed neighborhoods into healthy, stable ones.
New Eclipse Community Alliance supports the findings that resulted from the NCP’s structured community planning process, which involved local residents and leaders in the creation of strategies to improve the community’s quality of life. The Back of the Yards Quality of Life Plan focuses on youth, education, economic development, housing, safety and civic engagement. Four committees were formed: Education & Youth, Economic Development, Housing, and Civic Engagement. New Eclipse is working to be an active partner in these processes to impact community improvement efforts.
One of the key outputs of the community planning efforts was the development of Special Service Areas in the neighborhood. These Areas are a tool used by industrial, commercial, and residential areas to fund additional services and programs in neighborhood business districts. An SSA utilizes a local property tax levy to guarantee special services and programs in addition to the ones already provided by the City.
When a Special Service Area is approved, a local SSA Commission is created. The Mayor appoints businesses and property owners to this Commission. The members of the commission provide input on services and oversight to the SSA. This group manages funding from the tax levy, which can only be used on services within the Special Service Area. Special Service Areas will fund small scale capital improvement projects, and a variety of programs and services, including security services, beautification efforts, area marketing and advertising assistance, promotional activities like parades and festivals, and safety programs.
NECA Intentions
New Eclipse Community Alliance intends to work with neighborhood stakeholders and the City of Chicago to establish a Special Service Area in our section of the community. The goal of this is to support the revitalization of the commercial corridors, bring investment back to the neighborhood, support small business development, invest in the housing stock and homeownership, and create the support systems necessary for children and families to be successful.New Eclipse Community Alliance will provide services including:
- After school support
- Adult education
- Access to employment
- Human Services supports (energy assistance programs, food pantry, SNAP applications, etc.)
- Youth recreation and positive development supports
- Juvenile Justice and Offender Re-Entry supports
- Community Development, and
- Economic Development
- Partnerships with
- Community Economic Development Association (CEDA)
- Chicago Public Schools (CPS) Safe Haven
- Panera Bread
- Oak Street Health
- Jewel Foods
- Greater Chicago Food Depository
- Pepsi Cola