North Lawndale

A working class neighborhood once centered around the world headquarters of Sears, Roebuck and Co., North Lawndale is recovering from a long period of population decline and disinvestment.

Now home to 38,100 residents, down from 125,000 in 1960, the neighborhood has attracted significant new development over the past 15 years, including a shopping center and cinema on Roosevelt Road, several housing developments, an expanded health center on Ogden Avenue, and the Homan Square Community Center in the former Sears complex.

The NCP Quality-of-Life Plan unveiled in May 2005, titled "North Lawndale: Faith Rewarded," envisioned a community with low unemployment, high quality schools and training programs, healthy and stable families, adequate health and social services centers, thriving small businesses that are often locally owned, diverse housing types accessible to all income levels, attractive surroundings, and cultural facilities that serve the entire neighborhood.

Despite the Great Recession of 2008, some of those plans are being implemented. The lead agency in North Lawndale is the Lawndale Christian Development Corporation.

Population

Population 2010	38,109	down 8% from 2000
Racial/ethnic makeup 2010	93% African American, 4% Latino

Housing

Total occupied units (2010)	11,245	down 9% from 2000
Owner occupied units (2010)	3,377	up slightly from 2000

Income

Median household income (2010)	$25,466	up 16% from 2000
Percentage above $50,000	22%	11% above $75,000

Chicago Plans 2015 Ends…Chicago Plans 2016 Begins: Paolo Cisneros, Feb 2, 2016; The Chicago Plans 2016 application deadline for communities seeking to learn the ropes of community planning is Monday, February 29, 2016.
Police-Community Programs Win MetLife Foundation Awards: Carl Vogel, Dec 18, 2014; Police, Enlace Chicago and the North Lawndale Employment Network are honored for making their neighborhoods safer places to live.
Practice Makes Perfect: New Approaches to 'Hoops': Christy Perera, Aug 4, 2014; Every week from June through August, 14 neighborhoods close off streets and turn out crowds for Hoops in the Hood, a basketball program first developed as an anti-violence strategy.
North Lawndale’s MLK Dream Goes on Display: John McCarron, Jan 21, 2014; New Fair Housing Exhibit Center celebrates Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King’s historic 1966 sojourn in Chicago … and a neighborhood’s revival
Youth Build Paths Away from Violence: Kimberly Harris, Nov 22, 2013; Reducing the violence that cuts across so many Chicago neighborhoods will require multiple strategies, but at least one element was strengthened this year in Auburn Gresham and other neighborhoods…
Local Wisdom Key to LISC’s ACA Outreach: John McCarron, Oct 15, 2013; There's no precedent for the nationwide effort to enroll millions of uninsured Americans under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Here's how LISC and its partners are making it happen.
Volunteers Dig In on NeighborWorks Day: John McCarron, Jun 18, 2013; A little rain didn’t stop about 500 volunteers from painting, planting and mowing on Saturday, June 1, when several of LISC Chicago’s local partners pitched in at the annual NeighborWorks…
LISC Partners Ready for NeighborWorks Day: John McCarron, May 29, 2013; There’ll be lots of painting, raking and mowing on Saturday, June 1, when several of LISC Chicago’s local partners turn out for the annual NeighborWorks Day.
Two Neighborhoods Plan “All-In” Safety Initiatives: Patrick Barry, Mar 26, 2013; LISC Chicago's Neighborhood Safety Initiative will take a 360-degree approach to fighting violent crime in South Chicago and North Lawndale.
NCP Groups Gain Voice in School Closings: Elizabeth Duffrin, Jan 18, 2013; Spurred in part by the threat of school closings, groups in neighborhoods served by LISC Chicago’s New Communities Program are organizing like never before to influence district decision-making.
"Hoops" Tips Off vs. Youth Violence: John McCarron, Jul 31, 2012; As Chicago scrambles for ways to curb youth violence, LISC’s “Hoops in the ’Hood” continues to show one way to take back the urban street.
Neighborhood Leaders Hone Communications, Business Skills: Grady Chambers, Apr 2, 2012; Running a small business is tough enough when economic times are good. When they’re bad, as in recent years, they’re exponentially harder. But help’s on the way. Earlier this…
Hoops in the Hood: Profile of Volunteer Coach Darren Tillis: Sep 1, 2011; A State Farm insurance agent, Tillis has a deep commitment to his childhood community of North Lawndale that manifests itself through volunteer efforts like his basketball coaching.
Hundreds Hit the Courts for Hoops in the Hood: Sep 15, 2010; The 2010 Hoops in the Hood Cross-City Tournament winners for the Major Division from East Garfield also won a victory for their neighborhood, for the spirit of teamwork, and for safe streets.