Auburn Gresham

Auburn Gresham is a predominately African-American middle class community located just nine miles from downtown Chicago. After years of residential flight and commercial disinvestment along the 79th Street retail strip, the community began to see a rebound in the late 1990s through the efforts of a new alderman, alliance of community organizations and investment from the city.

The lead agency in Auburn Gresham is the Greater Auburn-Gresham Development Corporation, which also serves parts of the Chatham and Greater Grand Crossing community areas.

Learn more about the neighborhood on the Auburn Gresham portal. And see the 2016 Quality-of-Life Plan.

Auburn Gresham Community Area

Population

Population (2010)	58,625	down 7% from 2000
Racial/ethnic makeup (2010)	97% African American

Housing

Total occupied units (2010)	19,375	down 7% from 2000
Owned housing units (2010)	10,693	nearly identical to 2000

Income

Median household income (2010)	$38,860	up 12% from 2000
Percentage above $50,000 (2010)	37%	19% above $75,000

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LISC’s Quality-of-Life Planning Bettering Neighborhoods throughout Chicago: Justin Breen, Jan 8, 2018; In its third decade, LISC’s Quality-of-Life Planning (QLP) is bringing equitable change to neighborhoods throughout Chicago.
No Small Plans on the Southwest Side: Carl Vogel, Apr 20, 2017; The release of new Quality-of-Life Plans in Auburn Gresham, Chicago Lawn and Englewood brings fresh strategies and grassroots momentum to longtime LISC partners.
Streets Cleaned, Vets Honored in Day of Service: Annie Grossinger, Dec 1, 2016; On Veterans Day, volunteers rolled up their sleeves to clean vacant lots in Auburn Gresham.
Quality-of-Life Planning Is Back …: John McCarron, Aug 4, 2015; Fueled by resources raised through its recently completed Campaign for Stronger Neighborhoods, LISC Chicago is gearing up for a new round of neighborhood planning.
Long-Term Engagement: Carl Vogel, Jul 13, 2015; LISC workshop explores how to keep growing and using the power of community organizing after plans are done and the implementation begins.
Community Organizing: Step One for Neighborhood Change: Gordon Walek, Nov 19, 2014; A series of workshops gives LISC’s neighborhood partners an opportunity to share what they’ve learned about building community engagement, power and voice.
Graduating Seniors Testify to Elev8’s Strengths: Gordon Walek, May 29, 2014; Middle-school enrichment program opened eyes of students, changing their trajectory through high school and beyond.
How Elev8 Sparked a School-Health Revolution: Maureen Kelleher, Feb 5, 2014; At Perspectives-Calumet Middle Academy in the Auburn Gresham neighborhood, the health center, which was built through a partnership with Elev8 Chicago, is thriving. Since May 2008, the health center…
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…
Buying In to SSAs: John McCarron, Jul 1, 2013; Special Service Areas can be a tough sell, but the districts LISC helps create have proven a welcome boost to local business strips.
Knight Foundation Funds 'Bilingual Bridges' for Open Gov: Patrick Barry, Jun 24, 2013; The Knight Foundation awarded a grant to LISC Chicago to support resident engagement in Pilsen and Englewood that will better connect neighborhoods to Chicago's open gov and civic hacking communities.
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.
ISU Teacher Pipeline Brings Gusher of Talent to CPS: Ed Finkel, May 21, 2013; Program that partners with LISC and its lead agencies brings Illinois State University education students into communities to student-teach, and sometimes to live; many return to work
LISC Network Delivers for Healthy Chicago: John McCarron, Jun 15, 2012; Mayor Rahm Emanuel is tapping directly into LISC’s network of neighborhood groups for ideas on how to advance his administration’s ambitious Healthy Chicago agenda. On June 12, that…
Residents, Businesses Get Scoop on Community Web Portals: Grady Chambers, Jun 7, 2012; Through its Smart Communities Program, LISC Chicago has helped to establish five neighborhood portal websites, which enable neighborhood businesses, organizations and residents to start spreadin' the…
Chicago Elev8 Stories: Lessons Don't Stop at Graduation: Elizabeth Duffrin, Nov 12, 2011; The first group of students who completed Elev8 programming in middle school have now entered high school. Here are some of their stories.
Chicago Elev8 Stories: Richlyn Whittaker: Maureen Kelleher, Nov 12, 2011; Richlyn Whittaker, in his first year of high school, loves football. But he also has strong feelings about the Elev8 program, that not only helped him through middle school, but opened his eyes to a…
Project Maps South Side Health and Vitality: Ed Finkel, Sep 30, 2011; Partnership between University of Chicago, South Side NCPs focuses on healthcare and other services
U of C, South Side NCPs Partner on ‘Grand Rounds’: Ed Finkel, Sep 30, 2011; Community Grand Rounds program brought a broader definition of health issues to a broad range of the community
Renewed Funding--and New Achievements--for Elev8: Sep 1, 2011; Atlantic Philanthropies announces a new $3.5 million grant to expand the program and study its impact at five CPS middle schools.
Taking Health Care to the Streets: Ed Finkel, Jul 7, 2011; The 1100 block of West 79 th Street became a healthcare “sidewalk sale” as more than 40 vendors turned out for the biannual Auburn Gresham Health Fair.
Through News Literacy Project, Elev8 Students Develop Critical Eye: Maureen Kelleher, Jun 23, 2011; Do video games promote violence? Is Wikipedia a reliable source of information? Can news reporters unintentionally influence the stories they’re covering?
Auburn Students Green Up Lagoons, Increase the Peace: Ed Finkel, May 17, 2011; More than 200 students from four schools spent a blustery April morning cleaning up Winneconna Park in Auburn Gresham, drawing none of the media interest that a shooting had two days earlier.
Elev8 Students Go To Washington: Maureen Kelleher, May 7, 2011; A delegation of 16 middle-school students from Elev8 Chicago who participated in the “Voices in Action: National Youth Summit,” held at Howard University in Washington, D.C., earlier this…