Earlier this week, 24 City Council members and I tried to convene a special City Council meeting to discuss placing the Bring Chicago Home proposal on the February 2023 ballot. Bring Chicago Home proposes to increase the city’s real estate transfer tax by 1.9 percent on properties that sell for over $1,000,000 – and only on properties that sell for over $1,000,000 – and use those funds to provide a permanent funding stream for affordable housing and homelessness prevention.  

We needed just one more member of the City Council meeting to hold the meeting, but none came. At least nine other City Council members were at City Hall, but they refused to come to the Council floor. That this took place hours before the temperature dropped and the first measurable snowfall of the season arrived it’s truly heartbreaking. Even in the face of these disappointments, the Bring Chicago Home coalition is going to keep fighting to ensure that all of our houseless neighbors have the opportunity to live with dignity and care. I’m very proud to stand with this coalition and to see organizations from our neighborhoods such as Communities United fighting so hard to accomplish this. 

Here in the 33rd Ward, in his free time, our Ward Superintendent Eric Ramos has been working with Andy Robledo of Plants Delivered and mutual aid organizations like Avondale Mutual Aid to identify encampments and do outreach with our houseless neighbors to set them up with larger, warmer ice-fishing tents that do much better in colder conditions. Eric says “This kind of community-driven rapid-response actions are temporary, but it’s the best we can do in the absence of a program like what Bring Chicago Home could have done to bring them permanent and dignified housing.”

Additionally Rincon Family Services, for example, has the Living Room – a place where our houseless neighbors can rest, take a shower, get a warm meal, and be connected to mental health care and other wellness services.  

After the upheaval and disruption of the past few years, it shouldn’t surprise you to learn that a significant number of our 33rd Ward residents and neighbors are rent-burdened and living in precarious situations. These neighbors are teetering on the edge of becoming houseless too. For the significant number of renters who are living in precarious housing situations, there are several active city programs from the Department of Housing to help make a rental units more affordable. 

Please don’t hesitate to contact our office to learn more about these programs or to seek assistance if you or someone you know is living in a precarious situation. 

****

Earlier this week, Alderwoman Rodriguez-Sanchez joined WBEZ’s Reset to talk about Treatment Not Trauma, mental health crisis response, and re-opening the city’s public mental health centers. 

In This Week’s Newsletter

Quick Links 

*Want more information on community opportunities and job postings? Check out our Community Bulletin!

*Block party applications are open! Read more under “Form” on the Neighborhood Services page, and apply here! 

Property Tax Workshop, November 28th – December 12th

Earlier this month, property tax information was sent out to residents of Jefferson county and West Chicago. If you find this information incorrect or if you believe you’re eligible for an exemption our office is here to help. To determine your eligibility, please check the Cook County Assessors Office website. 

From November 28th through December 12th we will be partnering with the Cook Country Assessors Office to help our neighbors file their property tax appeals and file for exemptions. If you need support with filing your appeal or exemption, you must make an appointment with our office by calling us at (773)-840-7880 or emailing us at info@33rdward.org.

Winter Snow Shoveling Program

With winter quickly approaching, we would like to get a head start with our annual Snow Shoveling Program. Each year this program matches snow shoveling volunteers with those in need of the service, i.e seniors and people with disabilities. If you are interested in volunteering or need the snow shoveling service, please use this link to ensure your spot in the program. Once you enroll, we will be in contact with you to ensure you have all the information you need for this program.

Currently, there is a push for a city-wide ordinance by Better Streets Chicago that seeks to establish sidewalk snow and ice removal become service for all citizens. Click here to read more.

Neighborhood Events

1. Free Zumba for All, November 19th

2. Free Flu & Covid Vaccine Event, November 19th

3. St. John’s Episcopal Church Annual Thanksgiving Dinner, November 24th

4. 17th District Blood Drive, November 29th

5. Geography Trivia Night, December 1st

6. Friends of Haugan Winter Wonderland, December 3rd

7. Front Porch Christmas, December 10th

8. Handmade Holiday Bazaar, December 10th

Youth Opportunities

1. CPS Families Child Tax Credit

Chicago Public Schools families may be eligible for up to $3,600 per child through the expanded federal Child Tax Credit program.

To find out if you’re eligible, and to apply for this credit, visit GetCTC.org/chicagops, a simplified tax filing tool that takes just a few minutes to complete and does not require any tax documents. Some families may also be eligible for an additional $1,400 stimulus payment. Families have until mid-November to claim this money. More information can be found on this flier.

2. Little Explorers, Now – November 21st

The Kedzie Center is hosting another cycle of their parent-child play group called Little Explorers/Pequenos Exploradores for parents and young children (0-5) in our community. The program is bilingual and offered at no cost to community residents. Call them at (773)-754-0577 to reserve your spot. Masks and proof of vaccination required for adults.   

3. Skating, Hockey and Figure Skating Workshops, Sundays from Now – December 18th

Chicago Youth Foundation is a proud women-led initiative that brings the joy of ice sports to Chicago youth to improve their social and academic well-being and empowering them to find success through sportsmanship and teamwork. Below are the 3 FREE classes children can choose from.

Learn to Skate Workshop (for children that do not know how to skate)

• Students will learn the proper skating techniques needed to participate in our hockey or figure skating programs.
• Ice skates will be provided; Students must bring their own helmet, knee pads, elbow pads, and warm gloves
• Students should wear layers; including long sleeve shirt, light jacket, sweatshirt, with leggings, sweatpants, or jeans.

Hockey on your Block (for children that already know how to skate and would like to learn how to play hockey)

• Students will learn the proper techniques of advanced skating, stickhandling, passing, shooting, and playmaking.
• Hockey skates will be provided
• Students must bring their own hockey equipment and stick

Figure Skating on Your Block (for children that already know how to skate and would like to learn figure skating)

• Provides a safe and fun environment with group skating instruction that follows the framework of United States Figure Skating (USFS) to serve the needs of both recreational and competitive skaters.
• Figure skates can be provided 
• Helmets are optional.

Class size is limited to only the first 40 students who register online. If your children would like to participate in our 2022 fall workshops click this link.

Albany Park Holiday Pop-Ups 

Albany Park Holiday Pop-Ups are BACK!

Kick off the Holiday Season with great local goods from TWO Holiday pop-ups organized by North River Commission and the Albany Park Chamber of Commerce. Stop by 4730 N Kimball Ave featuring LOCAL: an artisan pop-up shop and Ms. Ella’s Healing Kitchen located at 4718 N Kedzie Ave. Check out the Albany Park Holiday Pop-Up page for the latest information and a full list of vendors.

This year’s pop-up series is made possible through the Small Business Storefront Activation Program by the City of Chicago’s Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection. Thank you for helping support our local small business communities.

LOCAL: an artisan pop-up shop (4730 N Kimball Ave) Hours

• Thursdays 3:00-8:00pm (Nov-Dec only)
• Fridays 3:00pm-8:00pm
• Saturdays 12:00pm-6:00pm
• Sundays 12:00pm-6:00pm

Ms. Ella’s Healing Kitchen (4718 N Kedzie Ave) Hours

• Hours Mondays – Saturdays: 9am – 9pm
  • With special events on select Sundays

River Park Advisory Council Thanksgiving Donations

River Park Advisory Council is collecting donations for people in need through Thanksgiving. Items they are collecting include

• Non perishable food items (ex: canned goods)
• Personal care products
• Cleaning supplies
• Winter coats (adult sizes small, medium, and large)
• Hats & gloves
• Bath towels

They are accepting locations by the front door of the field house located at 5100 N Francisco.

Know Your Rights, Remedies, and Resources Virtual Seminars, November 2022

Safer Foundation is partnering with the Women’s Justice Institute (WJI) to conduct a series of webinars to help people who are incarcerated and people with arrest and conviction records know their rights, know their remedies and also help connect them to legal and reentry resources. Below is a list of their upcoming webinars. Registration is required.

• Housing and Driver’s Licenses: November 29th 4 PM – 5 PM

HANA Center ILHAF Support Drive

The Illinois Homeowner Assistance Fund (ILHAF) 2.0 Program opened earlier this month. ILHAF offers financial assistance for eligible Illinois homeowners to pay past-due housing payments.

The HANA Center is a Housing Stability Servicer provider and have partnered with the Illinois Housing Development Authority to help Illinois residents apply and receive housing counseling for the Illinois Housing Assistance Fund (ILHAF).

HANA Center will be holding in-person application drives at their Chicago office (4300 N. California Ave.) to help homeowners apply to HAF 2.0.

To attend the application drive, you must register in advance. Please register here for the application drive and learn more about the HAF 2.0 program.

Application Drive Schedule:

• November 20th 9:30 am – 12 pm & 1:30 – 4 pm

There will be future application drives in December and January.

If you have any questions, please call the HANA Center at (773)-583-5501, email housing@hanacenter.org, or text ‘mortgage’ to (773)-217-8497 (Korean/English) or (773)-217-9335 (Spanish/English).

WBEZ Chicago Wants to Hear From You

Have you been ghosted by a CTA bus or train lately? For example, waiting for a bus that is scheduled to come in 5 minutes but it doesn’t arrive to the bus stop for another 45. Lately, many people have experienced something similar with CTA trains and buses. 

CTA recently announced the roll out of an improvement plan that addresses wait times, increased safety, and bus tracking technology. However, WBEZ Chicago would like to hear feedback from CTA riders about what they’d like to have fixed first and if riders have any questions for the people in charge at CTA. Your input would help WBEZ report on the CTA and would allow them to ask CTA officials the questions that matter most. To have your feedback heard, please visit their website. 

Trilogy Winter Clothing Drive

Trilogy is a community mental health agency located in the Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago. This year they are having a winter clothing drive for Chicagoans in need. If you are able to donate they are accepting donations in Albany Park at 3737 W Lawrence Ave Monday through Thursday from 11am – 4pm. If you have questions on what kind of clothing items they are looking for, please contact them at (773)- 508-6100. 

ComEd Warning about Holiday Scammers 

ComEd urges families and businesses to be on the lookout for impersonators looking to steal money and information from unsuspecting individuals. Scammers posing as ComEd employees will call homes and businesses from a number that appears to be from ComEd and threaten to turn off electric service unless payment is made to a bogus website or phone number. Sometimes imposters will visit in person to collect personal information that can be used to steal identities or access bank accounts.

Tips to Help Identify Scams

ComEd will never call or visit your home or business to:

• Ask for direct payment with a prepaid cash card, cryptocurrency such as Bitcoin, or
  third-party payment app like Cash App, QuickPay, Venmo or Zelle;
• Demand immediate payment
• Ask for personal information (such as a Social Security number, driver’s license
  number of bank information)
• Ask for your ComEd account number
  unless you contact us first to enroll in a program or service.

Tips to Help Identify a True ComEd Employee

• All ComEd field employees wear a uniform with the ComEd logo and visibly display a
  company ID badge with the logo and employee’s name.
• ComEd recently changed its logo, so customers may continue to see the former ComEd logo on uniforms, badges and vehicles until the logo is phased out.
• If customers are ever unsure about whether a person knocking at their door is a true
  ComEd employee, they are encouraged to close and lock their door, and call ComEd (800-334-7661) from a trusted phone number. A true
  ComEd employee will not mind waiting.

Swedish Hospital Health & Wellness Events, Fall & Winter 

Below you can find a list of upcoming community events hosted by Swedish Hospital. All events are free and RSVP is required to attend. If there are any questions they ask that you give them a call at 773-878-6888 or visit their website at swedishcovenant.org/events. 

• Family Fridays: a two hour “open house style” event featuring fun activities, nutrition lessons, food samples, seasonal tips, and more for families. Stop by at anytime during the event time.
  • Friday, November 18: 4:30 – 6:30 PM
  • Friday, December 16: 4:30 – 6:30 PM
• “More Color” Nutrition Workshop: This one-hour interactive workshop is designed to help families with meal planning, cooking and healthy eating by focusing on tips and tricks to incorporate more color into every meal. Includes hands-on nutrition activities for parents and kids along with recipes, cooking demos, taste testing and more
  • Tuesday, December 20: 4:30 – 5:30 PM
• Bystander CPR / AED Training Session: Learn about the importance of “hands-only” CPR and how to respond in an emergency situation. At this session, you will learn how to properly perform chest compressions and how to use an AED (Automated External Defibrillator). Please note: Bystander CPR Training is different from a full-certification course.
  • Thursday, December 15: 6:30 – 7:30 PM
• Monthly Cooking Series: This class features tips on meal planning, shopping on a budget, and incorporating healthy foods daily. It is part of their monthly cooking series, led by Annie Scott, Community Outreach Registered Dietitian.
  • Tuesday, December 6: 1:00 – 2:30 PM
  • Tuesday, December 13: 1:00 – 2:30 PM
  • Tuesday, December 20: 1:00 – 2:30 PM
• Teen Hangout: Designed especially for students in 8th through 12th grade, this monthly gathering creates a safe space for fun, games, snacks and more. Stop by to hang out with friends, work with a study group, participate in a community service project, play board games or join in various topical discussions. Light refreshments provided.
  • Wednesday, November 23: 4:30 – 6:00 PM
  • Wednesday, December 28: 4:30 – 6:00 PM

Community Commission for Public Safety & Accountability

The Community Commission for Public Safety & Accountability is a newly created independent civilian police oversight body in Chicago. 

They have applications open for a few Commission-appointed positions and they are hosting a public meeting on November 14th. You can view previous public meetings on their YouTube Channel. 

1. The Commission recently opened applications to serve on the Chicago Police Board, a 9-member council which makes disciplinary decisions for CPD officers accused of misconduct – applications due November 20th. There are 3 current vacancies.
2. They have applications open for their Noncitizens Advisory Council, which will be advisors to the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability to help make sure that the Commission’s work reflects and incorporates the public safety perspectives and experiences of non-citizen and new Chicagoans – applications due November 20th

Small Business Spotlight: Jaiclaud Laundry Services & Thrift Shop

Claudia is ready to help you with your laundry and offer a variety of items, some new, some gently used. From winter gear to home decor to baby clothes you can find lots of awesome little things in this new store. Jaiclaud is located at 2960 W Montrose Ave. Check them out on Facebook.

Business Resources

1. Small Business Improvement Fund (SBIF) Lawrence/Pulaski TIF District NOW OPEN

Application period ends November 30

The Small Business Improvement Fund (SBIF) opens for applications starting Tuesday, November 1 at 9:00 am in the Lawrence/Pulaski TIF district. The SBIF program uses revenue from TIF districts to help owners of commercial and industrial properties to repair or remodel their facilities for their own business or on behalf of tenants. Tenant businesses are also eligible to apply on their own. Please note that residential projects are not eligible for the SBIF program, and residential developers should not apply. 

Program participants can receive grants for 30 to 90 percent of project costs, with a maximum grant of $150,000 for commercial properties and $250,000 for industrial properties. The grants are administered by SomerCor on the City’s behalf and do not have to be repaid. Apply at chicago.gov/sbif by Nov. 30, and register for an informational webinar at 1:00 pm on Wednesday, November 2 bit.ly/nov22sbif.

2. Business Grant Applications

• Founder’s First Grant — A total of $100,000 will be awarded to 30 businesses in Chicago in the form of cash and full-tuition scholarships to a stellar accelerator.
  • Grant money can be used as growth capital to hire or rehire premium wage jobs.
  • Cash infusion can be used to purchase, fix or enhance equipment necessary to help you manage growth challenges and scale for the future.
  • Founder identifies as one of the following: Latinx, Black, Asian, Women, LGBTQIA+, Military Veteran, or located in a Low to Moderate Income area.
  • TO QUALIFY: Must be located in the state of Illinois and have a current staff of 2-20 employees. Will have the ability to add 1-2+ net new premium wage jobs in the next 12 months. Your company must be a service-based business and at least one revenue stream serving other businesses. Must be a for-profit company with annual revenues between $100K and $3 million.
  • The application deadline is February 4, 2023.  Please email chicago.jobcreators@foundersfirstcdc.org with any questions about the Job Creators Quest Grant.
• Innovations for Healthy Living – Improving Minority Health and Eliminating Health Disparities funding opportunity
  • Granted by the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) as part of the America’s Seed Fund. This opportunity is for eligible SBIR/STTR entities to develop technologies and products that address health disparities while engaging and empowering individuals and communities.
• Upskilling Initiative
  • Provides professional development grants to businesses that serve employees aged fifty (50) and older who are currently earning up to $16 an hour. Training funds will be disbursed in $2,000 increments, pending a guaranteed commitment from the employer of a $1.50 or more per hour wage increase respectively after the training is complete.

For more business grant information please, visit North River Commission’s website.

Employment Opportunities

1. North River Commission is hiring

Join their team in making our communities healthier and safer! Position descriptions are on their employment page. Excellent benefits include health, dental and vision coverage and 401k retirement plan. Paid time off is provided for vacation, holidays, sick time, family leave, and medical leave. 

2. CTA Job Fair, November 18th

3. CTA’s Find a Job Fridays

MonkeyPox Resources

The monkeypox virus is spread through close contact with body fluids, sores, shared bedding or clothing, or respiratory droplets (kissing, coughing, sneezing, etc.).

Vaccinations for MPV are currently available in Chicago for adults 18 and up. Because of the limited availability of vaccines, you must meet the eligibility requirements outlined by the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH).

COVID-19 Resources

1. At-Home Vaccinations:

Get your whole family vaccinated at home! CDPH is offering vaccination appointments at home for up to 10 family members. Click here to set up your appointment!

2. Receive Your Updated COVID-19 Vaccine At Home!

3. At-Home Vaccinations Incentive

Through August 30, any Chicagoan age 5 and up is now eligible to receive a $50 gift card for booster COVID vaccine doses (regardless of zip code) via the City’s At-Home vaccination program. 

Per CDC rules, this bonus is only being offered to individuals that have not received more than $100 in COVID vaccine incentives from the City. Incentives will be provided while supplies last.

Click here to schedule your appointment

4. Vaccinations

CPS Students: 

– Permanent sites
– Mobile Events
– School-Based Health Centers
–  Sign up for weekly COVID testing at CPS

33rd Ward Vaccination Events

1. Theodore Roosevelt High School

2. Swedish Hospital: Walk-In’s Welcome

* More information on City testing sites here!

Community Safety Updates

1. 17th District CAPS Meetings

The 17th District has resumed beat meetings in-person. 

Information about Beat Meetings here.

Please contact the 17th District Community Policing Office / CAPS, if there are any questions or concerns.

Email: caps.017district@chicagopolice.org

Telephone: 312-742-4588