Community Safety
Rooted in care and wellness for all 33rd ward neighbors
It takes all of us working together to build safe and healthy communities.
Since taking office in May 2019, my staff and I have been working to develop a comprehensive plan for violence prevention that brings together different resources and constituencies in our ward–including our schools, community organizations and healthcare providers – through a holistic and researched-based approach.
At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in Spring 2020, our ward and neighboring wards saw an increase in shootings and lives lost to those shootings. Our ward office answered our neighbors’ calls for support by tightening community partnerships to increase communication on urgent incidents, advocating for evidence-based policy that can help prevent violence city wide, and pushing for more outreach programs in the our ward.
Gun violence is both a complex and urgent issue, so we want to share some of the specifics about how our office is working to promote community safety, directly and through our advocacy for city resources. We are incredibly happy to announce that Outreach workers with the Alliance of Local Service Organizations (ALSO), a resource we have pushed for throughout the past years, has been working in our ward since Summer 2021. A.L.S.O is an organization dedicated to having violence interrupters on the ground for violence prevention and de- escalation.
While we work to build something new we are also working with the systems in place intended to address violence in our ward. The 17th District of the Chicago Police Department is your first source of information on immediate incidents in the ward. While we do not supervise the work of the police, we serve as a liaison and share information once it has been vetted and confirmed by investigators. To view a full calendar of 17th District CAPS meetings click here.
33rd Ward We Keep Us Safe Resource Library
Organizations that Keep Us Safe
Zoilo Ramos | zramos@also-chicago.org | o: 773-235-5705 c:
ALSO has been a stakeholder in Albany Park and surrounding communities for 25 years providing effective street outreach, case management and victim services for those at the greatest risk of gun violence. In addition, since 2004 ALSO has included legal services, employment, and facilitated housing and other key services in Albany Park and surrounding communities. We have over 40 outreach workers blanketing the community who work one-on-one and in groups with at-risk/in-risk youth and young adults to build/re-build pro-social networks and engagement.
Isaac Huffman | ihuffman@rinconfamilyservices.org | 312-813-2073
Dedicated to rendering compassionate and effective programs to promote the quality of life by catalyzing to advocate, educate and empower individuals and their families. Provides counseling, case management, prevention, and treatment services for both individuals and families across Chicagoland.
The Kedzie Center
(773) 754-0577 | 4141 N Kedzie Ave, Ste. 2 (English, Spanish)
Apna Ghar
(773) 883-4663 | 4350 N Broadway (English, Urdu, French, Arabic, Amharic, Yoruba, Pashto, Turkish, Dari)
The Hana Center
(773) 583-5501 | 4300 N California Ave (English, Spanish, Korean)
Latino Union of Chicago(312) 491-9044 | 4811 N Central Park Ave (English, Spanish)
312-860-8543 | 3403 W Lawrence Ave, Suite 301 (English, Spanish)
North River Commission now provides financial support for families directly impacted by violence who need assistance covering costs for basic human needs. The funding can cover rental and utility assistance, mental health care, emergency relocation, and funeral fees due to loss of income, trauma, and disruption caused by the violent death of a family member. Rental/Utility assistance provides support to families who may need to take time off of work due to grief, causing economic strain on their family. If you or someone you know could benefit from these financial assistance options, please fill out this form to schedule an appointment or to request more information: Victim Family Services – Request Info or Schedule Appointment
(708) 669-9948 | israelsgiftsofhope@gmail.com (English, Spanish)
Our biggest goal is to provide resources to families who have suffered a loss due to violence. To be a source of support and comfort. We strive to build stronger communities and bonds between survivor families and society. So that together we can spread awareness. If you or anyone you know is in need for some Hope, Love, & Peace feel free to contact us. If you have any ideas or simply want to volunteer let us know. Together we can all make a difference.
NAMI Chicago is the local affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, which is the largest grassroots mental health advocacy organization in the country. We operate a mental health helpline where residents can call for themselves or a loved one to receive help in accessing mental health services in their community. Their Helpline can help people navigate the mental health system based on their needs and goals.
Mental health affects everyone, no matter who they are or where they are from. That’s why NAMI Chicago is committed to showing up for everyone in the community—whether it’s Chicago’s first responders, students and school staff, a person on the other end of the phone, or in the community, meeting individuals where they are. NAMI Chicago knows healing is possible on a community level. Read their Roadmap to Wellness here.
C4 Crisis Hotline
C4 Community Counseling Centers of Chicago is a leading provider for clinical services, they approach care in a personalized way with a keen sensitivity to diverse racial and ethnic populations. They have 4 locations around Chicago and they have a 24 hour service hotline. The number for this hotline is 773-769-0205. For more information visit their website.
Lutheran Social Services of Illinois Mental Health Crisis Response Hotline
We are happy to announce that there’s a mobile mental health crisis response program now serving the totality of our ward and nearby areas. The program operates 24/7 and sends out behavioral health experts to support people experiencing mental health crises. It has a hotline that people can call in order to access the services.
Keep this number with you and share it with neighbors if you can. 833.610. 5774
Transforming Community Safety Collective
The Ward’s Transforming Community Safety Collective is a volunteer-led initiative that meets weekly to discuss proven public health strategies for promoting community safety. Activities for the Spring and Summer 2021 include increased space activations in “hot spots” especially on weekends, collaborative events with community partners like Rincon Family Services and ALSO, and of continued advocacy for city-wide policy such as the “Treatment Not Trauma” Council Order that allows mental health professionals to respond to mental health emergencies.
If you are interested in joining the Community Wellness & Safety Working Group email communityofcare33@gmail.com or call our office at 773-840-7880.
Policy Work
To address community safety Alderwomen Rossana Rodriguez- Sanchez support the initiatives set forth in the People’s Plan for Community Safety. https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/sites/public-safety-and-violence-reduction/home/PeoplesPlanforCommunitySafety.html
Aligned with values of the People’s Plan, the Alderwomen worked in collaboration with movement driven organizations, faith leaders across the city and other elected officials, to implement the creation of the following community safety initiatives:
- The Office of Violence Prevention https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/depts/cdph/supp_info/violence_prevention/programs-and-services.html
This new agency centers a holistic, bottom-up and community minded approach to violence prevention. The office will ensure that families that have been directly impacted by gun violence will play a key role in informing the agency’s work. Finally, the agency will be able to recommend transparent, data-and-community-driven policy recommendations to help save lives
- Treatment Not Trauma Working Group chi.gov/treatmentnottrauma
The Alderwomen’s Committee on Health and Human Relations established an ordinance in October of 2023 which created a Treatment Not Trauma Working Group.This is a stepping stone toward creating a multi-year plan for the City of Chicago to invest in making the vision of Treatment Not Trauma a reality. The working group has been meeting regularly to gather input, stories, and experiences from Chicagoans, to put community experts and researchers in conversation with city departments, and to begin drafting a report filled with recommendations on how to mobilize city resources to expand access to public mental health services, open more public mental health clinics, and create a truly police-free option for Chicagoans to call during times of mental health crisis. We look forward to helping move Chicago’s crisis response model and public mental healthcare services in line with other major American cities that have successfully created programs similar to Treatment Not Trauma.
Infrastructure Improvements
Our office has just over $1 million to apply toward infrastructure improvements in the ward. The allocation of these funds is decided on by community members through a process called Participatory Budgeting (PB). Our PB Committee has a subcommittee that focuses on projects to do with safety. This includes, installation of new lights, police cameras, speed humps, and other infrastructure updates that may promote safety.
Defending our Undocumented Neighbors
In addition to focusing on gun violence, we organize alongside our community partners to ensure that our undocumented neighbors are safe. We have organized rapid responses when there are reports/threats of raids as well as neighborhood brigades to bring information to our most immigrant-populated neighborhoods. We have seen an escalation in raids in sanctuary cities like Chicago during Trump’s presidency, and we are stand with immigrant rights and community organizations fighting to keep families together. We do what we can to keep neighbors informed but we encourage all to follow Organized Communities Against Deportation (OCAD) and the Albany Park Defense Network (APDN) on social media to get the most up-to-date information on raids in the community.