In the summer of 2016, Mayor Rahm Emanuel and U.S. Rep. Bobby Bush announced an initiative slated to improve the community and the lives of those living on the South Side of Chicago. Chatham, Auburn-Gresham, Greater Grand Crossing, and Avalon Park were among the areas of focus for the Greater Chatham Initiative (GCI).

By December, GCI received a $500,000 grant from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, which was part of a $11.6 million effort to spur economic growth in low-income communities. According to a press release, the funds were intended to create jobs and provide housing opportunities for residents. 

"For metropolitan Chicago to prosper, it needs Greater Chatham to be healthy, vital and to continue its engagement in vigorous regional economic activity,” Nedra Sims-Fears, Greater Chatham Initiative executive director, said in the release.

One of the efforts is rehabbing houses to make them more attractive for homebuyers. According to a report from Crain’s Chicago Business in August 2017, those rehabs have helped to get the community back on solid footing in the housing market. Crain’s analysis of Midwest Real Estate Data found that in the 12 months leading up to August 2017, one in four homes sold in the neighborhood were rehabbed by builders.

Citing data from the Chicago Association of Realtors, the median price of a home in Chatham jumped at the end of June by 42 percent annually. The average rehabbed home sold for nearly $212,000 this year, and the median sale of a home in the community was $120,000. This surge is a major indicator that the market was previously reliant on low-priced foreclosures.

Chatham was hit hard after the Great Recession, with a lot point of 4.2 foreclosure filings per 100 properties. While not the hardest hit neighborhood, the home values in Chatham dropped 57 percent by November 2011 from the peak reported in 2007. 

Chatham Library to Undergo Major Renovation

Photo courtesy of Whitney M. Young, Jr. Library

Another boon  expected for the Chatham community and real estate market is the $12 million renovation of the Whitney M. Young, Jr. Library. According to a press release from the Chicago Public Library, groundbreaking took place Jan. 22 on the complete renovation of the library branch at 7901 S. King Drive. 

“The revitalization of critical neighborhood assets like the Whitney Young Library branch are paramount for our Chatham residents,” said Alderman Roderick Sawyer, 6th Ward, in the release. “This investment in the library’s facilities and infrastructure will provide our patrons with safe learning and gathering spaces for the children and families of this community.”

The new branch will be updated with modern style and state-of-the-art amenities for kids and adults of all ages. It will feature an early learning play space, YOUmedia digital lab, meeting and study spaces, and additional computer access. The branch will also be one of three Experience Labs in the city of Chicago, which means it will have added resources for adults and kids to learn digital skills. Experience Labs are a part of a $250,000 investment from Comcast. 

While the branch won’t be demolished, there will be a 2,800-square-foot expansion, and the building will be retrofitted with energy efficient mechanical systems and better lighting.