Building Community,

Restoring Trust
Town Hall Meeting 2
Jobs, Economic Development
and Technology
Presented by Valerie F. Leonard

Guest Presenters: Val Jordan

O.S. Owen
Don Samuelson
What We’ll Cover
• The Employment Environment
• Education Snapshot
• Financial Programs for Working Families
• Programs in Manufacturing and
Construction
• Technology Centers
• The Issues
• Valerie’s Agenda
Employment Environment
Presenter: Valerie F. Leonard
24th Ward Income Snapshot
• Pop. below poverty level (2000) 45.2%,
was fourth highest in city in 2000
• Households w/income below $15,000
(2005) 4,865
• Households w/ income above $35,000:
3,434
(1,009 households had above $75,000)
24th Ward
Employment Snapshot
• The local unemployment rate, was 23% in 2005, including
discouraged workers. This compared with a state
unemployment rate of 4.35% and a national
unemployment rate of 4%.

• The current unemployment rate for the state of Illinois is

9.6% (November, 2010) and the current unemployment rate
for the country is 9.8% (November, 2010).

• While community level unemployment data are not

available, it may be assumed that the unemployment rate in
North Lawndale is higher than it was in 2005.
Employment in Our Industrial TIF
Districts
• Presently, the Western/Ogden Industrial Corridor houses
86 firms, employs 5,887 individuals and generates $1.1
billion in annual sales (2001)

• The Roosevelt/Cicero Industrial Corridor houses 88 firms,

employs 4,663 individuals and generates $1.2 billion in
annual sales. # Jobs Created by TIF Projects-N/A
National Employment Outlook
• According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the
Recession began in 2007.
• Full employment is not expected until 2018
Trends in the Workforce by Age Group

• The Bureau of Labor Statistics

is projecting an aging
workforce between now and
2018.
 24th Ward Employment Snapshot
Industries in Which 24th Ward Residents are
Most Likely to be Employed[ii]
Industry (Pop 16+) Number Percentage
Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting, and Mining 15 0.16%
Construction 313 3.44%
Manufacturing 990 10.87%
Wholesale Trade 222 2.44%
Retail Trade 754 8.28%
Transportation and Warehousing, and Utilities (Pop 16+) 1,020 11.20%
Information 220 2.42%
Finance, insurance, real estate, and rental and leasing 648 7.12%
Professional, Scientific, Management, Administrative, etc. 952 10.45%
Educational, Health and Social Services 2,358 25.90%
Arts, entertainment, recreation, accommodation and food services 726 7.97%
Other Services (Pop 16+) 410 4.50%
Public administration 478 5.25%
Total 9,106 100%

[ii] Metropolitan Chicago Information Center Website

Trends in Wage and Salary Employment in
Goods Producing Industries 2008-2018
Trends in Wages and Salaries for
Service Industries 2008-2018
Business Overview
• 24th Ward has Over 500 businesses, including large manufacturers,
small businesses, franchises and home based businesses
• There are 7 TIFs that impact the Ward, 5 of which are in the Ward,
and 2 that are in the near vicinity
▫ In addition to funding for bricks and mortar development,
 Funds available for job training, business expansion, child care
• There is one Empowerment Zone, one Enterprise Community
▫ Tax Credits for hiring low income residents within these Zones
▫ 0% tax on capital gains,
▫ Increased tax deductions on equipment, accelerated real property
depreciation, and other incentives.

• The greatest issues impacting businesses include lack of access to

capital, increasing costs of doing business, including increased
property taxes, and lower revenues.
Education Snapshot
Presenter: Valerie F. Leonard
The State of Affairs in 2004
• The communities in the 24th Ward ranked 37,
57, 65, 67 and 69 out of 77 of Chicago’s
Community Areas with respect to graduation
rates for high school students.
• The city average at the time was 56.6%.
• The national graduation rate was 70%
 24th Ward Graduation Rates
24th Ward Graduation Rates by Age 19
Broken Out by Community Area

19 Years Old in: 2001 2002 2003 2004

Rank 13 Years Old in: 1995 1996 1997 1998
37 South Lawndale 50.7% 936 48.7% 917 53.0% 876 56.4% 871
57 Austin 44.6% 1,541 41.2% 1,513 44.4% 1,478 47.0% 1,490
65 East Garfield 43.6% 330 46.1% 332 49.8% 297 43.2% 331
67 West Garfield 42.4% 403 41.1% 375 37.5% 400 41.1% 331
69 North Lawndale 44.2% 719 43.0% 693 41.4% 696 38.8% 616
Earned Income Tax Credits
Presenter: O.S. Owen
Job Training Programs for
Manufacturing and Construction
Presenter: Val Jordan
Technology Programs for Seniors
Presenter: Don Samuelson
What are the Issues?
• Working Families need access to public benefits
to make ends meet
• Businesses that are in the Ward report that their
greatest issues include lack of access to capital,
increasing costs of doing business, including
high property taxes, and lower business receipts
• Businesses are reluctant to reluctant to locate in
the 24th Ward given high crime, relatively low
skilled labor force, low performing schools and
high cost of doing business
Issues, Continued
• Depending on the Census Track, only 20%-30% of
24th Ward residents have access to broadband
Internet.
▫ In some cases, this is a function of income, in other
cases, it is a function of availability of the service
▫ Lack of access to high speed Internet could impact
students’ ability to compete with their peers in the
City, State, nation and Internationally
▫ Lack of access to High speed Internet could impact
medical care delivery, education and businesses
Valerie’s Agenda
1. Develop 24th Ward Master Educational
Facilities Planning Task Force
• Comprised of stakeholders from CPS, CTU, business
community, nonprofits
• Provide input into facilities and curriculum planning
for 24th Ward Schools
• Encourage alignment of curriculum of feeder
schools with high schools, and alignment of high
school curriculum with employers and colleges
• Evaluate impact of school openings, closings,
turnarounds and attendance boundaries
3. Make Schools the Center of Community

• Encourage CPS to expand Community Schools

programming in the 24th Ward
• Schools open for extended hours to be used by
the entire community
• Adult Learning
• Job Training
2. Encourage Redevelopment of Commercial
Corridors, including Cicero Avenue, Pulaski, Ogden,
16th Street, Roosevelt Road and Kedzie Avenue
• Jump Start North Lawndale Community
Conservation Council to guide holistic
community development planning
• Engage local community groups, churches, City,
State, County and National agencies in planning
process
• Leverage public dollars with private investment
• Encourage development of 24th Ward Chamber
of Commerce
4. Encourage the Development of Local
Entrepreneurs
• Advocate for more funding for local business
development organizations to expand
▫ Increase capacity of local organizations to contract
with State, Local, County and Federal
Government
• Provide opportunities for more intensive
training and “hand holding” for local startups
• Advocate for waivers of certain taxes and fees for
startups that show promise
• Provide space for incubators
5. Attract New Businesses to the Ward
• Work with City of Chicago to provide a number
of services and incentives
▫ Site Selection
▫ Tax relief
▫ Infrastructure Improvements
▫ Tax credits
• Work with Police to enhance public safety
• Work with CPS to improve curriculum and
reduce dropout rates
Comprehensive Workforce
Development
• Work with local employers to develop customized
training programs for their needs
• Encourage the development of training for high
growth industries, including health care, health
information technology, green construction
• Expand school curriculum to address vocational
training so students may come out of school earning
living wages
• Create training programs so workers may upgrade
their skills
• Continue to grow job training and mentoring
programs for ex offenders
6. Make TIF Programs More Accessible
and Transparent
• Get an accounting of how much money is
available in each TIF, and how much may be
used for business development, child care,
workforce development and education.
• Identify the number of people who were hired or
improved work skills as a result of the TIF
• Streamline the application process and provide
more technical assistance for small businesses to
navigate the process
7. Create Digital Community
• Advocate for more funding at the Federal, State, County
and City level to build high speed internet infrastructure
• Expand wireless network
• Develop comprehensive technology plan that will
support businesses, schools, individuals and nonprofits
• Encourage more widespread use of Internet for everyday
living, commerce, healthcare, education, entertainment
▫ Bring 24th Ward on par with National levels with respect to
Internet Adoption. ( 20%-30% of 24th Ward homes have
access to high speed internet as opposed to 64%
nationwide)
8. Encourage Businesses
to Hire Locally
• Community Benefit Agreements
• Incentive Packages, including tax credits,
property tax breaks
• Workforce development