Developing Communities Project

Developing Communities Project
Name	Developing Communities Project
Type	Nonprofit organization
Founded	1970s
Headquarters	Chicago, Illinois
Area served	West Side, Chicago
Focus	Community development, affordable housing, civic engagement

Developing Communities Project is a community-based nonprofit focused on neighborhood revitalization, affordable housing, resident leadership, and local economic development on Chicago's West Side. Founded during the era of urban renewal and community organizing, the organization has partnered with civic groups, faith institutions, foundations, and municipal agencies to stabilize blocks, preserve housing, and build resident power. It works within a network of community development corporations, philanthropic intermediaries, legal services, and academic institutions to implement place-based strategies.

History

The organization emerged amid the activism of the 1960s and 1970s alongside groups such as the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Community Action Program, and neighborhood-based organizations active in Chicago like the Back of the Yards Neighborhood Council and the Lawndale Christian Development Corporation. Early campaigns intersected with federal initiatives including the Model Cities Program, the Community Development Block Grant, and responses to decisions by the Chicago Housing Authority and the Cook County political apparatus. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s it engaged with national funders such as the MacArthur Foundation, the Ford Foundation, and local intermediaries like the Chicago Community Trust, while navigating shifts driven by policy actions from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development and municipal administrations in Chicago. Collaborations have involved legal actions, community land trusts, and tenant organizing linked to actors such as Legal Assistance Foundation of Metropolitan Chicago and labor allies like the United Auto Workers in neighborhood economic campaigns.

Mission and Goals

The stated mission centers on resident leadership development, affordable housing preservation, block stabilization, and empowerment of tenants to influence policy in institutions such as the Chicago City Council and agencies like the Cook County Board of Commissioners. Goals have included expanding access to affordable rental and ownership housing aligned with standards promoted by HUD programs, increasing civic participation in aldermanic processes, and fostering partnerships with academic partners such as the University of Chicago and DePaul University for research and technical assistance. The organization frames objectives in relation to broader movements including fair housing efforts following rulings and enforcement by the Department of Justice and civil rights advocacy connected to the National Fair Housing Alliance.

Programs and Services

Programs encompass tenant organizing, home repair and weatherization initiatives, foreclosure prevention, community planning, and small business support. Service partnerships have included collaborations with social service providers like Heartland Alliance, workforce training programs connected to Chicago Jobs Council, and financial capability efforts leveraging relationships with community development financial institutions such as Local Initiatives Support Corporation and neighborhood banks associated with the Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago. The group has implemented place-based pilot projects akin to strategies used by the South Shore Housing Center and worked on block clubs and public safety initiatives comparable to those promoted by the Chicago Alternative Policing Strategy. Technical assistance and capacity-building have been provided to resident leaders, tenant unions, and block organizers, often drawing on expertise from urban research centers at institutions like Northwestern University and University of Illinois Chicago.

Organizational Structure and Governance

Governance typically consists of a board of directors drawn from neighborhood residents, faith leaders, labor representatives, and allied professionals, reflecting models used by community development corporations such as Amani Community Development Corporation and Greater Southwest Development Corporation. Executive leadership has coordinated staff teams organized into housing, organizing, finance, and communications units, while fiscal sponsorship and compliance interact with regulatory entities like the Illinois Attorney General and local grantmakers including the Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation. Volunteer and advisory committees often include clergy from congregations associated with the United Methodist Church and Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago, as well as tenants linked to coalitions like the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless.

Funding and Partnerships

Funding sources have combined foundation grants from organizations such as the MacArthur Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, and Lloyd A. Fry Foundation with government contracts from HUD, Illinois Department of Human Services, and municipal housing programs administered by the Chicago Department of Housing. The organization has pursued project financing through community development financial institutions including Enterprise Community Partners and leveraged tax credits governed by the Internal Revenue Service Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program. Strategic partnerships extend to neighborhood churches, labor unions like the Service Employees International Union, legal partners such as the Chicago Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, and research collaborations with academic centers including the Civic Consulting Alliance.

Impact and Evaluation

Evaluations have measured outcomes in units preserved or created, tenant wins in eviction prevention, increases in resident leadership capacity, and block-level indicators such as vacancy reduction and investment attraction. Impact assessments have been undertaken by external evaluators and university partners, employing methods similar to studies produced by the Urban Institute, the Brookings Institution, and the Center for Neighborhood Technology. Reported successes include affordable housing developments, tenant organizing victories, and replication of resident-led planning models used elsewhere in Chicago neighborhoods such as Austin (Chicago), Humboldt Park, and Englewood, Chicago. Ongoing challenges identified in evaluations align with citywide trends documented by the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning and national analyses from the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University.

Category:Non-profit organizations based in Chicago Category:Community development corporations