Near West Community member profiles
Here are some profiles of the members of the Near North community.
Kate Augustine Ready for Change
Last year, Kate Augustine and her boyfriend, Doug Robinson, decided they were tired of spending hundreds of dollars a month on rent. Then-residents of Lincoln Park, they loved living near the Loop, so they jumped at the opportunity to buy a home in one of the new mixed-income communities on the Near West Side.
However, they weren’t prepared for how different their lives would be in their new neighborhood. “It’s truly exhausting trying to get around via public transportation here because it requires so much planning and effort. If we want to go to a Cubs game, it can take as long as an hour-and-a-half,” points out Augustine.
A native of northwestern Ohio, Augustine, 33, fell in love with Chicago’s diversity during a vacation about six years ago, and moved here soon after.
“There’s always something to do, somewhere to go, or someone to see in Chicago. Living in Lincoln Park was great because there’s bus service around the clock, as well as other public transportation options,” she says. “The first thing we did when we moved [to our new neighborhood] was purchase a car. There’s no way we could make it here without one.”
Public transportation isn’t the only thing that’s different. “If we want to purchase groceries, we have to get in our car and drive anywhere from two to three miles to do so,” acknowledges Augustine, who adds that sit-down restaurants and basic retail locations are also lacking.
Augustine is currently working on a solution to this problem via the Westhaven Properties Homes Association, and Reconnecting Neighborhoods. She understands that since the process involves working with institutions and public funding, “it’s probably going to take anywhere from five to 10 years to see the kind of change we’re working for.” Yet, she’s grateful to participate in a project that is continuing to prove why she fell in love with the diversity and opportunity of Chicago.
Crystal Palmer
To Crystal Palmer, a community’s real value is measured less by its tax base, and more by the willingness of all residents to share responsibility for community issues. That’s the key reason she became a Near West Task Force member of Reconnecting Neighborhoods.
“This community is going through positive change,” said Palmer, a resident of West Haven – formerly Henry Horner Homes – since 1968, and current president of the Henry Horner/West Haven Local Advisory Council. “It looks better, it’s more diverse, and that’s a good thing for the community and for the West Side. But there’s still work to be done to make sure old and new residents both take part in the process.”
Palmer added that Reconnecting Neighborhoods is a good opportunity for longtime public housing residents and newcomers purchasing and renting homes in the mixed-income communities to advocate together for transit and retail improvements to serve the entire neighborhood.
For instance, more frequent and reliable bus service would benefit West Haven condo owners, many of whom work in the Loop, and public housing residents determined to meet more stringent work requirements recently instituted by Chicago Housing Authority (CHA).
“People who work downtown have to walk all the way to [the Ashland Green Line stop],” said Palmer. “And how are public housing residents going to hold down a job if they can’t get to work?”
Palmer knows firsthand the challenges people face getting around the neighborhood. As a case manager at Near West Side Community Development Corporation, Palmer visits regularly with families living in public housing. She said her job would be difficult if not impossible to do without a car.
To be a voice for improved public transportation and retail on the Near West Side – including a “long-overdue” new grocery store – Palmer participated in the first round of Reconnecting Neighborhoods community meetings. She encourages all of her West Haven neighbors to mark their calendars and attend the second round of meetings.
“Whether people pay to live here or not, there’s value in building this community,” said Palmer, “and when you’re building community, participation and compromise is needed from new and old residents alike. We’re striving toward that in West Haven.”
