City Contracts Flourish in Auburn Gresham
Ernest Sanders
Published: December 31, 2010
The Greater Auburn-Gresham Development Corporation (GADC) for several years has supported the City of Chicago in their efforts to keep Chicago an attractive and viable city for its residents and business owners. As such, GADC has entered into several contract arrangements with the City to provide services.
Two contracts that are acclaimed locally and have received various levels of acknowledgement include the Small Accessible Repairs For Seniors (SARFS) Program and GADC's Litter Free Zone Initiative.
SARFS
As part of the Small Accessible Repairs for Seniors (SARFS), GADC's subcontractor Team Construction installs handrails to accomodate a senior getting in and out the a bathtub and shower.
Linda Johnson
GADC is a delegate agency for the City of Chicago’s Department of Housing and Economic Development and has provided free minor home repairs to qualifying seniors through the Small Accessible Repairs For Seniors (SARFS) Program since 2003. As city funds increase the numbers of serviced homes have increased.
Upon the completion of the 2010 approved homes, GADC and subcontractor Team Construction, will have provided successful minor home repairs to nearly 200 homes, satisfying the needs of many seniors within our service area. To learn more about the SARFS Program, contact project manager, Linda Johnson at 773-483-3696 or via email at ljohnson@gagdc.org.
LFZI
In the fall of 2007, Greater Auburn Gresham Development Corporation (GADC) created a community based environmental public awareness campaign that promotes the virtues of recycling. The Litter Free Zone Initiative (LFZI), implemented in the Spring of 2008, was created to improve the physical appearances of a targeted “zone” within the Auburn Gresham community.
GADC's Hubert Newkirk deposits recyclable items into the City of Chicago "Drop Off" dumpster at the 17th Aldermanic Office.
Ernest Sanders
Within this “zone”, students attending neighborhood schools (Perspectives Charter School – Calumet Campus, Oglesby Elementary School and St. Leo’s Catholic Male High School) and low skilled adult residents act as Green Ambassadors to promote the benefits of recycling and litter prevention.
Additionally, through the LFZI public awareness campaign we are 1) improving the appearance of our community, 2) changing behavior that reduces litter and increases recycling, and 3) producing outcomes that reduce carbon emissions and increase local employment opportunities.
Through a competitive bidding process GADC was awarded a two year contract in 2009 from the Chicago Department of the Environment to expand Auburn Gresham’s LFZI by supporting capacity building efforts to train and employ low-skilled and income residents to become Green Ambassadors.
Though an arduous effort, this program has yielded outstanding results. Click here to see 2010 data for recyclables collected.
For more details regarding the LFZI, please contact Hubert Newkirk at (773) 483-3696 or by email at hnewkirk@gagdc.org.
Keywords:
City of Chicago
Posted in Business, Housing, Economic Development