The Resurrection Project and St. Pius V Collaborate for Success

On February 19, at the 20th Annual Chicago Neighborhood Development Awards sponsored by LISC (Local Initiatives Support Corporation Chicago), The Resurrection Project (TRP) received the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Award for Outstanding Non-Profit Neighborhood Real Estate Project. St. Pius V is a founding member of TRP and Fr. Chuck is chair of its board of directors.

The TRP award-winning project focused on purchasing, rehabbing, and selling foreclosed homes in one of Chicago’s most devastated neighborhoods, Back of the Yards. With a $13.8 million grant from the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP), TRP worked with local parishes and organizations to acquire and redevelop 40 foreclosed and vacant properties. To complement its rehab efforts, TRP provided financial literacy classes and homeownership workshops to strengthen the families purchasing the renovated buildings. As the buildings were rehabbed, other homeowners took heart and began fixing up their own properties, reflecting a new found hope for the resurrection of their community.

On Saturday, February 15, St. Pius V hosted a citizenship workshop sponsored by The Resurrection Project and other organizations. Among the 150 persons attending, more than 100 filed their application for citizenship. At the workshop, Second Federal Credit Union, a TRP partner, announced it would provide non-collateral backed loans to persons to cover their $680 application fee. It is the only financial institution in Illinois providing this service.

Illinois has an estimated 350,000 legal permanent residents who have lived here long enough to become citizens (at least five years) but have never applied, many for lack of funds.