Garfield Park Community Council Dedicated to Community Revitalization
The mission of the Garfield Park Community Council is to strengthen, promote and encourage opportunities that support an engaged, equitable, and vital Garfield Park neighborhood. Spun off by the Garfield Park Conservatory Alliance in 2012, the Council was created in 2005 by LISC Chicago and the Alliance as a result of a Quality of Life Plan for East Garfield Park designed by more than 400 community residents and stakeholders. This plan evolved into a working blueprint for community renewal with active resident committees focusing on four major areas: housing, business development, wellness, and public safety.
Since that time, the Council has developed and implemented more than 40 local projects with at least 30 partner organizations and facilitated more than $8 million in community investment, all tied to the original comprehensive approach to improving the quality of life for neighborhood residents. Today, the Council is a leader in community development on the west side and acts as a facilitator between residents and various public and private institutions, including law enforcement, private developers, city officials, and funders.
The GPCC's goals focus on helping renew the community’s commercial corridors, spurring new housing investment, addressing public safety, and building community connections, including:
- The Building a Better Kedzie program, which is transforming the Kedzie Avenue business corridor through growth of retail businesses and public safety/infrastructure improvements.
- Expansion of the Garfield Park Business Alliance and its impact on the local economy.
- Working to preserve housing, assist homeowners in crisis, and improve landlord/tenant relations through the Micro-Market Recovery Program and the Council’s Housing Center.
- Strengthening the work of the 30-member Garfield Park Garden Network and its the Neighborhood Market.
Learn more about the Garfield Park Community Council and their current projects and successes by visiting the Garfield Park Community Council website.