Student-Tenant Organizing Project

Contacts: Alex Goldenberg

Listhost: stop@listhost.uchicago.edu

Website: www.angelofdef.org

Goals: provide assistance to tenant organizers, secure funding to assist organizing effort, bring in technical assistance to develop leadership, establish building and community-wide tenant associations, provide useful research on neighborhood to the tenant groups

Accomplishments: 4 week student-tenant organizer training, holding weekly tenant meetings with Butler Linden residents, attended NCP meetings, connecting to Chicago wide orgs (CRS, MTO)

Frustrations: lack of access to certain crucial neighborhood info esp from UofC office of Community affairs, actualizing collaboration, that is working with groups with different modes and schedules, getting University funding for summer work

Resources: MAGIC, Woodlawn East Community and Neighbors (WECAN), tenants, Angels of Def members and research

Current Projects (11/19/04):

            ONGOING

• Grove Parc tenant organizing project
• Affordable housing co-operativeinitiative.

ONE-TIME EVENTS

-     Grove Parc tenant BBQ in washington park this summer.

Dream Projects (11/19/04):

-      Support organizing efforts in other housing complexes.
-      Support the efforts to increase community control of the Community Alternative
Policing Strategy (CAPS) program.
-      Support block clubs and community gardening.
-     We would like a space in woodlawn which would facilitate organizing in
it. Aspace which could be used to hold events, do research, print posters andfliers, and hold meetings. This space could be a place where local artists and activists come together to organize and create a stronger community.

Resources Needed (11/19/04) :

            FOR CURRENT PROJECTS

-     More student and tenant involvement

FOR DREAM PROJECTS    

• Lots of money
• More student and tenant involvement