Greater West Town's Community Career Education And Community Development Center: The Vision Soon To Be A Reality!

Oct. 15, 2009

In September 2009, Greater West Town finalized its purchase of the 500 N. Sacramento building, slated to become the permanent home of GWTP’s expanding Industrial Skills Training programs and the West Town Career Academy. Renovations are now under way!

The new Center is a major step forward to assure the future of Greater West Town’s programs, and to expand educational and economic opportunity for residents of the economically disadvantaged communities we serve: The Near West Side, West Town/Humboldt Park, and East Garfield Park.

Previously an un-used, outmoded factory building in the community, 500 N. Sacramento is being transformed into a modern, energy-efficient, “green,” and fully ADA-accessible education and training center.

Get the details about the educational and economic benefits that the new Center will generate for the community: Link to Community Career Training and Economic Development Center.

How is the New Community Center funded?

Partners in helping to finance the ambitious project include:

• The City of Chicago – With the backing of 27th Ward Alderman Walter Burnett, Jr., Mayor Daley, and the City’s Dept. of Community Development, the City Council approved funding from Chicago’s Tax Increment Financing Program.
• The Federal Government’s “New Market Tax Credit” Program - with the assistance of the Chicago Development Fund. The New Market Tax Credit investment in GWTP’s Center was announced on Friday October 30, 2009 when the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Timothy Geithner visited Greater West Town.
• The State of Illinois – through its new Tax Credit Program, modeled after the federal NMTC.
• Local foundations – such as the Field Foundation and the Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation, which supported the “green” design of the new facility; and
• Harris Bank and Chase Bank which provided the private financing.

What is GWTP’s Vision for the Future?

Greater West Town’s Board, staff and program participants envision a future in which educational and employment opportunities in our communities are steadily expanding. A critical first step is for Greater West Town to have the space, equipment, and resources to serve a growing number of community residents through high-school drop-out retrieval, skill training, career preparation and placement in well-paying jobs. Our vision of the future is to see Greater West Town’s longstanding “Community-Business Partnership” model attract new partners, in part by making our new facility a “Small Business Incubator” where aspiring entrepreneurs can lease affordable space in our energy-efficient, “green” facility while they grow their businesses and create new jobs. Our vision is that graduates of GWTP’s industrial skills training programs can look forward to permanent, unsubsidized employment at local companies, earn a family-sustaining wage, progress in their careers, and provide success stories and role models for our youth.