Yes, W.E.C.A.N. - Celebrate Woodlawn's Strength - Its People 
W.E.C.A.N. - Coming Up On 30 Years Of Empowering Woodlawn Residents October 1980. 13 young African-American children, babies, adolescents and pre-teens, die in a horrific fire - a fire set by arsonists torching Woodlawn buildings for cash. That fire launched a Woodlawn movement that 28 years later is still on fire for the people of Woodlawn.
Mattie Butler, a next-door neighbor who witnessed the fire and decried what the fire symbolized about how little valued the lives of Woodlawn people seemed to be, started Woodlawn East Community And Neighbors Inc. to give Woodlawn's strength - its people - a voice and a vehicle for changing and empowering their lives. Nearly 30 years later, W.E.C.A.N. continues as the grassroots voice of Woodlawn residents, maintaining affordable housing for hundreds of Woodlawn residents, providing after-school instruction, and delivering a menu of supportive services - energy assistance, a housing resource center, and services referrals - to more than 200 Woodlawn residents each week.
Since 1986, W.E.C.A.N. has saved through acquisition, rehabilitation or intervention more than 5,000 units of housing for Woodlawn residents. W.E.C.A.N.'s current portfolio of 134 units of housing include studios, one-bedroom and two-bedroom units in four buildings located at 1554 East 65th Street, 6230 South Dorchester, 6146 South Kenwood, and 1411 East 65th Place. Rental rates are kept affordable for low-income residents. |
W.E.C.A.N. AFFORDABLE HOUSING UNITS
6450 South Stony Island Avenue
W.E.C.A.N.'s corporate offices are housed in a mixed-use building that includes a barber shop, grocery store, and the W.E.C.A.N. after-school program.
1554 East 65th Street
29 apartment units are available in this classic mixed-use structure which was acquired and rehabbed by W.E.C.A.N. in 1990.
6230 South Dorchester - Eddie Mae and Alex Johnson Apartments - 64 Units Of Housing For Low-Income Residents
W.E.C.A.N.'s largest affordable housing development, the Johnson Apartments - named for one of W.E.C.A.N.'s first Board members - provides 64 units of studio and one-bedroom housing for Woodlawn residents earning 50% or less of metropolitan Chicago's adjusted median income (AMI).
6146 South Kenwood Avenue - Butler-Lindon Apartments
Butler-Lindon Apartments features 41 units of affordable housing for low-income residents and seniors.
1411 East 65th Place
W.E.C.A.N.'s 6-flat building on 65th Place includes six 3-bedroom units.
WECAN Development Corporation WECAN Development Corporation is part of a new initiative, the Woodlawn Development Collaborative, to acquire and rehab foreclosed housing in Woodlawn.Up to 200 units of housing will be turned into affordable housing. | WECAN's Housing Resource Center serves Woodlawn and the Southeast Side wards 5, 7 and 20. 
The W.E.C.A.N. Housing Resource Center offers innovative services to assist residents in various categories:
- homeowners
- tenants
- owners of multi-unit buildings
- developers of new housing
- rehabbers of existing housing
Services include:
- foreclosure intervention for homeowners at risk of foreclosure
- homebuyer counseling for Woodlawn residents
- developer marketing services
- historic preservation development initiative
- tenant-rights services and referrals
- assistance with utility bills
- seminars and informational workshops
- apartment rental referrals
WECAN's Housing Resource Center provided services and referrals for mor than 200 Woodlawn residents in 2008, and helped save 18 units of housing from foreclosure and 24 residents from homelessness. The Housing Resource Center presented six seminars in 2008 to nearly 200 attendees. For 2009, the WECAN Housing Resource Center has expanded its services delivery to include: - The innovative Foreclosure Intervention Support Team
- The Woodlawn Development Collaborative LLC
- Donated properties being rehabbed as affordable housing
- A new development initiative - construction of a senior assisted living center in Woodlawn
For more information about the WECAN Housing Resource Center, check out the web page. | WECAN REFERRAL NETWORK, FAMILY SUPPORT CENTER LINK COMMUNITY RESIDENTS TO RESOURCES AND ASSISTANCE Woodlawn's low-income residents are eligible for a variety of services provided by city, county, state, and federal agencies; WECAN's comprehensive referral network connects community residents with service referrals. Within each of WECAN's buildings, trained counselors help residents develop life planning strategies and access job training, job readiness and job retention services. WECAN's Supportive Services programs are included in the new WECAN Family Support Center, which provides a comprehensive overview of and assistance in obtaining benefits from city, county, state and federal sources for all Woodlawn community residents. Through the Family Support Center, Woodlawn residents can access benefits from: - City of Chicago agencies (Office Of Community Development, Department of Family And Suppportive Services)
- Cook County (Cook County Board of Commissioners)
- State Agencies (Illinois Department of Health, Illinois Department of Human Services, Illinois Department of Public Aid, Illinois Housing Development Authority
- Federal Agencies (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, U.S. Department of Labor, U.S. Department of Commerce)
The Family Support Center can connect you to information and resources that empower you in improving the quality of life for yourself and your family. |