$25,000 / 2018
http://www.lsna.net
Logan Square Neighborhood Association (LSNA) began in 1962 as a committed group of neighbors motivated by the emergence of community redlining. Today, LSNA is a multi-issue, multi-generational community organization, directly serving over 6,500 residents. LSNA has had great success transforming local troubled schools, building strong relationships with teachers and administration and introducing restorative justice programs to replace zero tolerance policies. LSNA’s recent housing work has gained recognition for developing Latinx youth who grew up in the community as leaders in actions, policy conversations, and strategy meetings. Stemming from this work, LSNA has been selected by LISC-Chicago to lead a 2-year neighborhood planning process for west Logan Square and Hermosa. Last year, LSNA’s youth organizers creatively merged affordable housing and equitable education issues to address the systemic policies that lead to the displacement of long-time Latinx residents and the destabilization of local public schools, while also tackling immigration issues through leadership roles within LSNA’s Sanctuary Logan Square project. In the year ahead, these youth organizers will continue to recruit and train other young people from the community to engage in emerging issues, with a sustained focus on the nexus of housing, education, and immigration justice.