Community

Community | Housing

Cooperative Engagement

Qumbya Housing Cooperative expands its neighborhood presence into Bronzeville

by 2 years ago

Residents at Concord House sit down for a dinner of lentil stew (Katie Bart)

A typical Monday night at Concord House unfolds with a motley group of nearly twenty adults dishing up bowls of lentil stew in their Hyde Park home. A strong family dynamic is evident in the dining room, which is adorned with photos, calendars, and bulletin boards; a crowded bookshelf; and a central table, upon which rest six bunches of bananas, a carton of assorted hot sauces, and an oversized jar of some mystery vegetable, presumably pickled, labelled “DO NOT STIR.” Like many of the objects in the three-story home, these table items are communally shared among its residents, who are related not by blood but rather by chosen lifestyle: that of the housing cooperative.

Bridgeport | Community

Who Owns Benton House?

Chicago’s last settlement house struggles to define its identity

by 2 years ago 4 Comments

Photos Courtesy of Benton House Office

A cold wind blew down South Gratten Street on a chilly November afternoon while Bridgeport residents outside stood in line for Benton House’s food pantry, donning jackets, scarves, gloves, and all. Seniors sat on plastic lawn chairs on the sidewalk with personal shopping carts in tow. Inside, toddlers bounced around the stairs while their mothers monitored them with hawk-like vision.