Alex Morales-Aponte speaks to a DePaul graduate journalism class about the community of Pilsen and The Resurrection Project. (Photo by Luz Garcia Cubillos)

The residents of the neighborhood Pilsen in Chicago have been struggling financially before the economic crises even hit.   Recently, The Resurrection has been helping ease the finical burden Pilsen residents have been facing.

The Pilsen neighborhood is located in the lower west side of Chicago and is the heart and soul of Chicago’s Mexican-American community.  The community has been hit hard in the last two decades with foreclosures and other economic problems.  The Resurrection Project (TRP) was formed in 1990 to help better organize Pilsen and bring it back to the thriving community it once was.

Alex Morales-Aponte is responsible for TRP’s external communications such as social media and the organization’s website as well as being a tour guide for the Discover Pilsen tour.  He explained that subprime mortgages were pushed onto the people of the Pilsen community, which they actually could not fully afford.  This led to many of the individuals and families homes being listed in foreclosure.

In return, in 2010 TRP formed the Neighborhood Stabilization Program in partnership with Proviso Township Mental Health Comission.  This program will begin the acquisition and rehabilitation of 18 foreclosed vacant and single family and two flat homes in Melrose Park and Stone Park for families to rent through the Lease-To-Own purchase.  This program is targeting families with low to moderate income who will now have an opportunity to invest in their future.

Morales-Aponte stressed that the TRP mission starts with building relationships.

“When we sell these homes,” Morales-Aponte said. “We are selling a part of the community.”

The homes have become so popular and desperately needed that families are selected through a lottery to be eligible to purchase a home.  These families are required to complete and ABC of home ownership before being allowed to own a home. In fact, the TRP has helped 592 families in danger of foreclosure through counseling and education on how to prevent foreclosure.

Developments such as La Casa, an affordable independent residence hall for college students and Casa Maravilla, affordable aparments for senior citizens are also opening under the TRP.

The developments the TRP have opened are funded 50 percent by the rent revenue.  The rest is provided by foundations, grants and donors to the organization.  But if residents fail to pay their rent they will be evicted from the premises.

“TRP is more than just brick and mortar,” Morales-Aponte said. “It is a holestic development looking at investing in people.”

There are several programs available such as Mujer Avanzando which helps Latina single mothers through comprehensive services.  Also, Elev8 and Smart Chicago, transform the educational achievements and life outcomes of disadvantaged middle school students in the community.

The TRP has made enormous changes in the Pilsen community throughout the last 20 years.  The organization has taken on a quality of life plan that has improved economics, family safety, housing and the community image successfully.

“We are not simply building homes for sale,” Morales-Aponte said. “We are instilling pride into the community.”