West Englewood

      Prayer Points

• Praise God for the investments being made into the lives of young people through city-run programs. Praise God for the churches and ministries that have stood strongly and sacrificially against the encroachment of gangs and drugs within the community for many years. Pray for perseverance.

 

• Pray particularly for young people in the community, most of whom are below grade level, struggling with literacy, and vulnerable to gangs, drugs, and violence.

 

• Pray for job opportunities in which employees can come alongside youth and teach them how to work and keep a job through on-site training.

 

• This community receives extensive scrutiny due to frequent violence. Pray for the precious residents of West Englewood who know Jesus as their savior and long for their community to experience renewal.

 

• Pray for the mobilization of workers with the heart to plant churches, take their faith to the streets, and make disciples in this neighborhood.

      Ethnic Breakdown

• Asian (0.1%)
• Black or African American (96.4%)
• Hispanic or Latino (1.9%)
• White (0.7%)

Neighborhood Background

West Englewood’s first settlers were German and Swedish farmers.  By 1920 the population of West Englewood reached 56,276 with job opportunities in the stockyard and railroads, and the number continued to grow in the 1930s as African Americans moved into the area. Between 1970 and 1980 black population jumped from forty-eight to ninety-eight percent.

 

The area also experienced a drop in economic prosperity, due to the closing of the Chicago Transit Authority bus barn and the loss of stockyard and railroad jobs. For the first time, West Englewood’s population began to decline. In 1990 only fourteen percent of the residents had an income of $50,000 or higher and nearly only a quarter of the population graduated from high school.

 

Many groups were established to address the needs of this community, including the demolition of abandoned buildings and the reparation of major streets. The West Englewood United Organization, established by three local churches, provided financial advice and assistance to homeowners and ran summer programs for local children.