On Saturday May 8, 2010 ONE leaders from Centro Romero, Truman College as well as a representative from the Rogers Park Community Council met with State Senator Heather Steans to discuss the barriers Latino students face in pursuing educational opportunities. Senator Steans thoughtfully listened as students, parents, and community leaders presented research and personal testimonies about the disparity of Latino students in completing high school and college.

Maria Estrada, a parent, expressed her struggle to support her sons and their academic pursuits. She shared the story of the high academic achievement of one of her sons and how he became discouraged upon realizing the financial difficulty in going to college without having access to student loans because he is undocumented. Elisa Marca, a college student, also shared her struggle to work and continue to study without having access to student loans due to her legal status. She went on to share that she knows that even if she does complete her college education she will still have to face the challenge of obtaining a job without having the proper legal documentation. The group shared that Latino students in high school are fully aware of this struggle and, as a result, feel that completing high school is a futile effort and so drop out.

Senator Steans, the vice-chair of the state legislature’s education committee, expressed her commitment to improving public education as well as addressing the plight of Latino students. She expressed her desire to work with the group to address the issue and committed to identify other officials within the Chicago Public Schools and the Illinois Student Assistance Commission to address it on a city and state level.

Senator Steans was the first public official with whom the group has met regarding this issue. We are excited to have her as an ally and energized about moving forward.

Chicago, January 22, 2010

I’m coordinating a Latina Women’s Group at Chicago Uptown Ministry and Roberto Eichhorn, a Community organizer from “ONE”, is working with us on many issues that are affecting the group.

Last October, 2009 O.N.E. organized a house meeting with us to find out which problems are affecting in the Uptown area. After discussing with the group in this meeting we determined that security and appropriate sanitary living conditions are the most common problems, therefore, the Organization of the NorthEast resolved to start taking action to better this situation.

In November we had another house meeting with our group and organized the Latina Women’s group committee. This committee scheduled inspections in six apartment buildings where there are the most problems.

The following are the most common problems the committee has found in those apartments:

1. Moldy walls caused by humidity in bedrooms, kitchens, living rooms and bathrooms

2. Window in very bad condition with broken window frames and glass

3. Infestation of cockroaches and mice.

4. Holes that provide access to mice in the walls of the bathrooms, kitchens, living rooms and bedrooms.

5. Malfunctioning radiators

6. Chipping old paint

7. Old electrical connections in bad condition throughout the apartments

8. Managers turning down the heating system to economize heating costs

We documented all these problems in writing and took pictures of all the areas that need repairs. Afterwards, we wrote letters to managers and owners of the buildings enumerating all the different problems we found. We also attached the photos and sent certified letters.

However, in two of these buildings, the managers took action. We are still in the process of these repairs to check insure everything is going well. The engineer of one of the buildings informed the family that the janitor and his crew were going to paint the apartment to rid of the mold in the walls. However, the crew didn’t clean the walls prior to the painting process, and they did not use primer to seal the humidity. The materials used for the job was of low quality, and the repairs were done unprofessionally. Consequently, the problems have started to reappear, and the other problems are not yet fixed.

Another family was visited by the buildling manager and owner over the holidays, right after the letter was received. The owner declared that he had never been informed by his manager that the family was living under those conditions, and had no idea they had asked for repairs for years. The manager accused the tenants of showing pictures from a different place. The owner, though, told the family that the problems were going to be taken care of soon. However, more than 14 days have passed and yet there haven’t been any changes or notifications as to when the repairs will be taken care of.

On Tuesday, January 19, 2010 O.N.E. organized a workshop with the Metropolitan Tenants Organization about “Tenants Rights” to inform tenants of their legal rights. During this workshop, the committee learned about other families in similar situations for which and has begun the process of helping them get help.

Our next move will be to resend follow-up letters attached with all the problems to be fixed, a copy of the tenants' ordinance, photos of the problems, and an explnation to landlords that by law they have 14 days to fix these problems or the tenant has the right to use part of their rent to fix repairs themselves. These letters will be sent with “delivery confirmation” to make sure the letters are received. We are also sending a letter to Uptown’s alderman, Ms. Helen Schiller documenting each case. This letter will inform her about how common these problems are in her ward.

We will organize a meeting with other organizations and Institutions in the community, and will also seek legal assistance.

We would like to thank the Action Council for their suggestions on education workshops, get organized to gain Power, documentation of the problems, etc.

Sincerely,

The Uptown Women Group for Better Housing

Please feel free to contact me if you want to support us:
Roberto Eichhorn - Organizer 773-769-3232 x 14