CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Community-led efforts on the West Side aim to decrease Chicago’s life expectancy gap while adding quality to the years of life that they hope to take back in their neighborhood.
Groundbreaking will begin in 2023 in Garfield Park on the Sankofa Wellness Village, a series of interconnected projects along the Madison-Pulaski commercial corridor.
“Our work here is literally around addressing the root causes of the past to move Garfield Park forward to be more prosperous, providing a better quality of life for residents,” said Ayesha Jaco, Executive Director for West Side United.
Funding for the roughly $50 million undertaking came mostly from grassroots funding.
Jaco said “Sankofa” is an ancient word from Ghana, which means to reclaim what has been lost. In the case of Garfield Park, it’s 13 years lost in life expectancy compared to the Loop.
“There’s a 13-year gap, and so, if you live downtown, because of the resources provided in those neighborhoods — like access to fresh produce, grocery stores, access to care — you are more than likely going to have a longer life and better quality of life,” she said. “In a community like Garfield Park, the average life expectancy is 68.”
Jaco said a 60,000-square-foot wellness center with wraparound services will be critical to the series of interconnected projects along the Madison-Pulaski commercial corridor.
“Where they can have a one-stop shop, where they go in to get their health care needs met, as well as providing services from the YMCA that will have a gymnasium, early childhood activities, and education,” she said.
By providing the same resources available in communities that “have a better quality of life,” Jaco said she hopes to provide businesses within the Madison-Pulaski corridor and across the greater West Side with access to “capital and other supports that allow them to thrive.”
The Sankofa Wellness Village is expected to be finished by 2025.
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