Community members are determined to find housing and employment in their area, but the rapidly gentrifying neighborhood and ongoing economic instability make it difficult to navigate.
By Jasmine Barnes and Mare Ralph
Apartments in South Shore in 2022. (Grace Del Vecchio/City Bureau)
In South Shore's rapidly changing economy and real estate market, affordable housing and jobs remain elusive.
City Bureau reporters spoke with neighbors about what it’s like for young adults, ages 18-24, looking for housing and work in the area. Many people did not live in South Shore but commuted from other South Side neighborhoods for their job or recreational activities. With gentrification and widespread evictions impacting the economy and housing market, those who live in the area or know of others looking for housing said there aren’t enough quality, affordable rental properties.
Interviewees had varying opinions about what programs and resources are available for young people, but they all agreed that support is not easy to find or access. With the rise of the internet, social media and artificial intelligence, neighbors said young people have many tools to find opportunities – but they fear young adults might not do enough to look for resources in person.
As a result, many of the grassroots community services intended to support young adults are unable to reach them, neighbors told City Bureau. Additionally, service providers who support specific populations often fail to collaborate with each other effectively or embrace more creative marketing techniques that might better appeal to young adults, neighbors said.
Neighbors also said older generations sometimes feel less equipped to support the young people in their lives who are navigating a challenging economic landscape. For young adults who have been able to secure housing and employment, their independence was a result of both personal persistence and community support services.
These interviews have been edited and condensed for clarity.
A mural from artist Dorian Sylvain. (Justin Agrelo/for City Bureau).
The Brew
Located at the busy intersection of Yates Boulevard and 71st Street, The Brew is a newly opened community café and home to a namesake podcast featuring South Shore leaders. As cars zoom by outside, a trio of young baristas make warm drinks for customers.
Kiara Gibson, 20, is the manager of The Brew. Growing up in Roseland, Gibson participated in UCAN Chicago and worked with the Center for Housing and Health’s Flexible Housing Pool to secure affordable housing and a sustainable job after experiencing homelessness.
How do you and people in your neighborhood find housing?
I feel like there’s a decent amount of housing, but it does take a lot of work to find affordable housing. I experienced homelessness and had to find programs such as UCAN to work with. They recommended me to another program called the Flexible Housing Pool and from there went through a two-three month process to get me into an apartment. Everything worked out and I’ve got a nice apartment where I pay like 30% of my income.
What differences are there between how young people find housing and jobs versus older generations?
I feel like the differences are how much everything costs and then the availability of jobs and housing. If you're not going through an organization, it's harder to find housing, especially affordable housing. Most people don't like asking for help so they’re less likely to go through organizations.
We all know it's not smart to rely on one source of income. I feel like that's a big lesson that we learned from the previous generation . . . Our generation is more aware of everything. We're not gonna just do something because somebody told us to. We don't look at the government like our parents.
What is your current employment situation and how do you want that to change, if at all?
My boss is going to franchise the café into multiple locations. My goal is to own my own location one day, and then I'll be able to do what I really love, which is helping people through mental health.
How do you find information around housing and jobs? What resources did you wish were out there?
The resources are there and I just wish they were promoted more. We have organizations on the South Side and on the West Side, but I wish they all networked with each other and come together . . . One time when I was working with this one organization, they tried to tell me I couldn't work with another organization. It’s like they’re competing, but that’s not the goal.
A lot of these organizations are not as reliable as they say. One program that I went through ended up cutting a contract short and it really affected us because there were only two weeks left of the program. The communication was not that good.
Jewel-Osco
The Jewel-Osco at 7530 S. Stony Island Avenue anchors a stretch of retail in South Shore one block from the entrance to the Chicago Skyway. Since Stony Island Avenue is 10 lanes wide at this stretch, most shoppers drove to the store or took a ride-hail service. A chilly temperature of twenty-five degrees also encouraged customers not to linger.
Tabitha Singleton, 24, is a young homeowner and entrepreneur from Roseland. She often travels to south suburban Blue Island for community events she can’t find in her neighborhood.
What supportive networks exist for young adults in your community to find housing and work?
There’s not much . . . . It's very scarce in the neighborhood that I'm in, that's why I'm always somewhere else.
What differences are there between how young people find housing and jobs versus older generations?
I feel like older people go to the place while younger people are more on the internet. I don't think young people are as ambitious as the older generation used to be. The internet is so everything is right in your hand. You don't have to do anything, you don't have to go anywhere. You just sit there and you figure it out.
What is your current employment situation and how do you want that to change if at all?
I work for myself. I have my own laundry business, and I have a t-shirt business . . . I’m getting some more machines in my own house so I can expand. Us young people, we are more on our own. I don't want to work for anybody . . . My mom has always been an entrepreneur, so that's just the spirit that I've always had.
K&G Fashion Superstore
K&G Fashion Superstore is tucked in a small shopping complex on Stony Island Avenue near 76th Street. On a Tuesday afternoon, a few shoppers peruse, unrushed through the aisles. Discount fashion styles line the racks and the central blasts heat to combat the piercing cold outside.
James Burns, 58, is a longtime Chicago-area resident who’s lived in various South Side neighborhoods. An engaged uncle, Burns often supports and coaches his 20-something nephews, one of whom is looking for work.
What supportive networks exist for young adults in your community to find housing and work?
I have two nephews: one of them's working and one of them just had a child and he's looking for work. He was working for Amazon, but got into an altercation, and they fired him, saying that he was “intimidating” just by his looks. He has long dreads, and he's a younger man. I was telling him, sometimes you have to counteract when people try to do things to you or start something. You have to think about your job more. I was trying to coach him on getting a job. He said, every time he tried, they tell him he's not eligible.
I told him to look into construction apprenticeship programs, because that's all I know that would help. You just have to present yourself as loyal, but they’re always looking . . . It's just up to you to make that commitment. It's money to start but it pays off big time.
What differences are there between how young people find housing and jobs versus older generations?
Coming up, we didn't have the internet, just word-of-mouth. Today it's about word-of-mouth, as well, but they have Google to attempt to find things better than my generation.
What resources did you wish were out there?
More youth recreation so they can get back to parks and play, and especially jobs so they have money. I think they wouldn't turn to doing what's on the street if they could get out there and make their own dollar. Housing is important, but they need to have a job to be able to pay some portion.
Star Beauty Supply 9
Star Beauty Supply 9 is also in the Stony Island Avenue shopping center. There are a few shoppers in the aisles looking for items while 1970s R&B comes through the speakers.
Janeen Bryant, 42, is a mother and cook who lives in the South Shore area. She enjoys her job but dreams of opening her own bowling alley on the South Side.
What kind of housing is available for folks like you in the neighborhood?
It’s apartments and it’s subsidized in some parts of this area. It depends on the area, but mostly apartments.
Do you feel like it's easy for folks to get housing in this area?
I know people trying to move right now in the area and it’s pretty hard. The places that they do find, the rent is high and the place is not worth the rent . . . You're scared to move there or what's going to happen to your stuff later.
One of my older daughters is trying to find a place, and online, they had a place looking really nice [but] when we got there, . . . the hallway had trash going all up to the stairs. . . [The building manager] took us to the place, and nothing was the same [as the ad], and it was so small.
What resources would you want to see, especially for young folks who are looking for jobs or looking for housing?
That's a good question. Maybe more ads or something. . . . Everything is really on the phone and online. So just more sharing of the information: there's a job opportunity, more stuff about it out there.
South Shore neighbors attend a housing fair in 2022. (Jerrel Floyd/City Bureau)
Chicago MHA Beauty Supply
Chicago MHA Beauty Supply is on the corner of 71st Street and Chappel Avenue, across the street from the Jeffery Plaza shopping center and walking distance from several CTA bus stops and a Metra station. In the late afternoon, students and commuters return to the neighborhood and run errands.
Chaniya Honeycutt, 20, grew up in South Shore and lives with her parents while attending school. Chaniya commutes to Malcolm X College on the Near West Side because the City College campuses closer to her don’t offer medical and dental classes.
What kind of resources would you want to see to help youth find their independence?
Programs that help you get paid, help you get a place, help you get a job [and] help you get on your feet as a young person. They don't have that. It's just like, “Find your way. Go to college.” Sometimes college doesn't always work for everybody.
What is the difference between your generation and older generations in finding housing and jobs?
I think the younger generation don't really care about finding all that type of stuff. I think the older generation . . . it's easy for them. . .They don’t take younger people seriously. They feel like [younger people] are just out here playing games and being in the streets, which is true.
Older people don't understand younger people. . . They don't really have much emotional intelligence. When it comes to mental health or your problems, it's like, ”sweep it underneath the rug” [or] “Oh, well, you're not really a grown person until you start paying bills.”
Iconic Rush Boutique
Iconic Rush Boutique is a women’s clothing store near the busy intersection of 71st Street and Jeffery Boulevard in South Shore. There is a lot of foot traffic in the area thanks to multiple CTA bus stops and the Bryn Mawr Metra Station; the boutique has a locked, gated door at the entrance, allowing the staff member to control access to the store.
Sophia Leatherberry, 23, works at the boutique and lives with her cousin in an apartment in South Loop. She hopes to have her own apartment in the future, but she is not interested in renting in South Shore, which she described as chaotic.
What kind of organizations would you want to be available to help young people find housing and jobs?
More local realtors maybe. A lot of more mentors. I don't see a lot of mentors around here . . . We don't have a lot of mentors these days teaching this generation. I feel like back when I was younger, like in middle school, they were kind of teaching that.
What differences do you see between people your age and older generations in finding housing and jobs?
I feel like it's harder now. Older people, I feel like they had it easier, because [rent] wasn't so high as it is now . . . You have to make a lot of money just to get an apartment these days, like, twice what you pay [in] rent. I don't know if this generation really cares about credit. . . Credit is really important!
What kind of job resources would you want to see for folks and even yourself?
More programs on entrepreneurship, like being a CEO. Nine-to-five is cool and all, but this generation, we have to work harder than what people did back then. Everything is 10 times more [expensive]. Programs to teach people to become entrepreneurs. That talk about what steps to take to get where you want to be. . . I'm into shoes, so I would sell shoes. I'm also into lingerie, so I would start a lingerie line.
What would help you to take that next step to starting a business?
Having the right people around you and mentorship. I want to be around people that want better for themselves.
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