by Diana Pando
Before moving into a TRP apartment, tenant Douglas Allan had been living on Chicago’s north side. He was struggling to regain his independence after going through financial hardship and health issues. While he was appreciative of his family supporting him through hard times, he knew he had to move out on his own.
He began searching for apartments in his area but all of them were out of his price range. Douglas didn’t have a traditional 9-to-5 job because he was an entrepreneur and worked out of his home. The problem was that no one was willing to work with his income. Despite his efforts, he still couldn’t find anything.
Discouraged, he decided to see if he could find something in the Pilsen neighborhood. He began walking west down Pilsen hoping to see “for rent” signs in windows. He also started going into local businesses to inquire about apartments.
After walking around the neighborhood for some time he started feeling discouraged. He decided to go into one last store on 18^th Street. He spotted a statue of St. Anthony, patron saint of lost things. Douglas picked it up and said, “St. Anthony please help me find an apartment.”
Douglas promised St. Anthony he would place him in a prominent place in his new apartment and went to pay for the statue. The store owner commented, “You know he is the patron of lost things. What are you looking for?”
Douglas told him he was looking for an apartment, and the store owner told him about The Resurrection Project (TRP). He decided to reach out to TRP and apply for an apartment. He was excited because while he did not get the apartment in Pilsen, he was approved for one in the Back of the Yards neighborhood.
“I haven’t lived in a stable environment for many years,” said Douglas. “I’m able to afford an apartment and it provides me with a stable environment allowing me to do more things.”
He encourages people to apply for a TRP apartment because “the apartments are spacious, clean, and have new appliances.”  Douglas also notes, “These apartments allow people to save money and gives them a lifestyle they can actually afford.”
The TRP building he lives in is also helping create healthy communities because it’s stabilizing the neighborhood. “It’s important for TRP housing to be here,” he says, “because it provides a beautiful space where before there might have been an abandoned home or empty lot.”
Living in the neighborhood is also giving Douglas an opportunity to volunteer and teach English as a second language. While the neighborhood continues to need more affordable housing and community resources Douglas points out that there is a new school and shopping opportunities in the area.
“There is a feeling of hopefulness in the Back of the Yards neighborhood,” he says.

Return to Nueva Vida November 2014 here.