A Claretian Home for The Holidays

Since its inception, Claretian Associates has provided affordable housing to residents of Chicago’s South Side neighborhoods

Every family in South Chicago should have a safe place to call home. And if Angela Hurlock has her way, they will.

As Executive Director of Claretian Associates, a community development group that provides affordable, safe and ”green” housing to South Chicago residents, Angela is working tirelessly to make this vision a reality.

“We want to make sure the families, in the neighborhood, especially those of low and moderate income, have affordable, quality, nice places to stay,” she says.

The South Chicago neighborhood the organization serves is where the National Shrine of St. Jude is located, in Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish. The “Claretian” heart of Claretian Associates means that it stays true to the Claretian mission of serving families in need. Claretian Associates builds homes and creates stable neighborhoods not just with brick and mortar, but by fostering family unity and working closely with local schools, churches and other organizations to build up services and resources for those families. “The Claretian Missionaries are very keen on understanding the needs of the families they minister to. They are a great catalyst for change in the neighborhood,” Angela says.

This signature Claretian focus on family and community collaboration has attracted enormous interest. Claretian Associates recently opened twenty-nine new units and had 1,600 families apply. Many families who were home owners have had to come back to rental because they were facing foreclosure.

“All it takes is a spark. A spark can ignite a forest fire that destroys everything or a spark can ignite programs of change in our community,” Angela says. “I believe in the work that the Claretians do because I see how a spark can ignite an entire community.

“The Claretians Missionaries serve as that spark here in South Chicago and wherever they go.”

Angela’s leadership has garnered numerous awards for the 20-year-old nonprofit, including the 2007 Outstanding Community Initiative of the Year Award from The Chicago Community Trust. The group is also the South Chicago Lead Agency for LISC’s New Community Program.

The success of Claretian Associates is reflected in the success of the families they serve. “If you give someone a safe place to stay, it helps them deal with other issues,” Angela says. “That is where someone will contact you to offer you a job or the place where you can come home to after school. I believe that housing is a crux for everything.

“When I first came to Claretian Associates I thought it was just about building the housing. But you can’t really build housing if the families in the houses are falling apart. So it’s about making sure the families have jobs and a safe place to live. Ultimately, it’s about bringing families together.”