BUILD, Inc. Continues to Shine in One of Chicago's Darkest Neighborhoods

Located at 5100 West Harrison St., Broader Urban Involvement & Leadership Development (BUILD) is a “nationally respected gang intervention, violence prevention and youth development organization based on Chicago’s West Side.” While the primary goal of the organization is to “inspire hope” and “offer [positive] opportunities” for at-risk youth and their families, in Austin, they’re known for much more than that.

“BUILD is a youth organization right here in the community that just kind of meets youth where they're at, in all different entities,” said Angella Roberts-Smith, Director of Intervention at BUILD, Inc. “Whether that's court advocacy, tutoring and homework assistance, family support needs, therapy and clinical services… whatever they need; it's kind of like a one stop shop here.”

Serving over 6,500 youth annually in some of the city’s toughest neighborhoods (Austin, East Garfield Park, Humboldt Park, Hermosa, Logan Square and Fuller Park), BUILD takes pride in genuinely being able to relate to the youth they serve. According to staff, that’s what makes them unique.

“A lot of [our] staff come from the same background as kids in this building,” said Daniel Perez, Manager of Communications and External Relations at BUILD. [As a disadvantaged youth], you’re looking for somebody to sort of be there for you, especially as a young man. For a lot of us, it's just coming to work and being present for these kids, because that's what they need.”

Through adult mentorship, comprehensive enrichment services and extensive programming, BUILD has been able to cater to those needs for over 50 years (1969-present), which has allowed them to remain a staple in the community. While they are consistent in their efforts, each year, they are presented with new challenges.

“A lot of times, these kids don't have their fathers present [in their lives] and the mother ends up having to deal with them,” said Felix Jusino, Lead Coordinator of Community Engagement at BUILD. “These kids start thinking they actually run the household. They bring guns to the house, and a lot of parents are scared because they don't know how to deal with it… it just becomes overwhelming.”

To help parent(s), BUILD sends a team of specialists to their homes to speak with children about some of the undesirable consequences of their actions. While gaining trust can be a challenge, authenticity proves to be the best solution.

“Our message to our young people is simple and pure, because young people know when you’re not being real with them,” said Perez.

According to City-Data.com, 20.7% of households in Austin (BUILD Headquarters) are classified as “single-mother households,” compared to 12.7% in Chicago as a whole. In 2023, PropertyClub ranked the area as the seventh most dangerous neighborhood in all of Chicago. Based on a series of recent shootings in the area, gun violence continues to be a major concern.

One way they’ve been able to address the problem is through their results-driven intervention program, where they literally go out and rescue kids from the streets. While they often encounter youth who are at their lowest point, the goal is to build them up so they can enter other programs.

“I have a lot of outreach service workers [that] go out to police stations [and] hospitals in different areas these youth may need support in, and they begin to deter them from violence,” said Roberts-Smith. “Usually, our intervention clients don't just come in here voluntarily; we go get them. We introduce them to this building and programs [we offer], and they usually stick around.”

According to BUILD, 74% of youth involved with their programs reported experiencing improved grades in reading and/or math during the academic school year. 88% experienced increased conflict resolution skills, 48 youth members have been detached from gangs in the past year and 96% avoided recidivism (relapsing into criminal behavior).

While Perez says there’s more work to be done, BUILD looks forward to continuing their mission in an ever-changing environment.

“We always try to stay on top of the game because that's the only way we're going to stay with these kids,” said Perez. “If we stay static, we're going to lose them in these weeds out here… so we try to navigate with them. It's not easy, but we’ve got to keep doing it.”