Nia Family Center Hosts ‘Much-Needed’ Community Resource Fair for Struggling Humboldt Park Community

Cars flooded either side of a busy street last Friday afternoon in Humboldt Park, drawing visitors from all parts of the city — and for good reason. Sponsored by Chicago Commons, Nia Family Center hosted a much-needed community resource fair to bring accessible resources to at-risk youth and their families.

“[We hosted this fair] to provide our parents with resources they need,” said Ebony Westbrooks, Site Director at Nia Family Center, explaining how the highly anticipated community event came to fruition. “We work closely with our parents to help them reach their goals because we really want them to be successful.”

Located at 744 N Monticello Ave, Nia Family Center is an early education center designed to “empower individuals, families and communities to overcome poverty and systematic barriers, embrace opportunities and thrive across generations.” While they primarily focus on education (serving children up to five years of age), what makes them unique is they also have a Family Hub (where parents and families can receive comprehensive services), and a Senior Care Hub (where they provide in-home care and adult day services for seniors, allowing them to stay in their homes while family members work or go to school). Since the start of the pandemic, Nia Family Center has provided services to more than 10,000 people in Humboldt Park, Pilsen, Back of the Yards and Bronzeville.

“I’m here to help the community and to be a resource for all the seniors in the area,” said Carlos Barron, Licensed Insurance Agent for Wellcare, explaining his reasoning for attending the event. “There’s a lot of different areas in which [community members] struggle. I have to give them the information they need, because a lot of times, they’re afraid to ask.”

With a plethora of vendors showing up early to set up their display tables, and an enthusiastic group of eventgoers funneling in to meet them, it’s safe to say many people in the community feel the same way.

“I personally think having a [physical] presence [in the community] and reminding families of all the supportive services we provide [exemplifies] the way Chicago Commons delivers services to our families,” said Areli Julian, Health and Wellness Resource Coordinator at Chicago Commons. “Sometimes people have questions, and they want to speak to someone in person as opposed to just doing everything online or calling [on the phone] … [and that’s why we’re here].

According to Julian, one of the primary concerns of residents in Humboldt Park is accessing nutritious, affordable foods. Based on Chicago Community Trust’s most recent reports, 49% of Humboldt Park residents received food stamps in the past year, and 30% of households relied on emergency food services. Despite that support, 46% of households were still considered to be “food insecure,” compared to 13% of households nationwide.

To combat that issue, Chicago Commons will be offering a seven-week nutrition class for parents in January, during which participants learn about healthy eating habits, food groups, portion control and diabetes. Additionally, the organization will be partnering with various food banks around the city to make sure families have access to the resources they need.

“We are [all] partners, and we all work together to create a safe space for children to learn,” said Tammy Vance, Director of Community Engagement at Polaris Charter Academy. “We have a lot of families that have come from this organization, and we enjoy [working] with them. They come and visit us, we come visit them and we make sure that every student in this area has an opportunity [to attend] the school that’s best for them.

With upwards of ten tables crammed inside a stuffed community room at Nia Family Center, vendors handed out fliers (in both English and Spanish) with topics ranging from how to handle a robbery and best ways to report domestic violence, to best schools in the area, ways to combat food insecurity, financial literacy training and even health insurance. While some (or all) of those topics appear to be completely unrelated, at its core, the concept remains the same: gather as many resources as possible (on a variety of different topics) and place them under one roof in a community that needs it the most.

As parents exited the facility and walked down the street with 20-something fliers in hand, they left with more knowledge than they previously had. For Westbrooks and co., that’s what it’s all about.