The Sankofa Wellness Village, a $50 million health and integrated services campus project in the West Garfield Park Neighborhood, has won the $10 million Chicago Prize from The Pritzker Traubert Foundation. This is just the second Chicago Prize given in the history of the foundation.
“The Chicago prize was founded on the premise that there are great ideas in communities particularly on the south and the west side from folks that live in those neighborhoods that want to improve them,” said Kenya Merritt, program officer for the Pritzker Traubert Foundation. “So the goal is: How can we get them to a place where they can see their projects to fruition?”
Why West Garfield Park?
The foundation chose the Sankofa Wellness Village amongst five other finalists, each of whom will have the opportunity to receive $500,000 in matching funds. They chose the wellness village for the $10 million prize because of the location of the project and the services that they will provide to residents in the area.
“What was compelling about the West Garfield Park proposal was that they were simply asking for basic services and resources. This community area has long been disinvested,” said Merritt.
The prize money will go towards the construction of multiple facilities within the corridor of Madison and Pulaski, including a brand new 60,000-square-foot gym, credit union, and health center, a renovated church building that will house a leadership development and arts center, an entrepreneurship support and development hub, and a community grocer market.
One of the stated goals of the project is the help shorten the life expectancy gap between residents of the West Garfield neighborhood and residents of the Loop. Just six miles separate the two Chicago neighborhoods. However, residents of West Garfield have a lifespan that is on average 13 years shorter than their Loop counterparts.
The Garfield Park Rite to Wellness Collaborative, the organization behind the development, seeks to achieve this goal through different strategies represented by each of the projects that will make up the wellness village.
What the Village Will Provide
First, the Sankofa Village Wellness Center will provide primary care, dentistry, and mental and behavioral health services. The center will also have ages 0 to 5 day care, and an all ages gymnasium and fitness facility. Within the center will be a new credit union. This will give residents affordable banking options, financial education, and access to direct employment with health organizations.
Next, the MAAFA Center for Arts and Activism, or the “MAC”, will be built within the newly renovated New Mount Missionary Baptist Church. The MAC will provide a venue for art installations, workshops, and performances. It will also house the headquarters for the MAAFA Redemption Project. MAAFA is a dormitory-style residential institute that gives support and development to men of color.
The K Social Innovation Hub will be a center for business and economic development within West Garfield Park, and especially along the Madison-Pulaski commercial corridor. It will seek to revitalize the community economically by supporting resident-owned businesses and start-ups. The K will also facilitate networking and provide rentable work or event space.
Lastly, the village will have a Community Grocery Initiative, or “CGI” for short. Led by GPRWC and West Side United, the CGI will bring affordable fresh food options to an area that has experienced food desertification since the Aldi at 3835 W Madison closed in October 2021. The CGI will do this initially by bringing in food vendors for pop-up markets. The markets will be a stand in until they can secure a permanent grocery store to move into the space.
“This team pulled together heavy hitters in terms of partnerships with RUSH Medical Center, The YMCA, West Side United, as well as Erie Family Health Centers to bring together resources that this neighborhood needs,” said Merritt.
When Will Residents See the Benefits?
The wellness village will be a multi-year project. Different stages will be completed over the next few years. The GPRWC’s proposal states that their goal will be to improve the health of West Garfield residents within five years.
“They’re building brand new facilities, these things will take time,” said Merritt. “Our goal is still at the center of why the Chicago prize was developed, and that is to be able to support these community led groups that have the ideas, that have the plans. We want to support them in the way that gets their vision to the finish line.”
Written by Seth Herlinger
Sources:
Block Club Chicago: Sankofa Wellness Village On West Side Wins $10 Million Chicago Prize
Interview: Kenya Merritt, Program Officer at the Pritzker Traubert Foundation, February 1, 2023
WBEZ: Group wants to create walkable village with grocery stores, arts center, clinic on West Side
Top and featured image courtesy of Seth Herlinger
