Chicago+Community+Description


 *  Community Description - Chicago, Lawndale

Lawndale, Chicago Zip Code: 60623

Lawndale is located on the west side of Chicago.It is surrounded on three sides by rail road tracks which encloses this 29 mile long, 5 mile wide neighborhood. Most of the residents of this neighborhood are of the African American or Hispanic descent, with a population made up of 86.2% Hispanics, the African american population is a far second by a mere 4.9%. Compared to the state of Illinois, which has a Hispanic community of only 16.1%, North Lawndale has a heavy concentration of Hispanics in the community. The population of Lawndale is made up of 333,178 children for a school district that consists of 18 schools and some charter schools.
 * Introduction/Geography:**

The Lawndale/North Lawndale community is a relatively impoverished area. There are about 15.6% of families below the poverty line, a high percentage for such a small area. When you compare it with Illinois' rate of 11% of families below the poverty line, it does not look like a large difference but when you compare the size of each population, you can then understand how substantial this statistic is. The median income of household in North Lawndale is about $39,557 which is about $10,000 dollars less than Illinois' median income of $53,234. The families are not the only ones affected by the low income and poverty but also affects the children in the community.The percentage of children living in poverty is 36%, this is a large increase from the state of Illinois which only has about 22% of children living below the poverty level. The great disparity of this area causes the school systems to be poor and the lack of money makes it hard for improvements.
 * Economic Well-Being:**

The feeling of a safety is not something that is common, especially to children, in the Lawndale community. According the  Kids Count , 15.1% of children say they do not feel safe while they are at school. When the state of Illinois was polled only 7.4% of children said that they felt unsafe at their school. 9.7% of kids in Lawndale admitted to carrying a weapon to school at least once and 41.6% said they have been in a physical altercation at school more than once. These percentages are much higher than those of the entire state of Illinois which shows the high risks that these children face going to school everyday.
 * Safety Indicators:**

The family system in the Lawndale community is lacking to say the least. Half of the kids living in the community live with a single parent, whether it be just the father or just the mother. 6% live with their grandparents, and 6% live with neither parent or grandparent. All of these percentages are much higher than Illinois average. In Illinois only 33% of kids live in a single parent home, 4% live with their grandparents, and only 4% live with neither. The family life for the average kid in this community is usually absent or lacking the proper support which makes it hard for them to succeed on any level.
 * Family**:

Being a part of the Chicago community, Lawndale is impoverished and lacking the proper ingredients for harboring a great school system. There lack of financial support, community stability, and safety risks makes it hard for improvement as well. Overall this area is a difficult one to support a school system which is why the one that is established now is doing so poorly. || U.S. Census Bureau. “Economic Characteristics and Racial Profile.” //U.S. Census Bureau//. Web. 9 Nov. 2012.
 * Conclusion**: