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CHICAGO (CBS) – This September, the Healthy Lifestyle Hub will fully open its doors to the Auburn Gresham community.

The building will serve as a landmark in the community, right on 79th Street, offering a health center, dental services, a minority-owned pharmacy and other critical services.

It’s an example of how investing in a community, one block at a time, can bring a neighborhood back to life.

CBS 2’s Joe Donlon visited the facility with Carlos Nelson, the director of Greater Auburn Gresham Development Corporation. He got the project off the ground and talked about what it means for the residents.

“Think about the fact that this building has been empty for 25 years, right on 79th Street, the busiest bus route in the entire city of Chicago, just a short walk from Halstead,” said Nelson.

He added, “It means life. It means hope. It means that the elders who have been here and witnessed the divestment that has plagued us for years, means that we are doing something for our community. We are bringing something to Auburn Gresham that we don’t have. accessed for generations “.

Nelson also pointed to properties that were once occupied by various businesses until they left the neighborhood in recent years.

“It took a long, long time to get to, you know, this desperate state we are in now,” Nelson said.

DONLON: Does this investment and that opportunity change the negative observations and perceptions people have of this neighborhood?

NELSON: It’s a start, but the beginning is to have high quality access to health care, have a job, create wealth and make choices as you would in other communities where the quality of life is good.

DONLON: How important is this investment to expand beyond this building?

NELSON: The general idea when we designed the Auburn Gresham Healthy Lifestyle Hub was that it would be a catalyst and catalyze investment in other developments and create wealth, while providing high-quality access to healthcare. Private investors … now take note. However, much of the development I am talking about is done by community members, community based organizations, people from the community. This movement of economic development is with us and for us.

DONLON: This is a shining example of what this neighborhood can be, in your opinion?

NELSON: This is the utmost perseverance. We need to reuse or build on these vacant lots, vacant land, vacant buildings. We have to take these negatives and turn them into positives and this is a shining example of this. Man, I’m so excited to have this building empty, (after) all these years, bringing it back to life. Really exciting. O

The ribbon cutting and inauguration of the Healthy Lifestyle Hub will take place on 29 September.

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