As is the case with many low-income neighborhoods, the South Side is certainly marked by stigmas that are often associated with “poor neighborhoods.” To an outsider our community is south of the tracks, the part of town you simply want to avoid; blanketed with service organizations such as correctional facilities, half-way houses, drug and rehab facilities, a homeless shelter; the place with the most condensed population of felons; often home of the worst crimes; you name it, it’s probably here. Yet, despite how the South Side may be understood by others, we are a community of great tradition, rich history, proud identity, and yes, community. So is this the heart of CLDI: to seek transformed lives through the gospel by rebuilding lives, restoring families, and re-neighboring communities.
