MISSION & VISION

The mission of Greater West Town Project is to build a community-based response that expands educational and economic opportunity for low income communities of color in Chicago, with a focus on serving the West Side neighborhoods of Humboldt Park, East and West Garfield Park, Austin, and North Lawndale.  

GWTP seeks to develop programs that can serve as practical, model solutions to problems which limit life’s opportunity and to link the employment and training of the neighborhood workforce with local economic development efforts and the needs of small and mid-sized employers. This aligns with our vision to empower resilient communities by nurturing generational self-sufficiency.

IMPACT

GWTP’s programs are designed to address the unique needs of the people it serves, including: low-income and unemployed individuals, high school non-completers, opportunity youth, single parents, limited English speakers, returning citizens, individuals experiencing homelessness, lesser-skilled and dislocated workers, and women seeking nontraditional careers.

Since its founding in 1988, the agency has:

• Trained, supported, and placed nearly 10,000 low-income community residents and dislocated workers into sustainable employment. 

• Established training programs and placed neighborhood workers with more than 450 local companies. 

• Provided more than 5,200 high school-aged students with alternative education, job training, job placement, youth mentoring, career planning assistance, and dropout prevention services.

• Delivered comprehensive employment preparation, support services, training, and job placement to more than 700 people experiencing homelessness.