Chicago Neighborhood Initiatives

09/22/2026

Chicago’s first Community Oriented Policing (COP) House is officially open!

On Friday, community members, partners, local leaders and law enforcement came together in Roseland to celebrate the grand opening of the new COP House at 12020 S. Indiana Avenue – transforming a once-vacant property into a neighborhood resource designed to strengthen connections, expand access to services and create new opportunities for young people and families.

Developed by Chicago Neighborhood Initiatives with the leadership and support of 9th Ward Alderman Anthony A. Beale, the COP House brings law enforcement and community-based organizations together under one roof. Metropolitan Family Services will serve as the lead service provider, connecting residents with resources including mentoring, mental health support, workforce development, case management and family services.

This project would not have been possible without the generous support of lead sponsor SC Johnson, A Family Company and Ford Motor Company, along with the many organizations and community partners who helped bring the vision to life.

Thank you to everyone who joined us for Friday’s celebration – from the community parade and ribbon cutting to the block party that followed – and to all of the partners who will continue the work inside and around the COP House in the months and years ahead.

We’re proud to see this long-awaited vision become a reality for Roseland and the Far South Side.

The opening received some great coverage from Fox 32 Chicago and ABC 7 Chicago:
FOX 32: https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/chicagos-first-cop-house-opens-roseland-boost-public-safety

ABC 7: https://abc7chicago.com/post/long-abandoned-home-120th-street-indiana-avenue-become-chicagos-1st-cop-house-west-pullman-reduce-violence/19848048/

09/18/2026

Today’s the day!

Join us this afternoon for the COP House Grand Opening Celebration in Roseland!

We’ll kick things off with a community parade, followed by the official ribbon cutting and a block party with food, music, activities, community resources and plenty of family fun.

📅 TODAY | 4–6 PM
📍 12020 S. Indiana Ave., Chicago

Come celebrate with us – we hope to see you there!

09/15/2026

We’re just a few days away! 🎉

Join us this Friday as we celebrate the Grand Opening of the Roseland COP House – a new community space created to bring together public safety, community resources and programming to support Roseland youth and families.

The celebration kicks off with a community parade, followed by the official ribbon cutting and block party with food, music, activities, community resources and family fun.

📅 Friday, September 18 | 4–6 PM
📍 12020 S. Indiana Ave., Chicago

We hope you’ll join us as we celebrate this exciting new resource for the Roseland community!

09/09/2026

We are deeply saddened to share the passing of Reverend Merlon Jackson, CNI’s inaugural Board Chair and a founding leader of our organization.

For sixteen years, Pastor Jackson led CNI’s Board with extraordinary humility, integrity and grace, helping shape the values that continue to guide our work today.

As Senior Pastor of Christ Community Church in Pullman, he was a tireless champion for Chicago’s Far South Side. His belief in the promise of Pullman helped guide CNI’s catalytic work in the neighborhood, including Pullman Park and the Method, Gotham Greens and Whole Foods developments – transformative investments that have created thousands of jobs and brought lasting economic opportunity to the community.

But Pastor Jackson’s legacy goes far beyond projects. He cared deeply about people. For years, he took part in CNI’s winter coat drives for local children, often pulling on the Santa suit himself. Seeing the joy on kids’ faces was one of the highlights of his year and reflected the genuine care he had for the children and families of Pullman and Roseland.

Earlier this year, the CNI Board honored his sixteen years of leadership by naming him Chair Emeritus and describing him as “A wonderful person. An instrumental leader. An extremely humble servant.”

We extend our deepest condolences to Pastor Jackson’s family and the congregation of Christ Community Church. We are forever grateful for his leadership, friendship and service, and his legacy will remain an enduring part of CNI and the communities he served.

08/27/2026

Join Chicago Neighborhood Initiatives for an evening of community, connection and fun!

📅 Friday, September 11, 2026
⏰ 6:00–9:00 PM
📍 756 E. 111th Street, Chicago
Parking lot in front of Lexington Betty Smokehouse

We’re grateful to our Gold Sponsors, U.S. Bank and Blue Door Neighborhood Center, for their generous support in helping make this community event possible.

We hope to see you there!

06/04/2026

We're proud to celebrate the unveiling of the Roseland COP House mural last Monday. The artwork was co-created with local youth and community members and reflects pride in the Roseland community.

This project was led by David Gauna of Here I Bloom and Nick Pesa, teacher at CICS Prairie, alongside the talented student artists from CICS Prairie who designed and painted the mural. Their work, vision, and investment in Roseland made this possible!

A special thank you to Alderman Anthony Beale, Commander Johnson of the Chicago Police Department 5th District, and CNI’s Board Secretary, Thomas Mcmahon, for joining us.

Thank you to Healing Illinois (Illinois Department of Human Services), the The Field Foundation of Illinois, and every resident and young person who showed up and made this happen.

9th Ward Alderman Anthony A. Beale

05/21/2026

Join us on June 1 as we celebrate the unveiling of a new community mural inspired by the voices, creativity, and ideas of Roseland residents and youth.

Created through community engagement and artistic collaboration, the mural reflects the spirit of Roseland while helping welcome the future Roseland COP House as a space for connection, healing, and community.

Light snacks provided – all are welcome!

Register here: bit.ly/CHMuralUnveiling

Created by community. Inspired by Roseland.

05/04/2026

Join AAREP Chicago for a dynamic conversation on successful commercial real estate partnerships.

We’re proud to have our president, David Doig, join this all-star panel of leaders sharing insights on how strategic partnerships can drive impactful development across Chicago’s neighborhoods.

Featuring leaders from across development, finance, and community organizations.

🗓 Thursday, May 21
⏰ 6:00 – 8:00 PM
📍 Roosevelt University

Member’s registration link: https://conta.cc/3OMDhd9
Non-member’s registration link: https://conta.cc/4tLHLiY

05/04/2026

Big step forward in Roseland.

This recent Chicago Sun-Times article highlights 10 newly completed homes as part of the Reclaiming Chicago initiative—an effort to build 2,000 homes across the South and West sides.

We’re proud to be part of a collaborative effort that’s helping families access homeownership and bringing new investment to our neighborhoods.

https://chicago.suntimes.com/real-estate/2026/05/01/reclaiming-chicago-initiative-10-homes-roseland #

The campaign’s mission is to build 2,000 homes across the South and West sides to help combat decades of disinvestment.

04/27/2026

On April 16, we were proud to host a community session centering youth and resident voices in the development of a mural for the Roseland COP House.

The COP House is transforming a long-vacant property into a welcoming hub for community safety, trust-building, and connection. The mural, co-created with the community it's meant to serve, will reflect that vision.

Thank you to muralists David Gauna and Nicholas Pesa for bringing creativity, intention, and skill to this process. And to Dolores Ruiz-Villalvazo, who supported the session as the Community School Coordinator, and to CICS Prairie Elementary School for opening their doors to host this community session.

This work is made possible with support from Healing Illinois, an initiative of the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS), managed in partnership with the The Field Foundation of Illinois, whose commitment to community-led change aligns with what is being built in Roseland.

Stay tuned as we continue co-creating a space where Roseland's history, resilience, and vision for the future are on full display!