New UIC Report: Growing Latino population needs more educational, economic resources
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 11, 2017
CHICAGO – Before the Chicago City Council meeting this morning, the City Council’s Latino Caucus, Metropolitan Family Services and the University of Illinois at Chicago held a joint press conference announcing a new report entitled The Latino Neighborhoods Report: Issues and Prospects for Chicago, which highlights the growing opportunities and challenges of the city’s Latino population.
This report, commissioned by Metropolitan Family Services to further its delivery of social services, presents demographic characteristics of Latinos in Chicago and examines the neighborhoods with a majority Latino population.
The report uses primarily U.S. Census Data and examines 12 of the City’s neighborhoods where Latinos are prevalent. Among the findings in the report:
The Latino population has increased substantially and is widely distributed throughout Chicago neighborhoods.
Current levels of education for Latinos lag behind White and Black populations.
Income levels of Latinos lag behind non-Hispanic White populations citywide but Latinos have higher median household incomes in 5 of 12 predominantly Latino neighborhoods.
Latino neighborhoods have higher concentrations of their labor force in manufacturing and typically low paying service industries and lower concentrations in higher paying service industries.
Low rates of Latino homeownership and high rates of foreclosures challenge wealth-building and neighborhood stability in many Latino neighborhoods.
All 12 of the Latino neighborhoods of study had higher rates of their population without health insurance than in the city of Chicago.
"This report demonstrates that Latinos are present throughout Chicago's neighborhoods and have unique social, economic and housing success and challenges,” said the author, José Miguel Acosta-Córdova, Research Assistant at the UIC’s Institute for Research on Race and Public Policy, a James J. Stukel Student Fellow at the Great Cities Institute, Graduate Student in Urban Planning and Policy, and President of UIC’s Latino planning student organization, LPODER.
“This in-depth study clearly outlines the dynamic growth of Chicago’s Latino community and the need to further expand its access to educational and economic resources to realize its potential and maximize its contributions to the city,” said Ric Estrada, President and CEO of Metropolitan Family Services. “Metropolitan Family Services is excited to use these findings to strengthen the services we provide daily to thousands of Latino families throughout the Chicago area.”
“Reading the UIC report made me incredibly optimistic. The fact that the future of Chicago is inexorably tied to Latinos is a great sign for our City,” said Latino Caucus Chair Ald. Gilbert Villegas (36). “I am committed to continuing to fight for educational and economic resources for the Latino community as we move forward.”
The author, Josė Acosta, can be reached via phone at 312.918.0906 or email at jacost29@uic.edu. A complete copy of the report can be found at https://greatcities.uic.edu/2017/10/11/latino-neighborhoods-report/
The Latino Caucus includes 11 members from across the city. They represent wards as diverse as Chicago itself. In addition to Chairman Villegas, the Caucus membership includes Ald. Joe Moreno (1), Ald. Susan Sadlowski Garza (10), Ald. George Cardenas (12), Ald. Raymond Lopez (15), Ald. Ricardo Muñoz (22), Ald. Danny Solis (25), Ald. Roberto Maldonado (26), Ald. Ariel Reboyras (30), Ald. Milly Santiago (31) and Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (35).
