COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION AND PUBLIC WAY
0_ R_ D_I_N _A _N C_ E
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CHICAGO:
SECTION 1. Pursuant to an ordinance heretofore passed by the City Council, which allows the erection of honorary street name signs, the Commissioner of Transportation shall take the necessary action to designate the 3400 and 3500 blocks of West Division Street as "New Life Covenant Way."
Roberto Maldonado Alderman, 26th Ward
SECTION 2. This ordinance shall be in full force and effect upon passage and publication.
New Life Covenant (formerly Palestine Christian Temple) has been a vital presence in the Humboldt Park Community since 1965. In 1997, the church took a big step towards community involvement under the leadership of newly anointed Pastor, Wilfredo "Choco" De Jesus. Under his leadership, New Life Covenant (NLC) birthed The River of Life women and children's shelter in Humboldt Park, which served 1,350 families until 2016, but this was only the beginning.
In 2001 the police commander approached Pastor Choco with a community crisis -the police had arrested over 600 women for prostitution and asked, "Is there anything the church can do?" Pastor Choco wrestled with this question, and in the summer of 2002, with the blessing of his church, they purchased a farm and created, New Life for Women Residential Program, endearingly called "The Farm." It is located three hours from Chicago and exists to rescue women from life-controlling addictions such as drugs, alcohol, prostitution, and sex trafficking. The women stay in the program for one year, free of charge. This initiative is entirely funded by the members and friends of New Life Covenant, and impressively to date, it has served over 700 women.
"The Farm" led to the formation of our non-profit entity, the Chicago Dream Center (CDC). CDC serves as an umbrella for various life-giving ministries such as Hope House for Teens residential program (to date 70 teens have lived in the teen...
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