County 50: Lake

We all know the history surrounding the steel mills in Gary and East Chicago. Downtown districts that once thrived have faced struggles over the recent years. As the employment shrank, the people began moving away. One neighborhood in the heart of downtown East Chicago was hit especially hard. The North Harbor district was full of homes, movie cinemas and store fronts. As the people went, so did the houses and shops many vandalized and boarded up. Now hope is being restored in this tough luck neighborhood.

The North Harbor Revitalization Initiative is working to restore the downtown neighborhood and bring families back to town. This is a massive project covering several city blocks with townhomes, apartments, a community center and a senior citizen housing facility, as well. I was extremely impressed with the beautification this initiative has brought to East Chicago. I took a walking tour of the neighborhood and enjoyed the closeness of the city park, shops and restaurants all within a couple blocks of each other.  



Lt. Governor Skillman discusses the details of the North Harbor
 Revitalization Initiative in East Chicago



The state put $2.5 million toward this project as part of our Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP) which is administered through the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority. 

Mayor Anthony Copeland was able to give me some good inside information about the benefits this will have on the local economy, especially as families start to move back downtown and spend their money there. Like many of the other projects around the state, the mayor said neighbors to the project are beginning to take pride in their properties by fixing them up. I always enjoy hearing the ripple effects these NSP projects have on a neighborhood.

This was a very satisfying trip to see a community that once flourished, hit some hard times, and now begin to get back on their feet. The neighborhood looks magnificent and I look forward to hearing about all the families that begin moving back to downtown East Chicago.