Neighborhood Assistance Center

The Fredrick Blum Neighborhood Assistance Center

Director: Dr. Daniel Block

The Fredrick Blum Neighborhood Assistance Center (NAC) provides technical and research assistance to neighborhood based, community, and economic development organizations. Housed in the Department of Geography, Sociology, History, Africana Studies & Anthropology at Chicago State University and drawing heavily on the resources and skills of the department, the NAC endeavors to involve faculty and students from across the university. The NAC applies discipline specific skills to the solution of neighborhood problems and acts to increase the level of service to the community by the university.

The main goal of the NAC is to foster self-reliant community development. This is accomplished by:

• Assisting in the development of neighborhood planning projects in ways that enable neighborhood residents to develop their own strategies for neighborhood maintenance and revitalization.
• Performing land use and housing quality surveys, feasibility studies, market analyses, food and social service access analyses, grant writing assistance, and database construction.
• Mapping assistance and spatial analyses using the department's Geographic Information System (GIS) laboratory.
• Maintaining documents and data pertaining to land use, community health, housing, economic development, and community planning.

Students can become involved in Neighborhood Assistance Center (NAC) projects through internships, work study positions and funded research assistantships.

The NAC is named after Fredrick Blum, emeritus professor of Geography, long-time supporter of community planning and neighborhood development, and originator of the idea for the NAC.

Fredrick Blum Neighborhood Assistance Center (NAC)

Chicago State University

Williams Science Center - Room 321

9501 S. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive

Chicago, IL 60628-1598

Phone: (773) 995-2310

Upcoming Events

READY25:Digital Communities in Action Conference, July 10-11, 2025

Chicago State University and Illinois Broadband Lab are committed to increasing digital inclusion across the Northeast Region of Illinois. Conference participants will have the chance to collaborate with peers and learn from digital experts about how to increase digital access opportunities in our communities.

Day 1: Navigator Focus

Calling all digital navigators and organizations that want to advance their community engagement and advance digital programming.

 

Day 2: Community Focus (Open for Parents, Youth, and Seniors)

We welcome all families and community members to join us for a day of educational resources to engage in conversation about how to equip our communities with necessary information; Keeping our families safe when using the internet, creating educational opportunities, learn about financial resources and engage in STEM and hands-on activities. Participants will be eligible to receive a free device by participating in at least 3 sessions of the conference.

This opportunity is funded by the Illinois Broadband READY program and is made possible with support from the Illinois Innovation Network. For more details on the conference, please visit our READY25 Conference website.