Hermosa residents rebuild community support after neighborhood association closes
After the Hermosa Neighborhood Association closed, residents and organizers are working to fill the gap in community support amid increased ICE activity.
By William Blakley, Reporter
December 19, 2025
An American Family Insurance store now occupies what used to be Hermosa Neighborhood Association on 4325 W. Armitage Ave. on Thursday, Dec. 18. 2025.
Two months after the Hermosa Neighborhood Association closed, residents are still grappling with the loss of one of the neighborhood’s few consistent hubs for youth programs, community space and local advocacy.
The decade-old organization shut down in mid-October, leaving families and young people without a central gathering place as concerns over Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity and displacement continue to grow. In the months since, residents and partner organizations have worked to fill the gap, aiming to keep youth engaged, safe and connected to their neighborhood.
Hermosa is a predominantly Latino community, and for years the association served as a focal point for youth programming, neighborhood organizing and civic engagement. Its absence, residents say, is still being felt.
Marlene Gutierrez, the former youth program manager at the Hermosa Neighborhood Association, said the programs played a critical role for young people who had few other options.
“From personal experience, growing up in Hermosa, there weren’t a lot of places where kids could just hang out,” Gutierrez said. “There weren’t any free programs near us, so my parents never had the opportunity to send us where we could learn without worrying about cost.”
The Hermosa Neighborhood Association operated with a small staff, including unpaid workers, and focused on creating a community space where residents could access resources, discuss neighborhood concerns and invest in the area’s future.
For many youth, the association also provided access to technology and educational resources they otherwise did not have.
In 2022, the association expanded with the help of a state grant created through Illinois’ marijuana legalization legislation, which was designed to support communities disproportionately impacted by the war on drugs. Hermosa was among those neighborhoods, where decades of disinvestment slowed economic development.
The neighborhood association used the grant money to support paid employees and host after-school hours for young kids, as well as put together a variety of community events like block parties and street cleaning. Such efforts were instrumental in keeping Hermosa united, especially in the face of gentrification, as raising rent prices push people out of communities like Logan Square.
Megan Sklenar, a Hermosa resident and founder of City Kids Outdoors, a local community program that aims to expose children to accessible botanical areas in Chicago, highlighted the increasing difficulties of receiving grants to continue developing programs in Hermosa.
“I definitely have concerns about the state of local programs and non-profit organizations,” Sklenar said. “The political climate has made funding very difficult; I think they are lacking support. HNA closing is a loss for the community. I hope things will become revitalized over time.”
Despite those challenges, Sklenar said there are signs of progress through the slow development of community spaces that could provide safe places for youth and improve access throughout the neighborhood.
One of those projects is Kelvyn Park, Hermosa’s largest outdoor space, where plans for a new children’s play area have stalled because of funding issues, Sklenar said. She also pointed to the Crosstown Trail, a proposed project that would transform an underused rail line along Kenton Avenue into a green trail similar to the Bloomingdale Trail.
As residents work to fill the gap left by the Hermosa Neighborhood Association, Palenque Logan Square Neighborhood Association, formerly the Logan Square Neighborhood Association, is also active in efforts to prevent displacement in Hermosa. The organization changed its name in 2022 to reflect a renewed focus on supporting minority communities.
In 2018, the association implemented a five-year quality of life plan, “Here to Stay,” which focused on supporting small businesses along Armitage Avenue and protecting housing for longtime residents through affordability agreements.
Susan Yanun, director of planning and equitable development for the association, said the programs have been effective but have faced new challenges amid increased Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity tied to Operation Midway Blitz.
“The ICE raids have really hit our neighborhood very hard, because it is over 85% Latino,” Yanun said. “Most of the businesses do cater to Latinx customers, and they themselves, at least the non-chain businesses, often are immigrant business owners.”
Yanun credited one of their partners, the Hermosa Belmont Chamber of Commerce, in supporting businesses during this time with a solidarity fund helping families and businesses in the area.
Palenque LSNA currently has no plans to implement youth programs in the absence of the Hermosa Neighborhood Association, but does offer summer jobs to youth ages 14-24 and has a Youth Council where students can discuss and bring forward issues targeting them.
“We have several schools in Hermosa that are members of our organization. We’re working to do some additional things on Armitage Avenue, with some of the business owners and some of the residents that live right around there,” Yanun said. “But as far as specific programs, no, right now we don’t have anything really just specifically laid out and ready to go.”
Gutierrez said she hopes to see more support for both Hermosa and the Logan Square neighborhood.
“Logan Square has more of an advantage than Hermosa because it’s a more recognizable neighborhood versus Hermosa,” she said. “Hermosa is definitely scarce in programs and opportunities for its residents, especially the youth.”
Despite uncertainty created by ICE activity and the loss of community infrastructure, residents remain committed to supporting young people and preserving the neighborhood.
“It just needs help to get going, not only by the local government, but by its residents. Organizations can only do so much without the residents’ support,” Gutierrez said. “Hermosa is small, but the area is relatively safe and overall has potential to grow and become something great.”
Copy edited by Emma Jolly