Deverra Beverly, longtime president of the ABLA Homes public housing development. Photo courtesy of the National Public Housing Museum.

Deverra Beverly, a Chicago Housing Authority commissioner and long-time president of the resident council at the ABLA Homes public housing development on the West Side, died November 9, 2013.

CHA Officials Honor Statement about Beverly

Beverly was appointed to the CHA Board of Commissioners by former Mayor Richard M. Daley on July 22, 2009.

A life-long public servant, she held numerous resident leadership positions prior to her appointment, including president of ABLA Homes’ Local Advisory Council, vice chair of the Central Advisory Council from 2002 to 2008, interim CAC chair from 2008 to 2009, and treasurer in 2009.

In an email to Residents’ Journal, a CHA press statement recalled that Beverly also worked for the City’s Department of Human Services for 30 years and received “countless awards in recognition of her efforts to improve the quality of life in public housing.”

Read more »

Strange Tales from Rockwell

I‘d like to inform the readers of an organization that states that it helps seniors, people with disabilities and others find part-time work and training in many Chicago locations, with some offices a few blocks away from CHA developments.

Many times when a person thinks of residents of public housing communities, they think of them as down trodden, hopeless and uneducated, people who have no plans, opinions, or ideals as to how they want to live as individuals or families. The stereotypes are that residents are isolated from society.

Many times when a person thinks of residents of public housing communities, they think of them as down trodden, hopeless and uneducated, people who have no plans, opinions, or ideals as to how they want to live as individuals or families. The stereotypes are that residents are isolated from society.

The ABLA Local Advisory Council (LAC), along with its president, Deverra Beverly, other concerned residents of ABLA and various city agencies are working hard to erase these negative stereotypes.

Various meetings have been held to keep the residents informed. At these meetings, residents have been allowed to make major input and educated choices as to things that will make the future of the ABLA community a viable one. These things are needed as the transformation of public housing takes place in the years to come. Read more »

The 9th annual ABLA Family Fun Day was held recently at Addams Park, 15th Street and Loomis Avenue (aka Deverra Beverly Street). The event was sponsored by ABLA’s Local Advisory Council and was an official part of Mayor Richard M. Daley’s Neighborhood Summer Festivals.

The beautiful, warm and sunny weather helped make it a well-received occasion. Thousands of ABLA residents from 2 to 92 years old came out and enjoyed. First-class entertainment was provided:

The CHA Ambassador Choir’s inspirational up-tempo songs had the crowd in a hand clapping, sing-along mood. The CHA Safe Summer Tour featured spectacular multi-talented youths from ABLA and other developments singing R&B and rap, performing amazing feats of gymnastics and well-choreographed dance steps. Rappin’ Tate, the emcee of the show, did an excellent job of keeping the crowd pumped up. Read more »

With help from ABLA’s Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) committee, an agreement to guarantee that residents from Brooks Homes would be able to return after rehabilitation was completed. They secured funding from the CHA modernization heat-related damage fund to renovate one high rise for Brooks Homes residents.

During the rehabilitation process, some residents were even hired to work. Here’s an update to what’s happening: Read more »

Hosted by the CADRE office at ABLA, I joined residents from that development and we left the complex at 6:30 p.m. We arrived at the New Rosemont Theater at 8 p.m. on June 9. The event was the last night of the series of women’s lectures hosted by Janet Davies, entertainment reporter for ABC Channel 7 News. Tonight was an evening with Maya Angelou, the world-renowned poet. The series was called “Unique Lives And Experiences,” North America’s foremost women’s lecture tour. The series had featured Laura Bacall, author of “My Life, My Career,” Mary Tyler Moore, in a lecture entitled “Thoroughly Modern Mary,” Linda Ellerbee and Sara Ferguson, the Duchess Of York. But tonight was Maya’s night. Read more »

ABLA Homes residents recently received word that their development has received some $24 million from a federal HOPE VI grant. In this article, ABLA LAC President Deverra Beverly examines some of the steps that led to that success.

ABLA instituted a front line feeding program in 1990. This program feeds over 1200 people weekly, 144,000 yearly.

This program is being relocated for vendors. The ABLA community is very concerned regarding when the vendors will arrive. When and if this takes place, the Food Program should be located at the same address, 1254 S. Loomis, and takes place between the hours of 2 p.m. and 4:30 p.m., and not in the evening at 8 p.m. If the weather is adverse or unsuitable, the person or persons can eat inside. 8 p.m. is too late for children to come to the food site to eat. Read more »