HOUSING : Poor Plan Trip to Kibbutz as Stop on Path to Independence

On a trip to Israel last year, Chicago Housing Authority Chairman Vincent Lane was struck by something that seemed oddly familiar about the kibbutzim he saw. Most were situated in remote, arid parts of the country and in virtual firing range of enemy borders.

“This is really what (our) public housing residents have to deal with: gangs and drug dealers who threaten them daily,” Lane said. “And as far as the physical environment, it is totally barren. No jobs. No services. No nothing.”

STRATEGY: Inspired by that vision, the CHA later this month plans to send a select group of about 20 residents from two small public housing developments on a unique, working field trip: three weeks at the Gal-on kibbutz 40 miles southwest of Jerusalem. The hope is that the ideals of universal equality and economic self-sufficiency and other secrets to the success of kibbutz life will rub off on the American visitors, helping to inspire a sense of community pride and initiative once they return home.

Plans call for having each of the CHA residents split time between working at Gal-on’s citrus and avocado groves as well as at the fan factory. Though no one is going to be planting orange groves in Chicago, organizers want group members to start planting the seeds of their experience in Israel with other CHA residents.

Lane envisions public housing residents using the cooperative model of the kibbutz to eventually launch cottage industries such as a pest exterminating company or a computer data entry business. If successful, these developments could become privately owned cooperatives.

If more jobs are available, adult men--who often abandon their families in the projects--might be lured home, Lane reasoned.

The roster of those planning to make the trip includes less than a handful of men. One of them is George Beaver, who is technically not a CHA resident but who has lived for two years with a woman who is. The CHA is bending the residency rules in Beaver’s case because he has demonstrated a long-term commitment to his girlfriend.

“Hopefully,” Lane said, “we will have two small developments that will become models for going from welfare dependency to independence.”

In a city where tensions between the black and Jewish communities often run high, the estimated $212,000 price tag for the kibbutz initiative is being privately funded by business leaders of both communities as well as foundation grants.

OUTLOOK: Even though they have yet to set foot out of their neighborhoods, just getting ready for the trip has brought a healthy dose of culture shock to the CHA residents, who live in impoverished and segregated neighborhoods on the city’s South Side.

For months, they have been meeting weekly with experts who provide insights on everything from the desert to kibbutz life to the food preferences of Israelis to the logistics of getting a passport.

“Some of the residents have never even traveled beyond the boundaries of Chicago,” explained Kristen Anderson, the CHA coordinator for the project. “Going out of the country is a huge and daunting task.”

Other obstacles include finding sitters for children, making sure public aid and food stamps are transferred to caretakers and arranging for pre-trip physicals even though it is always difficult to get timely appointments at local clinics for those on welfare.

Despite such problems, human development trainer Theodore Wright says he has seen a real sense of seriousness and dedication emerge from the group in the four months since he’s been coaching it. “I think people are beginning to look at this as real, they can have some real impact. It’s more than just Vince Lane’s dream.”

Phyllistine Johnson, one of the residents, agreed. “They’ve (the kibbutzniks) found something we haven’t. How to love your neighbor.” She hopes the trip to Israel will help to change that.