Funds needed to support minority neighborhood improvements

SOUTH BEND, Ind - Council member Henry Davis Jr says it's been an ongoing fight for the betterment of the LaSalle Park neighborhood and one lifetime resident of the area wants to see more money brought in to help with issues like housing.

“You got to have money to fix stuff, you can't fix nothing for free, everything you're going to repair homes with cost money and its probably 20-30 percent more than what it used to be, but they are gradually catching up,” said Willie Dickerson, resident of LaSalle Park neighborhood.

The South Bend Common Council passed a bill to formally establish a reparatory justice commission Monday night.

The 14 members will study the possibility of paying reparations to the black community here in South Bend for years of past racism and bank redlining.

Now South Bend Common Council member Henry Davis Jr is urging the council and the mayor to hold off on passing the 2024 city budget until money is set aside for the LaSalle Park neighborhood.

“We do not have adequate housing, we do not have new housing," Davis Jr said. "We are limited as it relates to food choices and healthcare choices. Our streets are battered, our streets are crumbling, our infrastructure underneath the streets in crumbling, we need new sewer lines in that area."

City of South Bend Director of Communications and City Spokesperson, Allison Zeithammer says that the city is currently investing $2.1 million in LaSalle Park for improvements.

"Although the City does not include budget line items for specific neighborhoods, the 2024 budget includes significant investments to strengthen all of our neighborhoods, including LaSalle Park,” she said. 

This will be an ongoing fight for the betterment of the LaSalle Park neighborhood.