Little Village - La Villita

Little Village is the principal port-of-entry for Mexican immigrants to the Midwest, and is commonly known as La Villita. Its residents are 84% Latino, 12% African American and 48% foreign born. Thirty-two percent of Little Village residents are not U.S. citizens and an estimated 25% are undocumented.** The mix of multiple generations of Mexicans, Mexican Americans, other Latinos and African Americans living, working, and shopping together creates a unique culture that blends traditions.

Little Village is one of the densest communities in Chicago, with a population of over 72,000 and about 17,000 residents per square mile. High density leads to crowding within housing structures, individual households and schools, and limits opportunities for new construction and development of green space. Little Village also has a very young population; 29% of the community is under the age of 18 and 10% are under the age of five. The young population creates a high demand for schools, services and park space. While only 46% of Little Village residents 25 and older have a high school diploma or its equivalent and only 20% have college experience, these figures have increased over the years and educational attainment has been improving. Little Village has a thriving local business district, the second highest tax-generating district in the city after the Magnificent Mile. More than 1,800 employers in Little Village create 30,000 jobs in the neighborhood trade area. However, the per capita income for Little Village residents is slightly over $10,000, about a third of the city average, and 37% of residents live below the poverty level. Little Village has the highest rate of uninsured residents in the city, or 53% of residents between 18 and 64 years of age, compared to 26% citywide. For all these reasons and more, immigration reform is a huge focus for local residents and stakeholders.

The community has a high density of community resources, including health clinics, nonprofits, and schools. It also has a rich history of local activism and leadership, and many community amenities that are a direct result.

- Description and information courtesy of ENLACE Chicago

Community Health Assessment (CHA), one of three core functions in public health, is the systematic examination of the health status of a given population for the purposes of identifying key community problems and assets toward community health planning, intervention and policy formulation. Using CHA as an organizing framework, we developed the Little Village Community Health Assessment (LVCHA) with Community Based Participatory Research (CBPR) principles.

The LVCHA was established to be a sustained, student-engaged, reciprocal community-academic partnership with organic community-based organizational leadership for community health inquiry. Our goal was to describe the health needs and assets in Little Village, from an emic, grounded perspective, with attention to social determinants of health, using iterative research methods, and producing new knowledge that is shared and disseminated toward action. 

Our participatory process employs the use of quantitative and qualitative data analysis. Through community health surveys, individual interviews, focus groups, and oral histories, we explore community perceptions of health priorities, assets, and barriers. Participatory analysis occurs through Think Tank group meetings, held locally at the University and in the community.

LVCHA Partners

This work would not be possible without the leadership of our community partners. The support of our academic partners is equally as important and valuable for the work of the LVCHA. Click each logo below to find out more about each partner.

Population level data: 2010 Census and American Community Survey 2012 and 2014 5-year Estimates; * Chicago Public Schools website; ** Illinois’ Undocumented Immigrant Population: A Summary of Recent Research by Rob Paral and Associates; By Fred Tsao, Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, February 2014; ***Chicago Police Department Clear Map