ENGLEWOOD — Before Melvin Walls’ mother died, she asked him to fix up their green-shingled home on 65th and Aberdeen, Walls said.
She’d bought the home in the ‘70s. Four generations have gathered around the dinner table for the holidays, and it became Walls’ responsibility to keep the tradition going.
But Walls didn’t expect the work — or the costs — that would come with owning a home with decades of wear and tear, he said. His mother took out a second mortgage before she died. He had to work with the bank to buy it back, Walls said.
“If you get a home where the bills are backed up and there’s work that needs to be done, you’re working against a stacked deck. It’s hard to win,” Walls said. “I’ve been trying to keep this up, but it’s a lot of work. It’s been a Band-Aid here, another one there.”
That’s where Englewood artist and activist Tonika Lewis Johnson stepped in.
Please continue reading the article by Atavia Reed January 25, 2024 at blockclubchicago.org.
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