Need help to save area from 222 Locust

I'm a fairly new owner-resident. It is a very old home but we love it. We were told about the housing at 222 Locust. At first we weren't going to purchased the home, but it had a lot of potential.

What we weren't aware of was the way the 222 Locust development was being run. It has become an area of extreme danger and major concern.

We are a family of five and we wanted our three kids to have a nice area to live. With two churches on our block and a Catholic school across the street, we thought, OK, that's not bad.

Don't get me wrong, I understand the need for the housing. I can appreciate someone trying to do well by their family to have a good life. But then there are those who bring it down.

I believe that as the city of Chicago has done, it needs to be torn down and redeveloped for those families who are actually trying to provide a proper life for themselves. Get rid of the gangs drawing the area's disdain.

We have thought about selling our home, but we know what will happen if we do. It will be turned into some sort of apartment that will only cause more tension in the neighborhood. No family would buy it, only investors looking to make a quick buck and get out.

Look at all the homes for sale that have been on the market for quite some time because of what is towering over our area.

We need change and we need it fast if we are going to turn this area into an area of promise and hope. Our kids need to know their neighborhood is safe and that we don't have to sleep with certain items of protection.

Whatever we need to do to get the powers that be to see our situation and help improve it, let's get at it.

Steven G. Fuller

Elgin