Howard Area Community Center
Howard Area Leadership Academy was founded by the Howard Area Community Center (HACC). HACC was established in 1967; its primary mission at that time was to provide for the emergency needs of local residents by serving as a distribution center for food and clothing. Today, HACC has expanded to offer a full range of social services as well as a dental clinic, a Head Start program, a teen-parent initiative, after-school programs located in nearby Rogers Park public schools, special programs designed to prevent domestic violence and assist victims of HIV/AIDS, and a family literacy program. In addition, HACC has an employment center for adults and a youth center/computer clubhouse for teens. Most recently, HACC completed a capital campaign which resulted in the purchase and development of a new $5 million Family Center Campus, serving over 200 families with children from birth to age 5.
A major benefit of partnership with the Howard Area Community Center is that students and their families at Howard Area Leadership Academy have access to the entire range of services offered by HACC, including social services, employment services, child care, dental services, and referrals to other community-based resources in Rogers Park. The following programs are available at HACC:
- Social Services
- Early Childhood Education Program
- Sheila Berner Reynolds Family Center (child care)
- Adult Education (GED and ESL)
- Family Literacy Program
- Employment Resource Center
- Youth Program