When the $12.5-million Reeb Avenue Center opened in 2015, it was dubbed a hub of hope for the surrounding South Side neighborhood, a place where residents could go for job training, child care, fresh fruits and vegetables, or a snack at the Roots Cafe.
A year ago, when the COVID-19 pandemic swept through the world, the Reeb center was harshly affected like everything else. It closed for a time in March, then reopened in May. The café didn t reopen for sit-down service, though, and neither did the market.
But the nonprofit tenants remained despite financial strains, from the Boys and Girls Club and South Side Early Learning to the Godman Guild adult education and training center and Alvis, which works with people returning to the community after spending time in the criminal justice system.