Want a better life...better health, social life, and use of your skills and gifts? Join a block club and be part of PeaceBrook, where you can Live Life Better.

Welcome to PeaceBrook, a community where neighbors become friends, and together, we create better blocks and a better world. 

Our unique grassroots governance system encourages active participation and empowers individuals to make a positive impact on their community. 

From community gardens to neighborhood events, there's always something happening in PeaceBrook. Whether you're looking for a new place to call home or just visiting, you'll find a welcoming community where everyone pitches in to help one another. Come see for yourself why PeaceBrook is more than just a place to live, it's a way of life. 

  
The Story of PeaceBrook is one of peace, opportunity, and hope. 

After yesterday's storms, it's a bright day in PeaceBrook, a village in Chicago. People hustle as they take care of what they gotta do. They also chat, help one another as needed, and grow their web of relationships. They seem radiant and healthy, with a sense of peace and vitality. 

Year-round, Taylor, a Master Drummer, 54 years old, drums the Principles of Kwanzaa. Deondre, 34 years old, raps consciousness-raising poetry. Drum sounds and people humming float through the air. In the quiet of 3 AM, the Insomniacs Club meets for a stroll. A cohesiveness underlies the conversations you hear and the body language you see.

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Conversations happen mid-block when people gather for a block meeting. They also happen on front steps and porches, and in brief chats when people happen to pass. There's chitchat about the weather, logistics about food and children, and peace talks when needed. 

The Café is the home base and the venue for fellowship luncheons and events that range from career development to dancing to chatting.

The Resort is for special occasions, like weddings and annual events, and activities like walking trails, boating, fishing, tennis, golf, indoor basketball, and theater.

Governance is in PeaceBrook Councils, like those for Safety, Healthy Living, and Socializing.

Anyone can start a Council. All you need is an issue or an interest about which you and a few others want to want to do something about. You simply declare yourself a Council, meet, collect info, make decisions, and act. If needed, you can get additional support from other Councils.

Each Council can operate a service that it had proposed and for which it received support. Many of these services are designed like a babysitting coop, where, for example, there are five families, and each family cares for all the kids once per week. 

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Monthly membership is about $5 plus 1.5 hours of shared work and fellowship time. 

Services are provided or overseen by individual Councils. They include fresh food, dining, a network of connections, and advocacy for local services on your block. The service providers set the time and dollar costs of their services. The whole package—benefits & contributions—is the social contract we are making with one another. 

The vision for 2030 is of people sitting around their kitchen tables, or one of the community tables, with loved ones, eating locally grown, wholesome food. They have become masters of unwaste; garbage has disappeared. The blocks glow at night from street and porch lamps.  People walk around and nod or chat as they see neighbors. Gardens and greenhouses are tended, and flowers bloom in Spring. So many blocks are beautiful and marvelous to behold. We are nurturing this place.

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