The Pilsen Wellness Center began as an outgrowth of a federally funded program in 1967, and formally incorporated as a not-for-profit corporation in June 1975. The organization has historically served the predominantly Latino-origin communities of Pilsen (Lower West Side) and Little Village (South Lawndale) in Chicago, and has since expanded the original service areas to include Archer Heights, New City, Brighton Park, Gage Park, McKinley Park, Grand Boulevard, South Shore, and South Chicago as well as the suburban communities of Cicero, Berwyn, Stone Park, and Melrose Park, Illinois.
The agency provides culturally sensitive services to a multicultural population with limited financial resources. The organization’s mission has remained providing quality human services to economically disadvantaged children and families. Formerly known as the Pilsen-Little Village Community Mental Health Center, Inc., the recent name change to the Pilsen Wellness Center, Inc. in April 2008 reflects the organization’s continued expansion into new service areas, in keeping with their multi-dimensional approach to treatment and recovery interventions. Understanding ‘wellness’ to mean an actively sought goal, which considers both physical and mental health, prevention and education, the new name better defines the Center’s holistic treatment approach.