Fillmore Linen Service brings jobs and opportunity to North Lawndale

Residents of the West Side neighborhood face health, social and economic factors that can hurt their opportunities for upward mobility, data from Opportunity Insights shows.

Ron Vann has spent nearly a third of his life behind bars.

The 58-year-old’s lengthy record of drug trafficking offenses have been a red flag for prospective employers his entire adult life.

Two years ago, he applied for a job at Fillmore Linen Service, a commercial laundry in North Lawndale serving the healthcare industry. The facility at 4100 W. Fillmore St. makes up a portion of the 168,000-square-foot Fillmore Center.

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