Pastor Corey B. Brooks
The “Rooftop Pastor.” Founder and CEO of Project H.O.O.D., senior pastor of New Beginnings Church of Chicago, and a relentless voice for Chicago’s South Side.
In 2011, Pastor Brooks moved onto the rooftop of an abandoned motel across from a funeral parlor and stayed 94 nights — through a Chicago winter — to protest the youth gun deaths tearing through Woodlawn. Project H.O.O.D. was born soon after.
More than a decade later, he leads an organization that serves 15,000+ people a year and is building the $45M Leadership & Economic Opportunity (LEO) Center. In 2025 he walked 900+ miles from Chicago to New York to help fund it.
How we got here.
2012 · Founded
Pastor Brooks takes a stand against neighborhood violence by spending 94 nights on a motel rooftop across from a funeral parlor to protest youth gun deaths. Project H.O.O.D. launches soon after.
2015–2020 · Programs scale
Workforce development partnerships grow from dozens to hundreds of placements. The violence-interruption team formalizes across Woodlawn.
2022–2024 · LEO breaks ground
The capital campaign launches for the Leadership and Economic Opportunity Center — a 90,000 sq ft hub on S. King Drive. Groundbreaking in 2022.
2025 · Walk Across America
Pastor Brooks walks 900+ miles from Chicago to New York to raise the final funds for LEO and spotlight what’s possible. 15,000+ served this year.
Latest from the rooftop.
Pastor Brooks’ ongoing video series on faith, community, and the fight for Chicago’s South Side — short reflections that carry the spirit of the rooftop where it all began.
“When I moved onto the rooftop of an abandoned motel on Chicago’s South Side, people thought I was crazy. Maybe I was. But I had made a promise — I was going to stay until something changed. That something is Project H.O.O.D.”
Book Pastor Brooks
Pastor Brooks speaks on community transformation, faith-driven leadership, entrepreneurship, and what it takes to stay — in a neighborhood, in a mission, in the work. Tell us about your event and we’ll follow up within two business days.
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