Hispanics in Delaware

Tuesday, March 24, 2015Noon to 2:00 PM

Our goal today:Help you better understand the interests, assets, needs, and concerns of the Delaware Hispanics and what you can do to help.

Discuss the findings of the 2014 survey of the community and its implications.

Basic Facts of Delaware Hispanics• Hispanics represents 8.7% of total population• 83,446 Latinos in Delaware• 123.9% growth from 2000 to 2010 compared to 18.7% growth of general

population.• Median age is 24.8 vs. 39.2• 1 in 5 live in poverty• Unemployment rate is higher• Large growth in Hispanic owned firms• Education attainments have improved since 2000• Major occupations that Latino occupy• Projections show that in 2050 Latinos will represent 30% of the American

workforce

The Latin American Community Center (LACC) is Delaware’s largest, Hispanic multi-services organization, located in Wilmington, DE. Our 50+ programs reach more than 25,000 individuals annually, from infants to senior citizens. Programs include early childhood development, school-age youth programs, adult education, family support services, prevention, advocacy and mental health.

Who is the Latino Community in DE• 8.7% of Delaware Population - Mexican (41.4%); Puerto Rican (30.8%); Guatemalan (7.1%); Dominican

(2.8%); Cuban (2%); other Central American (4%); South American (5.3%) (U.S. Census Bureau, 2010). • Speak Spanish and/or other dialects.• Made up of people from many different nationalities, races, educational and socioeconomic levels.• Considerable intra-cultural variation within groups. • New Immigrants, first, second, third, or more generation.• Part of many religious groups, including Catholic, Mormon, Seventh Day Adventist, Pentecostals,

Jehovah’s Witness, Episcopalian

Assets of the Latino CommunityEntrepreneurshipStrong Work EthicStrong FaithStrong Family Values Cultural ContributionsPerseverance and ResilienceDedication and Loyalty

The mission of the Latin American Community Center (LACC) is to advocate for and assist the Latino community by offering services in a continuum of care that promotes empowerment and an enhanced quality of life while celebrating our diverse cultures.

Challenges of the Latino Community• Issues related to poverty, discrimination and marginalization• Past traumatic experiences individuals faced in their home countries and/or in their immigration

journey• Significant barriers to access early childhood education and/or well-resourced schools in Delaware• Higher school drop-out rates compared to other minority groups• Low literacy levels of adult immigrants• Lack of job skills and English language proficiency• Working two to three low-paying jobs to make ends meet• Overall, pressures of assimilation, isolation, poverty and discrimination can lead to a breakdown in

the family and the loss of cultural values that can negatively impact following generations

Needs of the Latino CommunityImmigration ReformFinancial EmpowermentPolitical RepresentationCultural UnderstandingAccess to Quality and bilingual/bicultural Services in:

Education (Early to Adult)Mental HealthHealth Care LegalWorkforce

Given the rapid growth of the Latino population in Delaware, the

youth of its population and the large share of Latino children living in low-wage immigrant families, it

will be critical to make serious investments in education,

language acquisition, job training and other investments that will

facilitate the integration of adults and their children and contribute to the prosperity of the state. (NCLR: Latinos in Delaware – Summary of

Key Data, October 2014)

Economic Development subcommittee

EMPLOYEESRaised Awareness of Services

• Dept. of Labor• Resource Room• DE Job Link• State Employment training• Bilingual Counselor• Skill training• ESL• Computer Training

• Libraries• Educational Workshops• Access to computers• Access to free research

databases• $tandby Me Hispano

ENTREPRENEURS•Address Community business Needs •Research•Created Bilingual Business Information

• How to do Business in DE• Delivered training Statewide• Developed Monthly

Workshops•Communication

• Community Outreach Efforts• Utilized Hispanic Media• Website of Resources

Discovering Opportunities

Economic Development subcommittee

Milford Course just recently completed from Jan. 13 – February 17th. Held at First State Manufacturing Company

First State Community Loan Fund (FSCLF)Effective March 2015 FSCLF will be

acquiring the program on How To Do Business in Delaware

• $tand By Me® Hispano was launched February 2014 in partnership with the Delaware Hispanic Commission, the Latin American Community Center and La Esperanza.

• It was designed to address the unique financial challenges of immigrants, such as sharing living costs with other families, sending money home, navigating the financial mainstream, and avoiding scams and predatory financial services

$BM Snapshot:o 4 bilingual financial coacheso 25 sites statewide; 10 for $BM

Hispanoo 5775 unique clients served , of which

804 are Hispanic o Hispanic Return rate: >62% o Major milestones:

• Obtained credit builder loans• Increased Credit Score• Increased income via new job• Started saving monthly• home/car purchase

– Six Goals:1. Enhance developmental

milestones and school readiness

2. Increase reading on grade level

3. Increase on grade promotion and successful transition.

4. Increase graduation rates and job/career readiness

5. Raise parent engagement

6. Promote diversity, cultural competency, and inclusion.

Leadership Team: Tabatha Castro, Esq., Anabel Pineiro, Dr. Rosa Colon-Kolacko, Wanda Lopez , Jamee Boone.

Background:Formed in 2013 & March 15, 2014 strategic retreat .

Utilized the appreciate inquiry methodology; framed discussion around the 4 education

groups: early child education, elementary, middle and high school; prioritized using Impact to Community/Effort Required/Control matrix

Identified 6 main goals.:

2015: The LU team designed a Career Exploration Program

spearheaded by the Dupont HisNet Employee Resource Group and in partnership with Christiana

Health Care, and The Castro Firm. The goal is to help students explore careers in science, health and law.

The pilot began February 2015. Exploring parent engagement train-the-trainer

model to provide free of charge Fall 2015. .

Our Roots: 1996 –Present•Carmelite Sisters respond to the needs of the increasing number of Mexican & Guatemalan immigrants•Hard-working, family-oriented•Majority of Latino immigrants are without status, low-literate and/or unskilled•Sussex County Public Schools – more than 50% Hispanic•Several levels of immigration status in homes – difficult for Guatemalan-American children to integrate into schools•Delaware/Georgetown was ranked 4th and 5th in the U.S. of Guatemalans by the 2010 U.S. Census. This brings unique challenges due to the language barrier.•Sussex County – transportation challenges

La Esperanza: our Roots: 1996 –Present

Community issues and challenges:

•Integration into the local community and empowerment of Hispanic immigrants•There are not enough resources and tools to provide safe, healthy, and productive lives.•La Esperanza continues to provide free services that are linguistically and culturally competent but that continues to add a tremendous burden as we make every effort to meet the needs of the community.•Some key areas that need immediate attention are family development, Immigration, victim’s services, and education.

Our Mission

Health & Social Services Committee• Chair: Rosa M. Colon-Kolacko, Ph.D., MBA, CDM, and Co-Chair Ronaldo Tello, Champion: Sec. Rita Landgraf

Vision : To promote healthy communities where Hispanic Delawareans can have a brighter future by fostering health equity, access to services, and increase the availability of culturally competent (& multi- cultural) healthcare professionals.

Mission: To develop policy recommendations and implement health and social services programs providing education and resources to ensure access to healthcare and social services to promote health and well being.

Strengths: Resources to support Hispanics: LACC, United Way, La Esperanza, DE Hispanic Commission Passion of sharing culture, contributing to state jobs with expertise

Challenges: -Literacy levels and English proficiency -Access to information about resources available and bi-lingual materials-Cultural competent care services aligned with cultural needs and language-Lack of interpreter services -Behavioral Health Services -Workforce to reflect the community we serve

Health & Social Services Key Priorities and recommendations

Priority Recommendations1 Education for Hispanic community on how

to understand and utilize health resources to promote health and for healthcare providers.

Hispanic Community-Create a state level literacy education program for Hispanics to improve their ability to understand Spanish and English as a Second Language.*-Create programs to teach psychoeducation and eliminate the stigma in the mental health care and addictions field.-Use local Hispanic publications and social media in order to educate preventive care.*Healthcare Providers-Set cultural competency behavioral expectations from healthcare providers and implement a state-wide education program towards certification to promote respect, inclusion and safety.

2Increase availability of language services for Spanish-speaking residents and resources, enhancing their ability to communicate with family doctors and mental health providers.

• Conduct a statewide language needs analysis• Develop program to educate bilingual individuals to

become interpreters• Create a centralized language services for the state• Advocate for Policy changes to allow reimbursement • Increase the availability of bi-lingual health information

resources

3 Create an Outreach and Communications Health Strategy: Create an outreach plan in order to meet Hispanic people where they are.

• Create an office of outreach and equity at a state level.*

• Partner with key healthcare providers and DHSS to publish a state of the union report of Hispanic Healthcare equity opportunities and challenges.*

• Create the Latino Access Network, a collaborative project between the state, providers, and faith-based and community organizations, to build a “one stop” place for information and services to deliver education, prevention, and awareness programs in the Hispanic community.

Priority Recommendations

4 Workforce: Increase the number of bilingual and bicultural healthcare providers.

• Provide career counseling for bilingual bicultural high school students and adults looking for a new career in the health or mental health field.*

• Work with state and other key organizations to set priorities and design a workforce development program to increase the number of Hispanic students pursuing a career in healthcare and also provide educational grants toward degree programs and internships. *

5 Strengthen behavioral health services dealing with anxiety, addiction and depression while working to lessen the stigma of seeking help.

• Partner with health services to develop healthcare pathways/process, addressing cultural and social determinants of care, and fund a pilot for Hispanics.

• Recommend solutions for undocumented and uninsured

6 Foster collaboration between health care systems and community-based programs to develop a coordinated model to implement healthcare programs in all three counties.

• Partner with SIM grant (Healthy Neighbourhoods) and ACEL grant leverage community engagement opportunities to define a healthcare coordination model*

7 Understand social determinants of health that prevents Hispanics to be healthy

• Partner with SIM grant (Healthy Neighbourhoods) and ACEL grant leverage community engagement opportunities to define a healthcare coordination model*

Health & Social Services Key Priorities and recommendations

1. Eliminate achievement gaps for Latino Students from Pre-School to 12 th grade:

a. Establish state funded preschools with bi-lingual programs for 3-4 year olds.b. Recruit bilingual teachers to Delaware. c. Legislate equitable state funding for all ELL students by establishing an ELL unit count.d. Establish pre-service ELL coursework as a requirement to obtain DE teacher certification.

2.  Support the academic achievement of K-12 Latino students to ensure college and career readiness: 

a. Promote early literacy and/or bi-literacy with the goal of students reading on grade level by 3 rd grade.b. Support STEM coursework, Career Tech preparation and certification for Latino students.c. Use college ready measures (i.e. SAT) as benchmarks for college readiness.d. Disseminate information & provide assistance to Latino students regarding the college application

process, scholarship and funding opportunities (i.e. SEEDS, ASPIRE).e. Provide instate tuition or other financial resources to enable undocumented students to pay for college.

3. Support English Language Acquisition of Latino Adults

a. Promote Adult ESL classes to increase communication skills enabling parents to support their children as students.

b. Promote Adult Basic Education (ABE) classes in English and Spanish for Latinos to acquire GED.

Education SubcommitteeSandra Spangler (Chair), Maria Matos, Mabel Saienni,

Lourdes Puig, Ph.D., Terry Richard (non Commission member)

Thank You

Question?

http://hispanic.delaware.gov/