2006 FSA Peer-to-Peer Training Session Application

National Council of La Raza Family Strengthening Awards Program Affiliate Peer­to­Peer Training Session Application Process

FSA PROGRAM OVERVIEW The family holds a cherished place in Hispanic culture. Latinos invest time, energy, and money into securing the American Dream for their families. NCLR’s network of affiliate organizations plays a key role in providing these families with the tools and resources they need to take advantage of the opportunities that this nation has to offer them. The Annie E. Casey Foundation (AECF) believes that, in order for children to have the opportunities necessary to achieve and grow up in a healthy environment, their families must have access to services and social networks that strengthen their ability to provide for and nurture their children. The factors necessary to strengthen families include opportunities to work, earn a decent living, and build assets; social networks that help isolated families link with friends and neighbors as well as social, civic, and faith institutions; and accessible and responsive public services, such as good health care, decent schools, and fair and effective law enforcement. NCLR and AECF, in partnership, rewards those community­based organizations that help improve outcomes for families by connecting them to the trustworthy and responsive resources they need to succeed.

NCLR, the largest national constituency­based Hispanic organization in the U.S., selects five winning programs from its Affiliate Network each year as recipients of the NCLR/AECF Family Strengthening Awards. As part of the responsibilities associated with their award, these winning programs are available to provide peer­to­peer training sessions to other members of the NCLR Affiliate Network who are committed to learning best practices in family strengthening.

PEER­TO­PEER TRAINING SESSION OVERVIEW NCLR will arrange for a total of 25 to 35 representatives of NCLR affiliates to attend onsite training sessions with selected 2006 Family Strengthening Award winners. The sessions will include an onsite facilities visit, meetings with the winning program’s clients and key program staff, and discussions on funding and best practices. The winning programs will outline the best practices they have used to strengthen Hispanic families in their communities, and will provide an open dialogue for the participating affiliates to share and develop potential solutions to the 1

challenges they face in running their own programs. Each session will involve at least one representative from the winning program and three to five participants from selected NCLR affiliates. Selected affiliates will participate in at least one conference call prior to the training session to clearly identify their goals, objectives, and desired results from attending the session.

NCLR will pay for a roundtrip plane ticket and two nights in a hotel near the winning program’s facilities for one representative from each chosen affiliate organization. NCLR affiliates will assume any additional costs, such as taxi fare and meals.

Those affiliates selected to participate in the training sessions must coordinate their visit with the Affiliate Programs Coordinator at NCLR and the Family Strengthening Award winner from whom they wish to receive training. Each selected affiliate may send one representative to the session. Failure to participate in mandatory conference calls or respond to communications from NCLR will result in the NCLR affiliate losing its place at the training session. All training sessions will take place during the fall of 2006.

APPLICATION PROCESS NCLR considers the following criteria in choosing affiliates to participate in the peer­to­peer training sessions: • • • •

The affiliate organization is in good standing at NCLR and is current on its dues payments and recertification documents (most recent Board of Directors list, audited financial statements, and a signed Memorandum of Understanding).

The affiliate is operating or has concrete plans to begin operating a program similar to the winning program from which it wants to receive training.

The affiliate has a clear understanding of the goals it wishes to achieve through attending the training session.

The affiliate has demonstrated a dedication to strengthening Hispanic families in its own programs.

To apply for the training sessions, the attached application form must be submitted to NCLR by September 1, 2006. Questions or concerns should be directed to Viviana Costa at vcosta@nclr.org or (202) 776­1757. The form should be emailed or faxed to: Affiliate Member Services affiliate@nclr.org or fax: 240­331­6329

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FAMILY STRENGTHENING AWARD PROGRAM PEER­TO­PEER TRAINING SESSION 2006 APPLICATION FORM DEADLINE: September 1, 2006 Affiliate Organization: _____________________________________________________ Contact Name: ___________________________________________________________ Address: ________________________________________________________________ Phone Number: __________________________________________________________ Email: __________________________________________________________________ Please choose ONE of the winning programs for the peer­to­peer training session. A full description of the winning programs is included on pages 5­7 of this form.

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Casa Verde Builders, American YouthWorks, Austin, TX

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Family Literacy Program, CentroNía, Washington, DC

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Homeless Assistance Case Management Program, El Centro de la Raza, Seattle, WA

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Children, Family and Youth Program, La Casa de Esperanza, Inc., Waukesha, WI

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Affordable Housing Program, Montebello Housing Development Corporation, Montebello, CA

Please write a short narrative that answers the following questions. For ease of readability, please write each question before the corresponding answer and limit your entire narrative to four pages, double­spaced, with one­inch margins.

1. How has your organization shown a commitment to strengthening Hispanic families?

2. How is the program that your organization operates or plans to operate similar to the winning program that you have chosen for peer­to­peer training? If you are not yet operating this program, please describe at what point in the planning stages you are in and what, if any, funding has been secured.

3. What are the current challenges that your program is experiencing? How do you think that this training session can help you overcome these challenges?

4. What are your goals in attending a technical training session?

5. What family strengthening best practices are you most interested in learning about?

Please read the statement below, sign and include with your application submission: I affirm that the information contained here is true, that the NCLR affiliate organization is currently operational, and that the organization is in good standing as an affiliate of NCLR. The NCLR affiliate organization applying for the peer­to­peer training session agrees to participate in any related conference calls prior to the session and to respond to any requests for information in a timely manner. If for some reason the organization is unable to send a representative to the training session, it will contact NCLR at least one week prior to the date of the session.

Signature of President/CEO

Date

Name of President/CEO

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2006 Family Strengthening Program Profiles

American YouthWorks Program: Casa Verde Builders Austin, TX American YouthWorks (AYW) is an empowerment organization that for over 30 years has helped transform young people into self­sufficient adults through education, job training, and community service. American YouthWorks serves more than 1,000 at­risk individuals each year through a host of human services to address the whole needs of the individual and the family.

AYC offers health care through the RGK Downtown Youth Center for Health, counseling, career placement services, and college preparation, based on the individual needs of each student.

Casa Verde Builders (CVB) is a model AmeriCorps/ HUD YouthBuild community service program. Members, 50% of whom are Latino, acquire construction skills by building innovative, affordable housing in low­income neighborhoods for sale to first­time homebuyers. CVB members work to improve their own neighborhoods while pursuing their high school diploma or GED. Since 1993, CVB has built more than 90 single­family, energy­efficient houses in East Austin, providing smart, quality­built homes for families.

CentroNía Program: Family Literacy Program Washington, DC CentroNía’s Family Literacy Program was established in 1999 to support public school students in grades K­12 by enhancing their reading and math skills. Today, more than 800 students from 20 public and private schools receive up to 20 weeks of intensive one­on­one tutoring sessions.

The program’s 650 volunteers contribute up to 26,000 hours of support per year. On average, every student participating in the program advances one and a half to two grade levels per year.

The Family Literacy Program includes a number of other initiatives that support families in and out of the home. Teamed with the Mexican government, CentroNía hosts the Plaza Comunitarias initiative which supports Latino adults in Spanish literacy and English­as­a­ Second­Language classes through technology and increasing employability. The Family Book Clubs promote children’s language and literacy development while strengthening parental literacy skills. Parents also train as Literacy Coaches to head neighborhood book clubs. The recently opened Student­Run Bookstore provides affordable, convenient access to quality literature; promotes independent reading; encourages parental involvement in their children’s literacy development; and enhances children’s writing and math skills.

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El Centro de la Raza Program: Homeless Assistance Case Management Seattle, WA El Centro de la Raza has provided support to homeless Latino families for 26 years. Through the Homeless Assistance Case Management program, families become self­sufficient over a year’s time. The program uses a transition­in­place model that includes assistance with move­in costs, deposit, first­ and last­months’ rent, and rental subsidy for up to three months – enabling families to move from emergency shelter to housing in the shortest amount of time. Participants attend Life Skills wage progression workshops to increase their income, Financial Literacy classes for money management, and First­time Homebuyer seminars to learn how to take steps to buy a home of their own. They also receive supportive assistance with their basic needs, such as food, child care, and health insurance, and learn about other supportive assistance in the local community, such as utility assistance and free or low­cost medical care.

Families receive intensive support from bilingual, bicultural case managers who conduct quarterly home visits, make monthly office and phone contacts, review landlord/tenant laws, and inspect housing before families move in. This family­centered approach ensures success.

La Casa de Esperanza, Inc. Program: Children, Family, and Youth Program Waukesha, WI La Casa de Esperanza’s mission is to provide opportunities to achieve full social and economic participation for Hispanics in the U.S. The Children, Family, and Youth Program provides bilingual services designed to support the entire family. Children and youth services emphasize education and include child care, early childhood education, and recreational activities during after­school, evening, weekend, and school vacation hours when parents are working. La Casa’s second­shift child care also enables working parents in the manufacturing or services sector to maintain employment while their children are tended to. Youth are encouraged to pursue interests in music, art, and sports while strengthening their academic performances through tutoring and mentoring. A Summer Meals Program provides free, nutritious meals to all children in the community during the summer months when free or reduced price meals are not available through area schools. The Summer Youth Program provides opportunities for exploration of higher education through College Bound and Career Quest programs.

All of La Casa’s child care and youth programs operate on a sliding fee scale to ensure that economically disadvantaged children and youth have easy access to programs. La Casa uses a strong referral system to connect families with the resources they need within La Casa and throughout the greater community.

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Montebello Housing Development Corporation Program: Affordable Housing Program Montebello, CA The mission of the Montebello Housing Development Corporation (MHDC) is to make it possible for families of modest financial means to become homeowners. It uses an educational approach through a combination of services under its Affordable Housing Program – addressing barriers to homeownership and strengthening Hispanic families. Program staff are bilingual and bicultural; they have the ability to communicate with clients in meaningful and engaging ways and the ability to translate complex documents needed to navigate the homebuying process.

MHDC offers homebuyer education classes, including a course on anti­predatory lending. In addition, it created the Realtor Partner Program to address its clients’ frustration with the lack of affordable housing stock, which includes comprehensive education for realtors so that they are familiar with the needs of clients and the types of programs offered. This program reduces clients’ chances of not receiving proper service and increases the possibility of working with a realtor who is sensitive to their circumstances. By creating housing opportunities, the Affordable Housing Program strengthens families and stabilizes neighborhoods.

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