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My View - Spotlight on Community Action Agencies - Oct 2005 (PDF)

My View from Kim Herman, Executive DirectorOCTOBER2005 | page 1Continued on page 2The War on Poverty: Where Do We Stand Today?A unique, “inside” perspectiveon housing and communitydevelopment from the executivedirector of the Washington StateHousing Finance Commission.CONTENTSThe War on Poverty: Where Do WeStand Today? . . . . . . . . . . . . .1Still Fighting the War on Poverty—in Bellingham . . . . . . . .1, 2 & 3Coming Together: Walla Walla’sBlue Mountain Action CouncilHelps Bring Out the Best in ItsCommunity . . . . . . . . . .3, 4 & 5“Swim with the Sharks”:Opportunities IndustrializationCenter of Washington . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5, 6 & 7El Centro de la Raza: Still True toIts Roots . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 & 8President Johnson’s War on Poverty was launchedmore than 40 years ago, in 1964. The years that fol-lowed were a fertile time for people who soughtchange at the very roots of our civil system.Some of the ‘War’s’ most powerful legacies arethe Community Action Agencies (CAAs), created bythe Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 and authorizedby the Community Services Block Grant Act. TheseCAAs have had an enormous impact on the lives ofmillions of people; the goal has always been toreduce poverty through education, empowerment,training, advocacy, revitalizing homes and neighbor-hoods, encouraging self-sufficiency—giving a leg up.My own housing career started in the FauquierCounty Community Action Agency in Warrenton,Virginia. Over two years we built five homes usingDepartment of Agriculture programs. It also gave mea close connection to CAAs which continues today.My goal in devoting this issue ofMy View to CAAsis to share what I’ve learned about their evolutionover the past four decades, through individual storiesin communities across Washington State. I was par-ticularly interested in how these organizations gotstarted, where they are now and where they’re head-ed, and how they’re addressing the needs of theircommunities.CAAs provide services to more than 13 millionlow-income people annually in 96 percent of U.S.counties. There are nearly 30 CAAs in WashingtonState; I regret I don’t have the space to talk aboutthe accomplishments of all of them.One of the greatest strengths that CAAs offer totheir communities is the breadth of services they’reable to provide. They have the ability to integrateresources, to approach individuals’ needs holisti-cally in an effort to help them construct long-termsolutions—not just temporary fixes.Their longevity is important, too. Over theyears, these organizations have been able to growdeep roots in their communities, getting to knowtheir evolving needs and building relationships. Thearticles that follow profile three CAAs, inBellingham, Seattle, and Walla Walla, and one OIC,the Yakima-based Opportunities IndustrializationCenter of Washington, which is completely in tunewith the spirit of CAAs as agents of positive change.Kay Sardo calls herself a “Silverback.” In the wilds ofAfrica, that’s the gray-backed gorilla whose experi-ence, wisdom and resourcefulness make him therespected leader of the troop. In Kay’s case, itmeans she’s been engaged in the War on Povertysince its inception and continues to lead the fighttoday as executive director of the OpportunityCouncil in Bellingham, Washington.The Opportunity Council administers HeadStart, as well as programs to feed, clothe, house,and help people find jobs in Whatcom, San Juan andIsland counties in northwestern Washington State.The Council was founded in 1965—they will be cele-brating their 40th anniversary in November—and Kayhas been at the helm in Bellingham since 1995.STARTING UP HEAD STARTKay’s perspective is fascinating because she literallywas there at the beginning. She worked at the BankStreet College of Education in New York City whenthat institution was developing the original guide-lines for the federal Head Start program. As KayStill Fighting the War on Poverty—in Bellingham........................................................................................................................................My View from Kim Herman, Executive DirectorOCTOBER2005 | page 2Continued on page 3recalls, “Head Start came out of the workthat women did during the Second World War,developing childcare cooperatives to help themothers who had gone to work to support thewar effort. A lot of knowledge was gainedabout early childhood education, whichbecame the basis for the design of HeadStart.”After that she worked at the CommunityAction Agency in New York City as assistantcommissioner for programs. In the mid-six-ties, historic moments were coming in quicksuccession. Kay remembers that JohnKennedy was developing the outlines for the“Great Society,” prior to his assassination.One of Lyndon Johnson’s first actions onassuming the presidency was to meet withMartin Luther King, Jr. and assure him that thewar on poverty would be one of his highestpriorities. He kept his word, passing the CivilRights and Economic Opportunity Acts in 1964and the creation of Medicare, the VotingRights Act and founding the department ofHousing and Urban Development in 1965.HELPING PEOPLE FIND A VOICE Looking back on these programs and the roleof community action agencies in implement-ing them, Kay says, “We have a history ofbeing the safety net for low-income people,but also having boards where low-incomepeople were being trained to have a voice intheir community.”Of course the War on Poverty involved theallocation of a huge amount of money. Inaddition to Head Start, there were othermassive programs like VISTA and theNeighborhood Youth Corps. Not surprisingly,issues quickly arose involving the allocationof monies and oversight of programs. TheGreen Amendment, passed in 1967, mandatedthe inclusion of local elected officials on theboards making the funding decisions. Thiscontinues today. The boards of communityaction agencies are one-third local citizens,one-third low-income people, and one-thirdelected officials. Although the GreeneAmendment reduced the autonomy of theCAAs, Kay prefers to focus on the good thatresulted: “In the effort to help low-incomepeople help themselves, it doesn’t matterwho’s in charge. One of the advantages ofhaving elected officials on our board is thatthey learn what works and what doesn’t inhelping low-income people. I can depend onour elected officials to speak for low-incomepeople because they’re able to talk with themwhen they attend our board meetings.”The next big challenge came in the1980s. The Reagan administration instituteda system of block grants, which effectivelyreduced support for domestic social pro-grams by 25-30%. Characteristically, Kayfinds the silver lining here as well. In thiscase, it was the opportunity to develop astrong working relationship with CTED. “Thiswas a change and a challenge,” Kay asserts.“CTED took it on and they are a wonderfulpartner for us. When I came here, one of thefirst things I did was to meet them in Olympia,and I was greeted with open arms.”VOLUNTEERS AND PARTNERSTo supplement government money, Kay saysthat smart utilization of local resources is thekey to making the programs work. For exam-ple, Everett Sanders, the first director of theOpportunity Council, came out of retirementto assume the reins. This is actually fairlycommon: Skilled individuals taking on com-munity action responsibilities as a post-retirement project.Utilization of volunteers is a key compo-nent at all levels. In Head Start, parent vol-unteers often learn to read and write Englishwhile they are helping in classrooms. TheOpportunity Council’s feeding program, MapleAlley Inn, has had the same people volunteer-ing their time for more than 20 years. The com-munity also makes a big volunteer commit-ment to its school children, donating schoolsupplies “to make sure that nobody inBellingham goes to school the first day withouta backpack and the appropriate supplies.”Collaboration with religious institutionsis also important. Kay points out that HeadStart’s philosophy is to locate itself in theheart of communities; in practice, this meansthe program frequently operates out ofneighborhood churches. In Bellingham, theOpportunity Council organized a coalition ofmore than 30 congregations to form theInterfaith Community Health Center, which isStill Fighting the War on Poverty—in Bellingham, continuedKAY SARDOExecutive Director,Opportunity Council“We have a history of beingthe safety net for low-incomepeople, but also having boardswhere low-income people werebeing trained to have a voicein their community.”My View from Kim Herman, Executive DirectorOCTOBER2005 | page 3Continued on page 4now an independent entity.Businesses also are available as part-ners. The restaurants in Bellingham work withthe Opportunity Council annually in the “DineOut for Maple Alley Inn” initiative. During thisperiod, the restaurants contribute 20% oftheir receipts to Maple Alley Inn. The commu-nity pitches in by patronizing the restaurants.“You can’t find a place in the parking lots,and the lines stretch out the door.”The Commission, too, has had a role insupporting Opportunity Council efforts. In1998, we helped finance Dorothy Place, a 21-unit transitional housing facility for womenand children who are survivors of domesticviolence. We also assisted the OpportunityCouncil’s efforts to purchase and refurbishtheir own administrative building. This was aparticularly gratifying project as their oldheadquarters were on an upper floor in abuilding that wasn’t even ADA accessible.HELPING PEOPLE HELP THEMSELVESAs you hear Kay tell her story, you realize whycommunity action agencies have managed tosurvive—and succeed—over four decades. AsKay herself puts it: “The best part of being aSilverback is you get to look back on what hasbeen achieved. The initiatives launched in the‘60s really have come to fruition. Every time Ihear the voices of my fellow communityaction directors, I hear a reflection of thatoriginal energy directed toward helping peo-ple who want to help themselves.”Karen Ekdahl is executive director of the BellinghamChildcare and Learning Center, which partners with the Opportunity Council to provide HeadStart and EarlyHeadStart programs for families in Whatcom County. ..........................................................................................................................................................................................Walla Walla’s Blue Mountain Action Council isa prime example of how much good can cometo a community from broad-based effortsthat reach across traditional boundaries.Founded in 1966 by concerned citizens, advo-cacy groups, local churches, and politicalleaders, BMAC has expanded its reach sinceits early beginnings. But this communityaction agency continues to pursue the samebasic goals—that of alleviating poverty andits impacts, advocating for community mem-bers who need support, and encouraginggreater levels of independence and self-suf-ficiency, where possible, from the many peo-ple who get that support.Steven Moss, chief executive officer atBMAC, has been with the organization for 28years—since 1977. He’s held his current lead-ership role for 14 years. Much of course haschanged over the past several decades; WallaWalla County’s population for example hasseen significant growth and is headed toward60,000.“One of the beauties of living in a small-er community, and being one of the majorpartners in trying to assist others, is that wehave access directly to resources, or we buildpartnerships with other organizations thathave those resources,” Steven says.From the very beginning, BMAC, whichserves Walla Walla, Columbia, and Garfieldcounties, has had an emphasis aroundemployment and training. During Steven’stenure, BMAC has expanded its focus in manyways. “Certainly, our sophistication and pro-Coming Together: Walla Walla’s Blue Mountain Action Council Helps Bring Out the Best in Its CommunitySTEVEN MOSSChief Executive Officer, BlueMountain Action CouncilMy View from Kim Herman, Executive DirectorOCTOBER2005 | page 4Coming Together: Walla Walla’s Blue Mountain Action Council Helps Bring Out the Best in Its Community, continuedfessionalism have improved,” says Steven.“But we’ve always had a role in advocating forlower-income people on all three levels—thecommunity level, across the state, and nation-ally—on behalf of issues that affect them.”FOCUS ON HOUSING HAS GROWNSince the early 1990s, housing concerns havegotten increasing attention from BMAC’sleadership. Reports Steven, “In 1994, theboard and staff did some strategic planningand spent the better part of a year trainingconsultant facilitators. We reached outthroughout the community, and spent a lot oftime listening to partners, community players,residents.” The consensus they reached wasthat there was a strong need for BMAC to playa role in special-needs housing. Under thatrubric is included addressing homelessness,along with the needs of developmentally andphysically disabled people, low-income sen-iors, and the chronically mentally ill.Housing remains a big focus of BMAC’sagenda. Its board just spent the last twomeetings talking exclusively about afford-able housing.BMAC’s first venture into constructinghousing took place in 1997. This duplex, theKing Shelter, is still used today as a shelterfor the homeless. That housing was the firstof BMAC’s current 10 duplex properties—20homes—that have been built or purchased forspecial-needs housing. BMAC works closelywith Valley Residential, another local non-profit, that leases and manages some ofthese properties and cares for the develop-mentally disabled individuals who residethere. In addition, BMAC, with the help of HUDfinancing and other partners, just completedan 8-unit apartment building to house peoplewith chronic mental illness.And initial talks are underway concern-ing helping to sponsor an Oxford house, aself-governing home for recovering alco-holics transitioning back into the communityand the workforce.Currently, BMAC is also working withapproximately 15 families to help them totransition out of homelessness. BMAC is ableto assist these families for up to two yearswith decreasing financial involvement, pro-viding rental homes. The goal is to help wageearners to integrate back into the communi-ty, with a job or sufficient training to obtain ajob—“to move on to self-sufficiency,” saysSteven.Another important focus for Steven andBMAC is working with people to improve theircurrent housing. Nearly a decade ago, BMAClaunched a revolving loan program to helphomeowners rehabilitate their homes. Thesemodest loans range in interest from 0-3%.“The notion here,” Steven describes, “is thatthe most affordable housing that individualshave is where they currently live. We want tomake sure that it’s livable, comfortable—andthat it retains value.”The work has ranged from putting infoundations to replacing roofs, upgradingelectricity, and fixing bathrooms. Well over100 loans are currently in place. WashingtonState has been a supportive partner of thisprogram, as well as the Donald and VirginiaSherwood Trust, a local community trust.Steven is quick to credit Jon Martin, whowas the housing services director at BMACbefore taking a housing-related position atOpportunity Council in Bellingham last year.“We worked together for about 24 years, andhe played an integral role in many of BlueMountain’s housing efforts.”STRONG PARTNERSHIPSSteven emphasizes the importance of strongpartnerships in all of Blue Mountain’sendeavors. He points to the local school sys-tem and three nearby colleges, along withWorkSource Walla Walla, DSHS, the WallaWalla Housing Authority, as well as othergovernment organizations and privatenonprofits. “We could not do it without ourMelrose Place, Blue Mountain’s just-completed eight-unit apartment building, is shown above with HousingDirector Robert Maher. It was built to provide homes forchronically mentally ill people in the community. Blue Mountain’s revolving loan program helps people rehabilitate their homes. Pictured above is a work in progress........................................................................................................................Continued on page 5My View from Kim Herman, Executive DirectorOCTOBER2005 | page 5“Swim with the Sharks”: Opportunities Industrialization Center of Washingtonpartners. From our county commissionerleadership to county departments to othernonprofits. The city of Walla Walla, ourlargest municipality, plays a very positiverole,” he says.“We’ve developed strong working rela-tionships with many organizations, some ofthem over the past 25 years and more. Someof the same individuals are involved as well.I’ve worked with the president of Walla WallaCommunity College, Steven VanAusdle, all 28years I’ve been with BMAC. It’s that kind ofinformality that makes this a nice communi-ty, and it helps to cut through bureaucraticprocesses or time delays.”Encouraging volunteerism is also veryimportant to BMAC’s mission. Volunteers workin BMAC’s literacy program, legal assistanceprogram, food distribution services for eightlocal pantries, and food drives. BMAC is acontractor with community and nationalservice through Washington State forAmeriCorps. BMAC’s volunteer ombudsmenvisit, resolve complaints, and advocate onbehalf of residents of nursing homes andother long-term care facilities.In all, BMAC averages about 55 differentcontract funding sources per year in its manyprograms, in addition to United Way funding,private donations, and other kinds of com-munity support.What lies ahead? “In many respects,”Steven concludes, “it’s a very exciting time.Sometimes the challenges of decreasedfunding and added needs bring out the best inpeople. I think that’s the opportunity we havelocally—to come together.”One of the challenges of directing a commu-nity action agency is the near certainty that,sooner or later, you’ll face cuts in the supportyou receive from the federal government.Then you’re forced to scramble, to becomemore efficient, do more with less, and locateother sources of funds. To survive over a longperiod of time requires tenacity, and nobodyexemplifies this quality more than HenryBeauchamp, executive director of OIC ofWashington.In fact, one of Henry’s great stories isabout how Dr. Leon H. Sullivan, founder ofthe first OIC in 1964, reacted to news of rev-enue sharing under the Nixon Administration.According to Henry, Dr. Sullivan said, “I don’tcare what they do with the money; they cantake it and throw it in with the sharks. If theydo, we’ll get out there and swim with thesharks to make sure OIC gets its share of themoney.”FOUNDING YAKIMA VALLEY OICOne aspect of tenacity is knowing how to seizean opportunity when it presents itself.Henry’s early career included stints at a com-munity action agency, Job Corps and then asdirector of Southeast Community Center, amulti-service center in Yakima. A colleague inOlympia provided an introduction to JimWilliams, director of Seattle OIC, which hap-pened to be hosting the OIC national confer-ence that year. Henry attended, heard LeonSullivan speak … and the rest is history.“I liked his methodology. I liked hisdelivery. I liked what he had to say,” Henryrecalls. “In particular I liked the concept ofThe King Shelter was BMAC’s first venture into con-structing housing. Built in 1997, it is still used today asa shelter for the homeless. It is named in honor ofDolores Dickenson King, whose estate, bequeathed tothe Blue Mountain Community Foundation, helped makethis home possible. BMAC also partnered with DSHS,CTED, the Housing Trust Fund, the Coalition for theHomeless and other organizations to fund the project...........................................................................................................................................................................................HENRY BEAUCHAMP Executive Director,OpportunitiesIndustrialization Center of WashingtonContinued on page 6My View from Kim Herman, Executive DirectorOCTOBER2005 | page 6self-help. A hand up, not a hand out. Dr.Sullivan had a real passion for people; hebelieved that the people we serve alwayscome first.”Inspired by Sullivan, Henry didn’t wasteany time: “Before I left that meeting I madean inquiry as to how we could get an OIC inYakima.” Fortuitously, Henry’s interest waskindled just at the time when the Departmentof Labor had allocated $10 million to estab-lish 40 new OICs around the country. InSeptember 1970, Henry became the directorof the 100th OIC in the U.S., Yakima ValleyOIC, with a $156,000 grant to provide jobtraining for unemployed or underskilled work-ers in the area.Obviously, the scope of work expandedover time. Under Henry’s leadership, YakimaValley OIC evolved to provide services in theTri-Cities, Moses Lake, Wenatchee,Ellensberg, Cle Elum, Sunnyside, Mt. Vernon,and Seattle. As a result, the agency changedits name to OIC of Washington in 2003.OIC, CAA, LPA: WHAT ’S THE DIFFERENCE?At this point, you may be wondering why I amwriting about an OIC in a newsletter dedicat-ed to community action agencies. The ques-tion has a two-part answer.First, both CAAs and OICs are dedicatedto helping poor people become more self-sufficient. Perusing the OIC of Washington’smission statement makes it clear that thegoals and strategies are identical for allintents and purposes: “The Mission is to helpin the elimination of unemployment, poverty,and illiteracy so that people of all colors andcreeds can live their lives with greater digni-ty. The Mission includes the provision of edu-cational and human services, also economicdevelopment, and services to secure and pro-vide safe, decent, and affordable housing toeligible participants and residents in thestate of Washington.”Second, OIC of Washington is, in fact,connected to the CAA network in its role as aLimited Purpose Agency (LPA) administeringgrants for the Office of Community Services(OCS). Henry assumed this responsibility in1986 when OCS eliminated its regional officesand needed local assistance. Typically, thisstarted out as a small assignment—$100,000divided between three recipients—but grewover time.Today, OIC of Washington operates 24separate programs with an operating budgetof $12 million. The main emphases are employ-ment training and affordable housing. But theagency also operates food banks and healthclinics, and provides energy assistance, con-servation training, weatherization, minorhome repair services and lead paint remedia-tion. OIC of Washington also operates a farm-worker training program and a nursing home,which are registered as separate entities.A MODEL FOR SUCCESSOIC of Washington has a staff of 186 individ-uals, plus an additional 150 working at thenursing home in Seattle. By every measure, itis one of the largest agencies of its kind in thecountry.However, Henry feels that size isn’t thebest measure of their success. He’s more con-cerned with quality—and the outcomes expe-rienced by individuals in the programs. Hetakes great pride in recognizing young peoplewho have graduated from OIC training pro-grams to get good jobs. There are someremarkable stories: two dropouts who put inthe work and were able to get jobs atMicrosoft; another who became an electricalengineer; and most telling, a former gangmember who went on to become a surgeon.OIC of Washington has been recognized ashaving one of the top-performing job trainingprograms in the state, and they’ve receivednational kudos as well.QUALITY HOUSINGOIC of Washington got involved in housingabout eight years ago, when the director ofthe Yakima Housing Authority became ill andrequested assistance. The project in questionwas a Youthbuild grant, which required theagency to train high school dropouts in con-struction, and make sure they received a GEDat the same time. In accepting the responsi-bility, Henry recalls, “we said, ‘If we’re goingto build housing, we want it to be goodenough that we’d live in it ourselves.’ Our phi-losophy is to build something decent, to do itthe right way, so people will have newfounddignity in the housing stock they now enjoy.”“Swim with the Sharks”: Opportunities Industrialization Center of Washington, continuedContinued on page 7Chris Link, Director of Housing and Weatherization, OIC of Washington, visits the “Excel High School.”My View from Kim Herman, Executive DirectorOCTOBER2005 | page 7Continued on page 8For the vast majority of us, a home means farmore than a roof over our heads. Home is alsoinextricably caught up with being part of acommunity—a place where we count forsomething, and where we share values. This iswhat lies at the core of El Centro de la Raza inSeattle. Like its sister CAAs, El Centro doesmuch for the good of its community in termsof a host of service areas that meet basicneeds for lower-income people, includinghousing, education, nutrition, healthcare,and childcare.But this organization’s philosophy takesthe notion of community and care muchfurther. El Centro de la Raza is an actual,physical community, a center for its con-stituents to go to and participate in forumsand classes, and connect with needed services.And, probably more to the point, this organi-zation’s principles embody a very strong iden-tity—that of champion of human rights, cham-pion of multi-racial unity, and champion inparticular of the Latino community.In other words, if you’re going to fight awar on poverty, you have to address poverty’sroot causes. You have to involve yourself in, inEl Centro Executive Director Roberto Maestas’words, “extraordinarily diverse areas—humanrights, civil rights, policy advocacy, humanservices, culture.”You also have to be tireless and tena-cious. “You name it, we do it, it’s a three-ringcircus. It’s the best way I can describe it,”Roberto laughs.EL CENTRO’S ORIGINS IN VIETNAM WAR-ERA ACTIVISMIf you lived in or near Seattle in the fall of1972, you probably remember how El Centro dela Raza got its start. El Centro was born when afew dozen frustrated idealists occupied anabandoned elementary school in Seattle’sBeacon Hill neighborhood for three months.“I was the director of an anti-povertyprogram that got eliminated,” Robertorecalls. “The Nixon administration had tomake a major decision. I think it’s relevant tous today: Do we continue the war on poverty,or do we continue the war in Vietnam? Theychose the war in Vietnam. They froze hundredsof anti-poverty programs because the budgetwasn’t there. Our response to it was to dram-atize the contradiction. And I think after 33years, history has absolved us—in terms ofhaving taken the building and said: ‘We wantto create a truly multi-racial center for peo-ple of all races,’ which is what El Centro de laRaza means.”When Roberto and the other protestersoccupied the building, they didn’t have a centor a government mandate. And they had noidea what the authorities would do. “All webrought was a yearning to build community.To create a sense of belonging, focused pri-marily on the practically invisible Latino com-munity, but with a clear sense that we were allin this together.”After successfully winning final approvalfrom Seattle’s mayor, El Centro’s leaders hada huge task ahead in what Roberto jokinglycalls “this huge three-story white elephant.Henry believes in the importance ofpartnerships, and he credits the quality of hisstaff for the agency’s continued success. Healso knows that success comes from hardwork and tenacity. “Success doesn’t comeautomatically,” Henry reflects. “You have tobe hungry to be successful. You have to workfor it. We run into difficulties from time totime, but we’ve learned how to suffer andwithstand disappointment. From Dr. Sullivan,we learned how to fight through and how toget along. He gave us confidence, and pas-sion. We don’t see anything that’s so big ordifficult that we can’t fix it.”ROBERTO MAESTASEl Centro de la RazaExecutive DirectorEl Centro de la Raza: Still True to Its Roots...............................................................................................................................................................................................Henry Beauchamp [pictured at left] and Chris Link,Director of Housing and Weatherization, at the BakerCourt subdivision homes for low-income people. OIC ofWashington managed the construction of this six-unitproject using a grant from the federal HOME programand labor from AmeriCorps volunteers. ExecutiveDirector Henry Beauchamp believes in the importanceof partnerships. He says, “Everything we’ve done, everysuccess we’ve experienced, we owe to other people whogive us ideas and help us in other ways. We can’t do italone.” Some of OIC of Washington’s most frequentpartners include CTED, the City of Yakima, YakimaFederal Savings and Loan, and the Washington StateHousing Finance Commission. My View from Kim Herman, Executive DirectorOCTOBER2005 | page 8We didn’t know a lot about administration.None of us who led the occupation had theformal education to create an infrastruc-ture.” But, based on El Centro’s philosophicaltenets, volunteers and staff have continuedto build a responsive organization. After 33years, El Centro’s reach is considerable. Thisis an abridged list of the organization’s cur-rent services to the community:•Human Services: housing and rental assis-tance, transitional housing, food distribu-tion programs, senior programs, basichealthcare plans, advocacy, translationservices.•Education and Skill Building: classes andprograms in homeownership education andfinancial literacy, economic development,job creation and training, English as a sec-ond language, job readiness, US citizenship.•Child and Youth Programs: after school care,mentoring, poetry classes, child develop-ment programs, parenting classes, youthleadership programs.But it’s a fourth functional area of ElCentro’s work, that of community building,that truly sets it apart. The center hosts andexhibits art, and sponsors forums andnationally and internationally known speak-ers on topics that connect with its mission—such as the struggles faced by developingcountries, ethnic and racial equality, peace,empowerment, justice. El Centro also hostsdelegations to and from other countries. Andits leaders are dedicated to grassrootsorganizing, social education, and voter edu-cation and registration.ADVOCACY FOR CORE VALUESFor Roberto, in one sense at least, relativelylittle has changed since El Centro’s founding.The organization’s core principles, hammeredout early in its history, are frequently revisit-ed. “We do not allow ourselves to forget ourhistory—the history of this organization,” hesays. “We repeat, reexamine, dialogue con-tinually. We are convinced if people don’tknow where they’ve been, they cannot knowwhere they are—much less where they’regoing.”El Centro’s 12 core principles continue toserve as its moral compass. From a practicalstandpoint, the principles are useful becausethey give all stakeholders a very clear senseof El Centro’s mission and core values. Theyalso give Roberto the mandate to speak forthe organization on legislative issues withouthaving to check in constantly with his board.He cites last month’s vote by the King CountyCouncil on a proposed tax levy for serviceslimited to veterans as an example. The levywas divisive, and a coalition of social serviceproviders and churches spoke out against it,including El Centro.“We examined that proposal, and con-cluded, by reviewing the principles of ourorganization, that it didn’t fit,” Roberto says.“To single out a sector for a special levy—theargument was not compelling enough for us.”Where is El Centro headed? “We’ve been talk-ing about it a lot,” Roberto affirms. “We thinkthat the highest priority for the next decadeis for communities of color to build a politicalcoalition that focuses primarily on holdingelected officials accountable. Because weare a 501(c)3 organization, we can’t endorsecandidate X over Y. But we have an ad hoccommittee that has been putting out a rec-ommended ballot.” Roberto believes that it’scritical for community-based organizationsto educate their constituents about the leg-islative candidates who are the most com-mitted, responsible and effective—and whowill advocate for their concerns.Roberto and El Centro are also dedicatedto encouraging a new generation of leadersand advocates through classes, mentoring,and recognition. In 2002, the organization helda major celebration to mark its 30th anniver-sary. The theme was “Honoring the NewGeneration of Leaders.” They singled out 30young people who have been influenced by ElCentro de la Raza and are giving back to theircommunity. “Our most valuable asset is ourvolunteers,” Roberto affirms. “From studentsin college and high school, elders, retired peo-ple, children—people of all ages are critical toour achievements and our survival.”El Centro de la Raza: Still True to Its Roots, continuedFor more information about the Commissionand its work, OR to access archivednewsletters, visitwww.wshfc.orgor call206-464-7139 or 1-800-767-HOME (4663)toll-free in Washington State.Striking murals grace the walls of El Centro de la Raza.The organization is currently undergoing a completerenovation of its 100-year-old home.The Washington State Housing Finance Commission is a publicly accountable, self-supporting team dedicated to increasing housing accessand affordability and to expanding the availability of quality community services for the people of Washington. No taxpayer dollars wereused to produce this document.

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