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Certification
for
Immigration Services
In connection with the New Americans Initiative,
WACC is pursuing BIA Certification in order to acquire certified
immigration specialist status and better serve clients who need
assistance with immigration issues. Cristina Deutsch,
Hispanic Outreach Director, recently completed two weeks of training
in Chicago with the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration
experts. When the process is completed WACC will become the only
Not-for-profit certified immigration specialist location in the
region.
Western Avenue Community Center also provides
certification training for medical interpretation. Bi-lingual individuals
who would like to become certified interpreters may call 309-829-9231
for more information
Contact the Hispanic Outreach Program
leaders:
Cristina Deutsch: Immigration/Citizenship,
309-829-8703 cdeutsch@westernavenuecc.org
Socorro Alvarez – Social
Services 309-827-3794
salvarez@westernavenuecc.org
Liz Acevedo-Alstrum
– Counseling services – Contact through Socorro Alvarez
above.
Hispanic Home Buying is an initiative that has been growing over
the past year. HOP has continued to assist families with interpretation
for application forms, documentation, visits to houses with real
estate professionals, lawyer referrals and meetings and closings.
Social
Services
Social Services for Spanish speakers are a growing
outreach at WACC. Socorro Alvarez meets with residents on a daily
basis who need help with landlords, employers, schools, health providers
and other community agencies. One goal for the coming year is to
extend social services to include a regular series of programs for
Spanish speakers on topics of interest including health, education,
and the community.
 Fall
Fiesta:
Sunday September 25, 2:00 – 4:00
WACC Park Shelter
Musica, comida, y informacion de immigration, citizenship, safety
and healthy family communication for Spanish speakers.
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The
Hispanic Outreach Program at Western Avenue provides immigration,
citizenship, social services, interpretation and home buying assistance
for Spanish speaking residents in the area. The program has been
serving the community for over 20 years and today serves a population
of over 5,000.
New Americans Initiative
The New Americans Initiative
grant funding has been approved for the 2005-2006 fiscal year. The
money is being used to assist legal permanent residents who wish
to apply for United States citizenship. The goal is to help 400
individuals complete their applications for U.S. citizenship between
now and June 30, 2006. Western Avenue Community Center will continue
to anchor the program in Central Illinois and partner with the
East Central Illinois Refugee Mutual Assistance Center
in Urbana, The Immigration Project (a legal services
organization) in Granite City, and Youth Service Bureau
in Ottawa to reach out to eligible immigrants downstate.
Workshops are scheduled in the coming
months in the following communities.
September - Decatur
October 1 - Bloomington
November - Pontiac
December - Clinton
January - Springfield
February 25 - Champaign-Urbana
March - Lincoln
April - Danville
May 20 - Peoria
Dates and locations will be updated weekly
so check back to find a location nearby. If you know someone in
Central Illinois who is a legal permanent resident, let them know
that they can receive application assistance through Western Avenue
Community Center. They can call toll free: 800-528-8661 to learn
more.
To learn more about NAI go to www.icirr.org.
The initial Citizenship Application Day was held at WACC on May
7, 2005. More than 40 eligible legal permanent residents filled
out citizenship applications, had photographs taken and had questions
answered by an immigration attorney or immigration specialist. Local
assistance was being provided State Farm Bank, the Scottish Rite
Masons, and more than 50 individual volunteers representing various
organizations. Call 800-528-8661 for more information on how to
volunteer for future events.
Interpretation
Services Program
The Interpretation Services Program is growing
and gaining recognition. The Illinois State Director of
Public Health visited the Center in late spring to learn
about the collaboration between WACC Interpretation and the McLean
County Health Department. That successful program is the
only one of its kind in Illinois.
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