|
||||||||||||||||
|
What is Hispanic Impact? The purpose of the Ohio Hispanic Impact Campaign is to offer facts, figures, information, and profiles which detail the positive contributions of Hispanic Ohioans year-round, and not just during Hispanic Heritage Month. Please join us as we celebrate the unsung heroes and many points of light across Ohio who, along with their counterparts from other communities, truly help create a better Ohio for all. Our second profile is from Youngstown: OCCHA.
OCCHA Advocates Individual and Community Strength through Self-Reliance Over the past 37 years Youngstown, population 80,000, has benefited from the services the Organizacion Civica y Cultural Hispano Americana (O.C.C.H.A) provides to the estimated 10,000 Latinos living in the area. As the only organization offering Latinos a plethora of indispensable support, O.C.C.H.A serves annually an average of 5,400 individuals and families through social services programs, including emergency assistance with food, clothing and medical services, translation and interpretation, technical assistance and workshops. Another 1,000 are served through their employment services; 430 through their education services, including ESL, computer and financial literacy classes; and over 300 through their youth services programs, including tutoring, parenting and family events, and recreational activities. The organization also provides senior outreach services, and a medical van for transportation to St. Elizabeth’s Hospital and helps coordinate the Forum Health Care at the Hispanic Clinic. The agency is deeply involved in the community, offering cultural programs, hosting community meetings and participating in diverse programs as speakers. Through their service to the community since 1972, O.C.C.H.A also set the standards and benchmarks in the region for younger organizations founded later. “Youngstown would be lost without them. They are an asset to the community,” says Mayor Jay Williams who adds that the organization provides exceptionally valuable services to the entire community. Williams has had a working relationship with O.C.C.H.A for the past ten years, even before becoming the city’s mayor. “I’m always eager to attend their events and look forward to projects we do together.” (Hispanic Impact Profile #1: Adelante)
Ohio Latino Demographics Ohio's Latino community is growing rapidly. In the past decade, Latinos in Ohio have increased by nearly 30%, which is helping to offset the population losses of whites, whose population decreased by 24,000 residents between 2000 and 2007. To understand the impact of and status of Latinos in Ohio, please view our new "Ohio Latino Demographics" webpage.
ABOUT Ohio Latino AffairsThe Ohio Latino Affairs Commission is a state government agency with a statutory mandate to advise policy makers and elected officials on issues affecting Hispanic Ohioans, to connect the diverse Latino communities across the state, and to build the capacity of community organizations so they may better serve the fast growing Latino population of Ohio. # # # |
|
|||||||||||||||
What We Do:
