As the US Census survey rolls out in 2020, Northeast Indiana community non-profits are working to ensure immigrants and multilingual residents understand the process, as well as their rights.
Amani Family Services hosted a gathering of these nonprofits -- which also included Brightpoint and Hispanic Leadership Coalition of Northeast Indiana, among others -- to give residents an opportunity to educate, connect to resources and ask questions.
Interpreters were also on hand to answer any questions.
Irene Paxia took part in the 2010 Census count, and now serves as the executive director of Amani Family Services. She says at a time when government-related activities might make immigrants, refugees or multilingual residents anxious, it’s important for the community to step up.
But hosting the event wasn’t an easy decision.
“People are even questioning, should we provide this information, should we favor the Census or encourage people to fill out the form? And so we said yes, we need to at least provide education and then people can make up their mind and decide.”
The list of participating organizations, in addition to descriptions of their work from Amani, can be found below.
- Amani Family Services’ mission is to partner with immigrant and refugee families and the community to promote safety, encourage personal growth, and foster a spirit of belonging. Amani is a non-profit organization serving families from around the world with services, which include child abuse and neglect intervention and prevention, victim care, substance use support, and mental health counseling.
- Brighpoint’s mission is to help communities, families, and individuals remove the causes and conditions of poverty. Brightpoint is a non-profit agency that promotes economic and community development by providing resources, helping people gain access to opportunities, and teaching them the skills they need to become self-sufficient.
- Language Services Network’s mission is to help members coordinate resources and collaborate to strengthen their services. LSN shares information with the community and promotes the development of standards and the recognition of interpreters and translators as professionals.
- Hispanic Leadership Coalition of Northeast Indiana is a nonprofit, which seeks to develop and empower the Hispanic / Latino community in Northeast Indiana to become proactive leaders through educational attainment, professional development, and community involvement.
- Multicultural Council of Greater Fort Wayne’s mission is to draw on the strength of their diverse experiences to educate, advocate, and provide information for the community.
- Alliance for Human Services is a membership organization whose purpose is to engage northeast Indiana nonprofit organizations through idea sharing, collaboration, and peer-to-peer networking to build stronger community relationships.