Last semester I had the chance to take a class with one of the most delightful professors I’ve ever met, Rev. Daniel Alvarez. He’s quite an older fellow and has a truly adventurous story. (Needless to say, his story and personality were more interesting than the topic of the class, which is why I kept going.) Born and raised in Cuba, he later began working for Fidel Castro, but because he disagreed with his politics, he left the country and headed for Puerto Rico and later, Chicago. After arriving, he founded an organization called Casa Central (He’s not been to Cuba since).
Field trip!
My class went to visit a few months ago and see what it was all about. What a great place! Among many of their programs, there was one program that we visited that stood out to me among the rest. It is called “La Posada”, which means “The Inn” in spanish. It is different from the traditional homeless shelter in that they not only offer a place to live for whole families, but they offer training in different areas for the potential of becoming independent. In this way, people find hope and dignity. This excert about La Posada is taken from their website:
“Opening its doors to the underserved homeless – monolingual Spanish speaking individuals and families of all sizes, La Posada Interim Housing Program has been offering housing and support to homeless families since 1989.
La Posada seeks to place families in their own independent and permanent housing within 120 days. The program strives to assist families in moving from homelessness to permanent housing.
La Posada is made unique by the comprehensive network of supportive services it offers, a factor which ensures maximum participation and a high success rate. The program provides childcare, transportation, food, clothing and emergency cash. Supportive services include life skills education, family literacy, counseling, nutrition education, and financial management to help families regain and sustain self-sufficiency.
Participants at La Posada also have access to the following services: counseling, referral to alcohol/drug rehabilitation, nutrition education, domestic violence intervention, financial management, food, clothing, transportation, relocation assistance, and public assistance advocacy. Medical services are coordinated through nearby community health centers and hospitals. In addition, monthly workshops help families deal with a variety of other concerns ranging from financial planning to the use of public transportation.”
It’s awesome to see an organization be so effective in the community, especially in the area of giving people the chance to have dignity and independence where they otherwise would be on the street and struggling day to day. Seeing life change like this gives me chills!
Check out more about the organization here: www.casacentral.org
I also hear they are always looking for volunteers!
Posted in Make a Difference, Uncategorized
Tags: Casa Central, Chicago, community development, Cuba, Daniel Alvarez, dignity, Fidel Castro, homeless shelter, hope, social work, spanish
