In the fall of 2017, Lawrence County started to see an influx of Latino Families arriving in our community. Hurricane Maria hit the island of Puerto Rico and many of the families were sent stateside by FEMA. The reports, at the time, indicated that next to Florida, Pennsylvania had the highest number of families relocate due to the crisis in Puerto Rico. Maria Delgado, Commissioner, PA Governor’s Advisory Commission on Latino Affairs alerted the United Way and has been working with this community to help these families acclimate to the community. “The language barriers seems to be the hardest challenges that these families face. Lawrence County does not have a Latino Church, Club, or organization that could assist with this population as other cultures did when they arrived to Lawrence County and it has been a
struggle for these families, stated Maria Delgado-Santana.”
“We have been able to put some programs in place thanks to community partners such as; Lawrence County Commissioners, MHDS, Caroline Knox Foundation, Almira Foundation, Lawrence County Community Foundation, PNC Bank along with private donations to help support ESL Classes, Mattress Program, small household items, and most importantly the Latino Needs Assessment.
The Latino Needs Assessment was needed to determine the next steps for these Latino families by examining the nature and causes of any issues, and set priorities for future action, said Gayle Young, Executive Director, United Way of Lawrence County.’ Dr. Patricia Document, Univ. of Pitt said, “Lawrence County has an emerging Latino community, having grown 110% between 2010 and 2020. It is a resilient community, anchored in family values, and strong work and educational initiative. To fully achieve its potential, the Latino community could benefit from an organized community building effort, celebrations, offering English classes, and hiring community health workers (promotores) to offer services on specific needs, such as health, housing, and education. New Castle School District will be the site for the Town Hall Meeting, since this is the institution that has been affected the most since most of them have young children with English as their second language.
The event is set for Monday, November 28, 2022 from 6 – 8pm at the New Castle High School Auditorium. The community is encouraged to attend.