Hispanic Services Council Inc

“Copy e-mailed to each director before being filed”

“Annual conflict of interest statements are independently mailed and received by outside auditors for signature by all board members and key employees. The organization also sends out and receives a separate conflict of interest disclosure statement.”

“The board independently surveyed organizations of similar size and scope of service in the regional area serviced by hsc to determine a comparable compensation package for the executive director. Salary compensation figures were obtained by reviewing comparative 990's as well as from serving on other boards.”

“The board employs a similar process for establishing and evaluating the compensation of its key employees as the method used for establishing and evaluating the compensation of the executive director.”

“Governing documents, conflict of interest policy, and financials statements are available upon written request at the administration offices during normal business hours.”

“Founded in 1992 by a group of social service professionals concerned about the lack of access to services available to latino families, hispanic services council (hsc) is a private, non-profit organization based in tampa, fl serving latinos throughout hillsborough county, fl. Hsc's mission is to increase access and opportunities for latinos and influence the systems that serve them. To achieve its mission, hsc connects latinos to opportunities that reduce health and education-related disparities while empowering them via civic engagement. Through its core programs, hsc serves over 1,200 individuals annually. Hsc is uniquely equipped to advocate for immigrant rights because it is a trusted community voice, its programs are client-focused, and analysis of metrics and trends means that service delivery is responsive to the emergent needs of clients. Hsc's 2generation approach serves parents and children simultaneously, and tracks outcomes for both while empowering families to work together to reach their full potential, create their own pathway out of poverty, and realize their american dream. Hsc's programs place staff in unique, on-the-ground positions that build and maintain trusted relationships within the community. Hsc leverages those relationships and its reputation to open doors in the most vulnerable neighborhoods. This ensures that the underserved and unseen are served and heard, resulting in maximum access and impact. Hsc's central mission is to assist hispanic families and individuals fully integrate into their community through comprehensive services providing the communication and links to resources and opportunities that lead to self- sufficiency. Hsc serves many immigrants that lack resources and understanding of how the systems in the u.s. Work; in turn leaving them marginalized, isolated, and underserved. They face challenges that impede their full integration due to such barriers as language, cultural values, and immigration status. Hsc's work focuses on developing access to opportunities that result in an educated, healthy and engaged latino community. Our education programs work to build the capacity of parents to engage in their children's education by helping them understand how the educational system in the united states works and how they can become more engaged in ensuring their child's academic success. Community health workers (promotoras) implement our healthy living programs and serve as trusted messengers to vulnerable residents who need to be linked to health resources that help them achieve optimal health. Promotoras facilitate cooking and health literacy classes to help latino families and individuals learn how to cook more nutritiously, introduce them to new foods and understand the ways to become better advocates for their health with health professionals. Hsc's immigration legal services and advocacy (ilsa) program provides access to affordable legal services to individuals and families seeking to adjust their immigration status and become u.s. Citizens. Hsc is a department of justice recognized agency which allows its accredited staff to provide legal counsel in immigration matters and represent them with the various immigration entities to include u.s. Immigration court. Ilsa also offers u.s. Citizenship classes to ensure that prospective citizens learn about u.s. History and civics and be prepared to carry out their civic responsibilities upon naturalization. Hsc provides the needed communication and links for limited or non-english speaking families between the schools and social and human service providers. These families and individuals will not go to agencies where, even though their needs can be met directly, they may not be able to effectively communicate their or they fear they will be misunderstood. Many of the families hsc serves face daily economic hardships and are frequently struggling to provide basic needs such as food, clothing, and shelter for their children. Hsc serves as t”

“Hsc has responded to this need by developing opportunities that result in an educated, healthy, prosperous, and engaged latino community. To achieve this, we offer the following programs and services: hsc has responded to this need by developing opportunities that result in an educated, healthy, prosperous, and engaged latino community. To achieve this, we offer the following programs and services: education la red de padres activos (la red)/the network of active parents works to increase the academic performance of children in k-8th grade by building the capacity of parents to engage in their children's education living. Program activities include parenting education, family support, and leadership development. La linea hispana connects non-english speaking families to appropriate services that will help them access economic, housing, health and multiple support services to ensure family stability and self-sufficiency. Health promotoras (community health workers) play a key role as connectors, mediators and messengers to vulnerable and marginalized residents who need to be linked to health resources and information so that they can achieve optimal physical and emotional health. Promotoras are integral to the services provided through the following programs: comprando rico y sano (crs)/healthy shopping), focuses on providing nutrition and healthy living education in spanish, as well assisting individuals apply and/or recertify for snap benefits. The goal of crs is to improve knowledge and behaviors around health-conscious shopping and food choice among latinos. Program activities include grocery shopping tours, community conversation circles regarding healthy eating and nutrition advice and snap application and recertification assistance. These activities have helped families to: increase their awareness of the importance of healthy shopping strategies; increase their knowledge of cost-saving measures when shopping; and, enroll or recertify into snap. Hillsborough county's indigent health care application assistance offers individualized and confidential assistance for individuals seeking health insurance options through hillsborough county. Program services include application assistance and supportive services to ensure effective utilization of health insurance. Acquiring health insurance allows individuals to access preventative health care services and other health related opportunities to be healthy and maintain a healthy lifestyle.”

“Civic engagement immigration legal services & advocacy (ilsa) provides access to affordable immigration legal services to individuals and families seeking to establish or adjust their immigration status (i.e. Daca, tps, adjustment of status, u-visas, family petitions) and become u.s. Citizens. Hsc is a board of immigration appeals (bia) recognized agency and ilsa has on staff a fully accredited representative which allows her to represent clients in immigration court. For hsc's parent engagement initiative, we use the following assessment tools: padres comprometidos survey; parent/teacher/student compact family support program outcome survey; case notes parental stress scale positive relationship with parents scale for teenagers these tools measure the following: at least 85% of a minimum of 382 individuals have increased social supports, are involved with their child's development, education and/or school, and have increased concrete supports at least 80% of a minimum of 382 families have improved family well-being and have increased parenting skills at least 70% of a minimum of 90 parents have reduced stress at least 80% of 40 youth demonstrate positive relationships with parents and other adults for our healthy living programs, hsc uses a logic model which outlines the resources, activities, outputs, and outcomes. Surveys were administered using a traditional pre-post test design. Participant measures are: demonstrate an increase in knowledge of healthy food choices and benefits of physical activity indicate an intent/comfort/confidence to improve their eating habits indicate an intent to increase their overall physical activity increase access to federal, state, and local programs/resources in addition, we utilized a pre-post "quality of life" survey tool given on the first and last day of the cm courses: demonstrate an increase in levels of connectivity to their community demonstrate an increase in levels of trust demonstrate improved physical and mental wellbeing the immigration legal services program determines success by the number of clients receiving consultations, number of applications submitted, and number of applications approved.”

“Sustaining the work of the organization is paramount to ensure that latino families and individuals become a productive and engaged members of the community. As such, hsc's leadership is committed to: maintaining and strengthening hsc's core programs and activities; family support, parent and community education, resource coordination, advocacy. Diversifying the organization's funding base by raising 25% of its annual budget from private foundations from the local community, region, and nation. Expanding hsc's impact by engaging in expanded/new program areas that address other social and economic needs of the latino community. Increasing hsc unrestricted funding base to ensure appropriate leadership capacity that will enable hsc to provide effective stewardship of current resources to facilitate the organization's growth and ensure effective community impact. Building an individual donor base that represents 10% of the organization's annual budget comprised of latino businesses, current and past board members, and the larger latino community. Identifying opportunities for revenue generating ventures hsc is committed to ensuring that individuals and communities reach their true potential and have access to opportunities that lead to self- sufficiency and improved well-being at all levels. We believe that the future of the tampa bay community and hillsborough county in particular, is intrinsically tied to the prosperity of latinos. We believe that to unleash that potential we must engage those most in need to achieve these goals.”