Latino Community Association receives grant to help families stay healthy and housed
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- PacificSource Foundation awarded a grant of $45,000 to the Latino Community Association late this summer to help meet the “unanticipated health and social needs of [their] clients, resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Brad Porterfield, LCA’s executive director, said they requested the funds because “we are worried that the inequities experienced by our immigrant families, in particular, are making it difficult for them to pay the bills, stay housed and stay healthy.” With the possibility of evictions looming, “we need to do all we can to help families stay housed, fed and healthy in all ways.”
LCA will direct the funds to strengthen their services experiencing the greatest demand. At the moment, these include direct cash assistance, workforce education, immigration legal assistance, and whole-family support as kids and parents adjust to being back in school.
This also means supporting the nonprofit’s staff team, their move into a larger Bend Latino Family Empowerment Center, their new office in Prineville, and the expansion of services across Central Oregon.
Referring to the new center in Bend, Porterfield told the foundation, “Our immigrant Latino families deserve a home where they can engage, learn, grow and get involved in leadership opportunities. We also need to continue to facilitate access to the vaccine and getting back to work.”
This support from PacificSource will add a significant boost to the support of LCA’s other funders and local donors to help them achieve these and other goals for the community.
About Latino Community Association
Since 2000, the Latino Community Association (LCA) has been empowering Latino families and children and building bridges across cultures to create a more resilient Central Oregon. In partnership with caring individuals, businesses, community organizations and public agencies, LCA remains committed to ensuring full participation of Latinos in our communities. Programs of LCA include: Workforce Education and Training, Family Empowerment, Healthy Families, Youth Rising and Cultural Enrichment. Its services impact more than 8,000 people every year. For more information or to join LCA, visit www.latinocommunityassociation.org or call 541.382.4366.
