FOR LATINOS
CARES (Coalition Assisting Residents in Emergency Situations)
This MACAA program provides emergency assistance in Charlottesville and Albemarle County. Clients eligible for cash assistance must have a source of income but do not necessarily have to be working. Sources of income include but are not limited to employment, SSI/SSA, child support, disability, VIEW/TANF. Clients eligible for cash assistance must have income sufficient to meet regular monthly expenses. CARES resources are designed to meet one-time emergencies. Eligible clients can receive cash assistance one time per fiscal year (July 1 – June 30) in three main categories of need: eviction prevention, foreclosure prevention, utility termination prevention. In addition, there is a small amount of money for medical prescriptions. CARES has information in Spanish and a bilingual/bicultural worker who assists Latino Clients: Ana Espinoza, 434/295-3171 or a_espinoza@macaa.org For a Spanish language brochure on MACAA services, click here; for Spanish language information on MACAA/CARES Cooling Assistance Program, click here.
Heating & Cooling Assistance. Social Services offices offer assistance repairing heating or cooling equipment or paying to fuel them. Eligibility requirements – low income, US citizenship or Permanent Residency – are difficult for many area Latinos to meet; service workers should learn about them before recommending Latinos to apply. The programs are usually offered on October 15th and June 15th.
FOR INITIATIVES THAT SUPPORT LATINOS
Local funds are available to start up or strengthen initiatives serving the Latino population. Please contact Holly Hatcher, Director of Programs, at (434) 220-3473 or hhatcher@cacfonline.org, or visit www.cacfonline.org for more information about the following sources.
Bama Works Fund. A Dave Matthews Band fund supporting charitable programs in the Charlottesville area. Grants are limited to the City of Charlottesville and the counties of Albemarle, Greene, Orange, Louisa, Fluvanna, Buckingham, and Nelson. Grants are made to tax-exempt public charities under Section 501(c)(3). Program interests include, but are not limited to: disadvantaged youth, needs of the disabled, protection of the environment, and the arts and humanities. The Fund generally does not support: endowment programs, fund raising events, annual appeals of well-established organizations, or grants to individuals.
Charlottesville Area Community Foundation (CACF). A permanent endowment dedicated to improving the quality of life in Charlottesville and the Counties of Albemarle, Greene, Orange, Louisa, Fluvanna, Buckingham, and Nelson. With assets over $58 million, CACF makes grants of more than $3 million annually through its Community Endowment and its many donor-advised funds. Since its inception in 1967, the Community Foundation has made grants of more than $21 million to hundreds of nonprofit agencies.English classes for Adults are offered by Charlottesville and Albemarle Public Schools, by UVA, PVCC, and by Literacy Volunteers.
E Pluribus Unum Prizes, a national awards program, provides four $50,000 prizes annually to exceptional initiatives that promote immigrant integration, helping immigrants and their children adapt, thrive, and contribute to the United States or that bring immigrants and the native born together to build stronger, more cohesive communities. Application deadlines are in December. For more information and to access the online application visit http://www.migrationinformation.org/integrationawards