Since 1870, Erie Neighborhood House has provided social services to Chicago’s immigrant and low-income residents. As the city’s Latine population faces federal targeting, the organization is facing increased demand and new obstacles to their mission.

“It’s just really hard because right now nobody’s coming out, nobody’s asking for services,” said Erika Flores, the organization’s public benefits program manager. “We’re trying to find methods of ways to get these services to them, but it is impacting our clients and our community.”

The nonprofit has begun offering workshops to educate people on their rights, and is transferring more of their programs to virtual platforms. However, Interim Manager of Community Education and Advocacy Norma Bautista explains that the most difficult hurdle has been the
pervasive sense of uncertainty in the community.

“When I lead my Know Your Rights workshops, they tell me: ‘Norma, why are you even telling me to be prepared? They are trampling our rights,’” said Bautista.

To confront this growing fear in the community, Bautista created a program of weekly family activity workshops, where community members can come together and take time for themselves. This is especially impactful for the children, who can feel lonely and forgotten in difficult situations.

“I want to create a space where they say, ‘My dad, in these times, when he was hopeless over everything that was happening, made the time to play with me,’” said Bautista. “More than anything, the goal is to create a safe space in the community, so that they feel heard.”

Erie Neighborhood House’s workshops and resources can be accessed at https://eriehouse.org/.

Publisher’s Notes: This article is based on an interview conducted in Spanish and has been translated into English. The article has been lightly edited for clarity.

This story, among others, was produced by undergraduate students in the bilingual reporting class at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, Media & Integrated Marketing Communications. Led by Prof. Mei-Ling Hopgood, the class aims to help journalism students practice sensitive and ethical engagement and reporting with multicultural communities in Spanish and English.