CENTRAL AMERICAN RESOURCE CENTER REPORT & 2003 FINANCIAL STATEMENT

MISSION
CARECEN is a 501(c)(3) community-based organization which offers legal, educational, housing, citizenship and civic participation programs to the Central American/Latino community. It was established in 1981 to secure the rights of those Salvadorans and other Central Americans who fled from the wars, turmoil and human rights violations in their countries and subsequently sought refuge in the United States. CARECENs original focus was on providing legal services to Central Americans who were facing deportation and on organizing efforts to obtain amnesty for Central American refugees. Today, CARECEN not only offers a range of legal services for members of the Central American community, but also provides community support services and empowerment activities for the greater Latino community. Together, these programs serve to promote the comprehensive development of Washington's Central American/ Latino community by responding to its changing needs as it develops roots in this country. Today, CARECENs goals are to defend and advance the civil and human rights of Central Americans/Latinos in the Washington metropolitan area. CARECEN strives to facilitate the integration of Central Americans/Latinos into the wider community, as well as provide Central Americans/Latinos with the resources and leadership skills necessary to participate in successfully promoting the community's development.

Inside:
Core Programs and Services ............................36 Citizenship and Civic Participation Program....... 5 Housing and Community Action Program........... 6 Contributors ............................................................ 7 Staff Roster ............................................................. 8 New Building Update.............................................. 9 Financial Statement.............................................. 10

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CENTRAL AMERICAN RESOURCE CENTER

Dear Friends of CARECEN:

In 2003, the Central American Resource Center (CARECEN) in Washington, DC, was able to assist more than 10,000 Latinos with a variety of services provided under our four core programs: Housing and Tenant Organizing, Citizenship and Civic Participation, Legal Services and Support Community Services. In addition to providing direct services to clients from DC, Maryland and Virginia, CARECEN continued to call for much-needed immigration reform that would allow people already working in the United States to obtain permanent legal status. There are several proposals now pending before Congress that offer alternatives to current policy. CARECEN advocacy activities include the monitoring of new legislative proposals to make sure that the issues of the communities we serve new immigrants are included in any new immigration legislation. In 2003, CARECENs advocacy efforts also extended to local concerns. Staff, members of CARECEN, as well as current and former CARECEN clients, were involved in local housing, education and equal access issues through joining coalitions and/or participating in town hall meetings, the Mayors Summit and other efforts. The key accomplishment during 2003 was the expansion of the Civil Rights Panel to include the new Latino Issues Strategy Team (LIST), a broad group of Latino community stakeholders, in meetings with the mayor and city agencies. The main partners in these efforts were the Washington Lawyers Committee, AYUDA, Inc., and the Shaw/Columbia Heights Collaborative. The civil rights process and meetings resulted in the selection of the new director of the Office of Latino Affairs and the incorporation of Latino access issues into the work plans of city agencies and the Metropolitan Police Department. The success of this process was due to the support given to the LIST by Anthony Williams, mayor of the District of Columbia, council members Jim Graham (D-Ward 1) and Adrian Fenty (D-Ward 4), and staff from city agencies under the supervision of the mayor. CARECENS staff, board, volunteers and friends in the community are privileged to have had the opportunity to provide low-income Latino immigrants with the services and resources needed to help them better their lives. Thanks to the services CARECEN offers, many tenants have been able to resolve their housing issues. A number of individuals we worked with were able to become first-time homeowners. Among our many immigration clients were those who proudly took the oath of citizenship and others who eagerly waited to be reunited with family members after years of forced separation. Still others no longer had to live with the fear of deportation as their applications for permanent residence status were granted. CARECENs work was made possible by a variety of financial supporters. Among the contributing foundations were the Jewish Fund for Justice, the Jovid Foundation, the DC Bar Foundation, the Inter-American Development Bank, the Spring Creek Foundation, the Public Welfare Foundation, the Cafritz Foundation and United Way. Support also came from agencies such as the Internal Revenue Service, the Mayors Office of Latino Affairs and the Washington DC Department of Housing and Community Development. CARECEN is also supported by individual donors, nominal client fees and some community events. We hope you will continue to support the work of CARECEN in any way you can as we continue to face the ongoing challenges of helping Central American and other Latino immigrants to maintain legal status in this country, reunite with loved ones, provide for their families and become fully engaged in the civic life of the broader community.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Milly Rodrguez President Jose Pertierra, Esq. Vice-President Ana Maria Delgado Treasurer Michael Foley Secretary Ricardo E. Campos Hugo Carballo Jorge Granados Michelle Hannahs Juliette Steadman Stephanie Williams EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Saul Solrzano

CARECEN past and present board members: L-R: John Mack, Saul Solrzano, Patrick Ahern, Ana Mara Delgado, Jim McDonald, Milly Rodriguez, Mauricio Alarcn, Jos Ramos, Michelle Hannahs, Michael Foley.

CARECEN 2003 ANNUAL REPORT

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Our Core Programs and Services

Legal Services
Since its founding in the 1980s as an organization dedicated to defending the rights of Central Americans fleeing the violence of their homelands, CARECEN has maintained a special focus on the needs of the Central American community in the Washington metropolitan area while at the same time expanding its legal services to encompass the needs of the wider Latino immigrant population. During 2003, CARECEN remained a leader in providing services to the low-income Central American community. Many of CARECENs Salvadoran, Honduran and Nicaraguan clients are beneficiaries of the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program, which allows them to live and work legally in the United States for the duration of the program. TPS for all three nationalities was set to expire in 2003, so CARECEN launched a postcard-writing campaign in coordination with other organizations nationwide serving the Central American immigrant community to advocate for an extension of the two TPS designations for Central America. The campaign was a success: TPS for Hondurans/Nicaraguans was extended for 18 months in May 2003, and in July 2003, TPS for Salvadorans was also extended for an additional 18 months. TPS work permits, which were scheduled to expire by July 2003 (Honduran/Nicaraguan) or September 2003 (Salvadoran) were automatically extended for an additional six months to allow beneficiaries to submit their required re-registration forms and obtain their new employment authorization documents. In addition to helping 1,271 individuals re-register for the two TPS programs, CARECEN prepared an advisory letter for employers informing them of the automatic extension to ensure that no one protected by TPS would be wrongly terminated. CARECEN also continued its successful program of preparing applicants under the Nicaraguan Adjustment and Central American Relief Act (NACARA) for their interviews at the Asylum Office. Most NACARA applications remain pending adjudication for an average of two to three years, and therefore need updating prior to the interview. CARECENS paralegal staff assists clients with this process and also informs them of exactly what will happen at the interview so the applicant can feel well prepared and, it is hoped, a little less nervous. The paralegal then accompanies the client to the interview to provide interpretation services. In the few cases involving applicants with an arrest record or a complicated eligibility issue, a CARECEN attorney also accompanies the client to the interview. In 2003, CARECEN prepared 66 NACARA applicants for their interviews and virtually all of them were granted legal permanent residence. CARECEN also assisted 19 clients to complete and file their initial NACARA applications.
CARECENs staff gathers outside the offices on Columbia Rd. NW in Washington, DC. In addition to our specialized work with Central American immigrants, other legal services priorities during 2003 included securing the timely reauthorization of work authorization documents to ensure that family breadwinners would not experience a disruption of employment, promoting citizenship to increase the Latino voice in civic affairs, and, reuniting families long divided by immigration barriers.

During 2003, CARECEN helped 1,242 people to renew their work permits or permanent residence cards. CARECEN also provided troubleshooting services to 133 individuals who had applied to renew their work authorization documents but never received them. In the area of citizenship, CARECEN assisted 73 people in applying for naturalization, and actively encouraged all clients who had recently obtained their legal permanent residence to consider applying for naturalization as soon as they were legally able to do so. During this period, CARECEN also assisted 60 U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents in beginning the process of family reunification by filing family petitions for their parents, spouses and children living abroad. CARECEN helped an additional 15 clients with approved family petitions to complete the process for legal permanent residence. In addition, CARECENs legal staff provided general immigration consultations to 849 individuals during the year. Unfortunately, CARECEN cannot help everyone who comes to us for assistance given the restrictive nature of our current immigration laws, many immigrants, even those who have been here for many years, are unable to obtain temporary work authorization or permanent residence. However, CARECEN believes that it is very important for every individual to know the current state of the law in order to avoid becoming a victim of immigration fraud. In an effort to make it as convenient as possible for people to obtain the information they need, CARECEN conducts its intake hours on a walk-in
(Continued on page 4)

CARECEN 2003 ANNUAL REPORT

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Legal Services During 2003, CARECEN helped 1,242 individuals to renew their work permits or permanent residence cards.
(Continued from page 3)

basis with no previous appointment necessary. In addition to individual case work, CARECEN maintained its active participation in the Capital Area Immigrants Rights Coalition (CAIR), a coalition of direct service and immigrant advocacy groups in the Washington metropolitan area which meets once a month to discuss current issues of concern to our client populations and to receive updates on immigration policy.

The CAIR Coalition also facilitates monthly liaison meetings with the staff of the Washington District Office and the Arlington Asylum Office. Individuals coming to CARECEN have commonly spent months if not years trying to find out the status of their cases. The monthly liaison meetings give CARECEN an opportunity to bring these cases to the attention of the appropriate government officials and to obtain whatever action is needed to bring them to closure.

Community Support Services

During 2003, CARECEN assisted 1,271 people in re-registering for the two TPS programs.

Community Support Services (CSS) seeks to bridge the linguistic and cultural barriers that prevent many low-income Latinos from fully participating in the broader society, both in terms of accessing the resources available to them and their families as well as in complying with their legal obligations. CSS activities include informing lowincome Latino immigrants about their rights and responsibilities as taxpayers, helping them to apply for various benefit programs, and facilitating communication with governmental and nongovernmental entities.

In late 2003, as part of CSSs efforts to ensure that low-income Latino immigrants with limited English proficiency are aware of and have the means to access the community resources available to them, CARECEN started the SOS Soccoro project, which helps victims of violent crime to seek monetary assistance from the Crime Victims Compensation Program of DC Superior Court. More than 200 CARECEN clients benefited from the Community Support Services program in 2003.

More than 200 CARECEN clients benefited from the Community Support Services program in 2003.

CARECEN has been a fixture in the community for more than 20 years.

CARECEN 2003 ANNUAL REPORT

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Citizenship and Civic Participation

The Citizenship and Civic Participation department (CCP) has been moving forward with signing up students for CARECENS citizenship courses, increasing enrollment from 15 students in August to a record high of 57 students in September; the total number of participants for 2003 was 211. To facilitate our students learning process, a one-hour ESL component was added following each citizenship class. Approximately 60 people participated in the ESL classes. Throughout 2003, 73 CARECEN clients filled out their N-400 applications for citizenship. During the month of November, CARECEN offered five citizenship presentations at different organizations around the community to help strengthen the focus on civic participation. Other outreach methods included radio shows and a PSA announcement that ran on the local Univision channel. The push for participation allowed CARECEN to launch its voter registration drive. By the end of the year, 80 people had been registered to vote. CARECEN launched its TPS Campaign on April 16 with a press conference to inform the community about the need for extending the Honduran, Nicaraguan and Salvadoran TPS. Over 2,000 postcards were sent to the White House asking President Bush to grant the extensions. We were also able to obtain support from 17 congressional representatives, who wrote letters to President Bush urging him to grant the program extensions. The campaign ended with another press conference, in which the Bush administration was asked to announce the extensions without delay. Other achievements of CARECEN during this time period include our involvement Citizenship classes meet once a in a number of events and coalitions. week for two hours, over the Organizing CARECEN members to course of ten weeks. participate in the Mayors Summit was a huge success. This not only brought the percentage of Latinos participating in the summit to 14 percent of all participants (thus exceeding the share of DCs population that is Latino, which is 8 percent), but presented a collective Latino agenda of pressing issues and recommendations from over 100 CARECEN participants. The organization also enrolled more played a leadership role in the Capital Area Immigrants Rights Coalition for than 200 the Freedom Ride that took place in September. CARECEN also worked with students in area organizations to found the DC citizenship Latino Coalition during the Latino Civil Rights Project. This project was classes during organized around a two-day retreat that included 38 Latino organizations. 2003. Lastly, the CCP started a new project called the Youth Community Action Group made up of two youth action groups from the area. The groups include young people between the ages of 14 and 25 who are working on improving communication between youths and their parents as well as encouraging others to join the groups.

Citizenship students review material from the 100 questions that might be asked during their citizenship exam.

CARECEN 2003 ANNUAL REPORT

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Housing and Community Action Program

CARECENs tenant organizing project has formed 24 new tenant associations this past year, and they have been successful in protecting their families from displacement from their rental units. Including the new groups, CARECEN has been able to provide assistance to a total of 59 tenant associations. This initiative represents a scope of 1,200 lowincome families that are organized in tenant associations to secure their tenants rights and are now pursuing one of the following options:

Four tenant associations have purchased their buildings. Five tenant associations are continuing the process of purchasing their building. Thirty-two tenant associations continue to fight to secure tenants rights and repairs in their housing units. Nine tenant associations relocated after accepting buyout agreements arranged with owners.

CARECEN staff members display information at a Fair Housing Fair regarding the various housing services offered to the community.

authorities, lenders and landlords. This year they mobilized over 124 tenants to attend and participate in the Mayors City Summit held by the mayor of Washington, DC. They meet quarterly and also have workshops to train tenants on their rights, on tenant/

CARECEN continues to facilitate the DC Latino Tenant Coalition, made up of officers from the 59 tenant associations. The coalitions purpose is to allow members to share tenants information on repairs and on dealing with landlords and city officials, to advocate for their housing needs, and to coordinate on a unified agenda to represent their interests to housing

landlord court proceedings and fair housing laws. CARECEN also brought a full-time housing counselor on staff to assist associations and/or individuals who want to purchase a home. The counselor also provides training on financial literacy. More than 80 CARECEN clients have benefited from this program.

CARECEN has been able to provide assistance to a total of 59 tenant associations. This initiative represents a scope of 1,200 low-income families that are organized in tenant associations to secure their tenants rights.

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CARECEN thanks the following foundations and agencies:

Archdiocese of Washington, DC Cafritz Foundation Catholic Legal Immigration Network (CLINIC) Community Foundation District of Columbia Bar Foundation Fannie Mae Foundation Inter-American Development Bank Jewish Fund for Justice Jovid Foundation Naomi & Nehemiah Cohen Foundation Public Welfare Foundation Tides Foundation Spring Creek United Planning Organization United Way We hope you will continue to support the work of CARECEN in any way you can as we continue to face the ongoing challenges of helping Central American and other Latino immigrants to maintain legal status in this country, reunite with loved ones, provide for their families and become fully engaged in the civic life of the wider community. Saul Solrzano Executive Director

The city of Washington, DC: Office of Latino Affairs Department of Housing and Community Development

CARECEN thanks the following individuals:

Matt Abrams Eva Baer Janet and Norman Brown Michele and Thomas Clancy Rosemary Coffey Elizabeth Dahl Robert and Nancy Doan Cornelius de Stigter John and Carol Gegner Barbara Gerlach Michelle Hannahs Eleanor and Francis Hofkes Ernest Kaiser Vivienne and Ray Kell Theodore Konen Jonathan and Jennifer Kusmik John Mack Joseph Matelis Bruce and Mara Mayor John D. Moore Ann R. Mulrane Robert and Dorothy Pohlman Nancy Polikoff Peggy Porder Manuel Rivera James and Lorraine Rogers Michael Samuelson Erich F. Schimps James and Betty Schmitt Mitchell Singal Saul Solrzano Fred Solowey L. William and Kathleen Staudenmaier, Jr. Bessie K. Stensky Myron F. Steves, Jr. George Summers Louise Tarr John R. Welton Carol Wolchok Doris Wright Evelyn and Robert Wrin Barbara and Philip Young Tycko Zavareei, LLP

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Our Dedicated Staff

Rafael Alfaro Elmer Campos Daisy Castellanos Kathy Doan Julia Hedlund Christy Hogan Ivette Iraheta Norberto Martnez Rina Reyes Rosa Rivas Virginia Showalter Saul Solrzano Katharine Zuga Housing Specialist Citizenship and Civic Participation Coordinator Community Organizer Director of Legal and Community Support Services Office Manager Non-Profit Business Manager Director of Citizenship and Civic Participation Immigration Paralegal Immigration Paralegal / CSS Case Worker Receptionist Housing Paralegal Executive Director Development Officer Citizenship students have listed the following as major benefits of attending classes at CARECEN: Improved learning through weekly exams and homework Improved confidence in English comprehension and writing Improved confidence in answering the citizenship test questions in English Good textbooks and well-prepared handouts Students trust in the professors, many of whom volunteer significant portions of their time Translation is provided as needed.

And, last but not least

Thanks to our many dedicated volunteers!

Citizenship students study the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, the Revolutionary War, Civil War and both World Wars along with their basic rights and duties as citizens in one of CARECENs ten-week citizenship courses. The course often includes a trip to the American History Museum.

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CARECENs New Home!!!

Construction of the new CARECEN offices and nine apartment units at 1460 and 1464 Columbia Road, NW is now in its final phases. Final inspection and occupancy permits are expected to be approved by the end of June 2005. As reported earlier, the construction has been financed by loans from the Bank of America, the National Council of La Razas Raza Development Fund,and funds raised through CARECENs capital campaign. Contributions to the capital campaign include grants from the Meyer Foundation, the Public Welfare Foundation, the Cafritz Foundation, the Phil Graham Foundation and CitiBank. In addition, we have received contributions from board members, staff and other supporters in the community. This is a mixed development project which includes commercial space for the CARECEN offices and residential condominiums which will be named after Monsignor Oscar A. Romero, the Salvadoran archbishop who was slain in 1984 because of his support for human rights, civil rights, democracy and social justice for the Salvadoran majority during the eighties. Nine potential buyers have been prequalified to purchase units, which will be sold at affordable prices; seven of these buyers are in the low or moderate income category. Permanent financing to pay for the construction loan will come from buyers, who will obtain their individual mortgages, and from CARECEN, which will pay rent for its office space. The new facilities will allow CARECEN to set up a computer literacy training program and better facilities to accommodate its citizenship classes and other community educational activities.

CARECEN looks forward to moving into new offices in the near future.

Construction of the new CARECEN offices and nine apartment units at 1460 and 1464 Columbia Road is now in its final phases.

Rear view of the construction site. Saul Solrzano and Kathy Doan review plans for the new offices layout.

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CENTRAL AMERICAN RESOURCE CENTER

Financial Statement 2003

LIABILITIES AND NET ASSETS

2003 Current Liabilities: Accounts payable Accrued vacations Total Current Liabilities Net Assets: Unrestricted Temporarily restricted Permanently restricted Total Net Assets $11,836 12,296 24,132

635,601 104,271 NONE 739,872

Total Liabilities and Net Assets

$764,004

STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION ASSETS Current Assets: Cash and cash equivalents Certificate of deposit, Bank of America, 1%, due June 13, 2004 Contracts, grants, and other receivables Receivable from CUS Accrued interest receivable Employee advances Prepaid expenses Total current assets Noncurrent Assets: Restricted cash, capital campaign (note 5) Due from Msgr. Oscar A. Romero Assoc. (note 5) Office furniture, computer equipment and software at cost, less depreciation taken of $17,218 ($19,432 for 12/31/02) Leasehold improvements, at cost, less amortization taken of $2,337 ($5,217 at 12/31/02) Rental security deposit Total noncurrent assets Total Assets

2003 $336,745 101,100 33,370 5,251 91 -08,854 485,411

12,821 248,925 13,194 2,153 1,500 278,593 $764,004

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Financial Statement 2003 (continued)

STATEMENT OF ACTIVITIES AND CHANGES IN NET ASSETS

Unrestricted Net Assets: Revenues Client fee income Contract income Grants Development fund contributions and settlement Contributions Rent Virginia office Interest income Membership Miscellaneous Total Revenues Net assets released from restriction Expiration of time restrictions Building payments from capital campaign Total Revenue and Net Assets Released from Restriction

2003 $177,250 192,221 134,143 166,578 15,043 -02,291 470 500 688,496 102,700 216,520

1,007,716

Expenses Program Services Legal services Community support services Housing Citizenship and civic participation Fair housing CBSP Development expenses 1418 W Street, N.W. Total Program Services Supporting Services Management and general Fund raising Total Supporting Services Total Expenses Increase/(decrease) in unrestricted net assets

153,842 87,075 29,099 96,557 21,024 115,364 125,954 628,915

64,134 35,927 100,061 728,976 278,740

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CENTRAL AMERICAN RESOURCE CENTER

Financial Statement 2003 (continued)

Temporarily Restricted Net Assets: Grant income Capital campaign Interest income capital campaign Less: Net assets released from restriction By expiration of time restrictions Building payments from capital campaign Net increase/(decrease) in temporary restricted net assets Permanently Restricted Net Assets Increase/(decrease) in Net Assets Net Assets at Beginning of Year Net Assets at End of Year 130,400 6,193 2,548 (102,700) (216,520) (180,079) NONE 98,661 641,211 $739,872

CARECEN staffmember Rafael Alfaro takes notes on site at one of the many buildings where CARECEN has been instrumental in creating and strengthening tenant associations.

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CARECEN Welcomes Volunteers!!!

We can always use volunteers and interns for both one-time and ongoing projects. Our current needs include: Mock interviews (in English) for citizenship class participants Helping individuals fill out applications for citizenship on Saturdays Leading/assisting citizenship class field trips to the American History Museum and/or monuments. Leading education discussions or lectures on topics relevant to Central Americans. Volunteers assist CARECEN in many ways, such as teaching ESL and citizenship classes.

Ongoing: Citizenship class instructors (training and materials provided). Classes meet Tuesday nights or Saturday mornings. The Tuesday night classes are from 5:30 7:30pm. Saturday classes meet from 10am - noon. Classes are given over a 10-week period. ESL class instructors (training and materials provided). ESL classes can be offered to accommodate the schedule of the instructor. Tuesday evenings or Saturday afternoons following citizenship classes work best. Working one-on-one (in Spanish) on a weekly basis with elderly individuals who are preparing for citizenship. These individuals are exempt from the English requirement for citizenship and need special programming. Special projects for example, creating new materials for distribution in the Latino community, contacting clients, updating databases, etc. Assisting clients to apply for immigration benefits. Helping develop an outreach/educational program for victims of crime. Internet research on Latino issues. Assisting with the departmental projects listed on our website.

We can always use volunteers and interns for both one-time and ongoing projects.

Both experienced and inexperienced volunteers are welcome.

Carecen 2003 Annual Report

CENTRAL AMERICAN RESOURCE CENTER 1459 Columbia Rd. NW Washington, DC 20009 Phone: 202-328-9799 Fax: 202-328-0023 www.carecendc.org DID YOU KNOW? CARECEN is located in the heart of the Latino community in Washington, DC, providing direct service to Latinos in the Washington metropolitan area (Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia). Latinos make up 8 percent of the total Washington, DC population. Central Americans form the majority of Washington, DCs Latino population. DC has the second-highest concentration of Salvadorans in the United States, coming after Los Angeles.

Were on the Web! www.carecendc.org