Immigrants Come “Home” to Yakima via La Casa Hogar

True to its name, La Casa Hogar is helping immigrant women and children to feel more at “home” in the Yakima Valley. The two-story, green, frame house on South Sixth Street, with its fireplace, lacy curtains and comfortable furniture, offers a warm setting in which newly arrived Mexican women may learn English and other important skills to help them adjust to a new environment.

Through a variety of educational programs, sponsored in part by United Way of Yakima County, some 400 women and children are assisted each year. "Often, these women have low confidence, are isolated and not assimilated into the new culture," observed Carole Folsom-Hill, executive director. "We see (our purpose) as empowerment and helping the women gain confidence. We want to help them to become leaders." La Casa Hogar has blossomed as a part of the Yakima Interfaith Coalition, a group formed in the late 1980s by some 30 faith communities to pool resources and assist the homeless and others in need of emergency economic resources.

"We're like a family in an old house with the flavor of a Mexican home," Folsom-Hill observed. "Most of our staff members are former participants in the program." Teaching new immigrants to help themselves is the beginning of a positive cycle, Folsom-Hill explained. The women then are better prepared to help their children and their entire families. All are asked to do something to assist around the facility. Some - like the La Casa Hogar staff members - go on to become mentors for other women.

Besides learning English, La Casa Hogar clients may take classes in GED preparation, computer literacy, preparation for a driver's permit test, child development and nutrition. While the Moms learn, children are cared for on the premises and given the opportunity to learn, too. "Often, these children have never been separated from Mom," Folsom-Hill noted, so the close proximity helps to put both children and parents more at ease. La Casa Hogar also serves as a "gateway" for cultural education for the entire community. Periodically, for example, Spanish classes will be offered to local businesses, organizations and community members.

It's interesting to note that, in Mexico, La Casa Hogar is a common name for an orphanage - a place for a new beginning, Folsom-Hill said. In our community, that same spirit of new beginnings and reaching out to those in need is alive and well at La Casa Hogar.

Source: Pillars Newsletter, Winter 2005 - United Way of Yakima County