HCCM

Business Training and Technical Assistance helps Latino entrepreneurs and small business owners start and expand businesses that create jobs. The program provides individualized counseling, access to capital lending programs, group workshops and a bilingual online training series in the areas of finances, banking, budgeting, credit, business start-up, legal, consumer advocacy, marketing/e-business, accounting, human resources, advertising, franchise opportunities and others. 2010 accomplishments: • The HCCM assisted 33 Latino business start-ups or expansions that created more than 60 new jobs. • Bilingual online training series served 83 independent learners (37 in English and 46 in Spanish). • Four business training and technical assistance workshops served 62 individuals. • The HCCM’s website, www.hispanicmn.org, received more 989,000 hits from nearly 10,000 visitors. Emerging Leaders - Minnesota Latinos: 20 on the Rise and La BECA (scholarships): “20 on the Rise” Fifth Annual Awards Program recognizes and promotes 20 emerging Latino leaders and role models under forty who work in a variety of fields and professions and who also contribute their time to the community. La Beca program awards four $1,000.00 Scholarships to a Latino/a college junior or senior annually. Our focus on this scholarship program is to help out with the last two years when many of our students quit due to finances. • 146 Latinos have received Riser Recognition • Leaders Program to provide Civic and other opportunities to Risers • Risers are role models for our entire community • $12,000 has been awarded in scholarships Individualized Financial Literacy and Home Ownership Counseling The HCCM’s home ownership counseling includes an intake process, assessment, the development of a work plan, and ongoing periodic meetings to monitor progress. Following the initial assessment, issues are identified that the individual must address and the work plan is developed. It encompasses credit establishment/repair, budgetary issues and other items such as referrals for compliance issues such as tax returns, etc. On average, counselors meet with individuals over a period of 12 months. Financial Literacy Workshops Are delivered using our online financial literacy curriculum for individualized and group trainings. The curriculum includes 6 training modules: 1) Introduction to banking, 2) Products, Tools and Resources, 3) Defining Credit, 4) Loans, 5) Budgeting Basics, and 6) The Power of Investing. It can be done in workshop settings or can be accessed online from the HCCM’s website. These workshops complement our home ownership counseling as we cross-refer individuals between the two. In 2011, the HCCM will provide 8 financial literacy workshops that serve 90 to 110 households. Informational Mini-Sessions Working with employers, the HCCM delivers short outreach/informational sessions to Latino employees. These sessions will be delivered onsite at the workplace during lunch or break times, or before or after shifts. The informational sessions provide a brief overview of homeownership, local resources, and referrals for additional services. The sessions are about 60 to 90 minutes in length. Foreclosure Prevention: Each workshop totals 8 hours of coursework and is presented in either two 4-hour sessions or a full-day session. Information about the Foreclosure process, understanding your rights, alternatives and budgeting, community resource for additional help, government programs, etc. Free tax preparation for qualifying families. Careers Pipeline and Workforce Development - The Latina Development Project will serve to strengthen the future career and professional outlook among Latina's in the twin cities and the state of Minnesota. Latina participation in the workforce is a deterrent to the cycle of poverty, as it also serves as a deterrent to high rates of teen pregnancy and high school dropout among young Latina girls. The LD project, as with all HCCM's programs, was created out of an emerging critical need of the local Latino community. This project strives to help young Latinas make the paradigm shift -into Minnesota's future workforce of living wage skilled careers and professions. • The HCCM Latina youth Conference (hosted by Mall of AMerica) plans to enroll 300 Latina students from area High Schools • Mentoring Partnerships: include use of products and staff from Minnesota Mentoring Partnership and the Qwest Foundation. Application has been exclusively within our Latina Development Program. • Expose girls to observation of real work in their areas of interest through job shadowing • Create a format for girls to research and document educational needs for their career(s) of interest.