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Intercultural Senior Center
5545 Center Street
www.interculturalseniorcenter.org
https://www.instagram.com/interculturalseniorcenter/ and https://www.facebook.com/interculturalseniorcenter
Carolina Padilla
Executive Director
carolinap@interculturalseniorcenter.org
+1 (402) 444-6529
Yes
ISC's staff executive team is Carolina Padilla (executive director), Sarah Gilbert (director of development), and Amie Wergin (director of operations). ISC is governed by a board of directors and the current board president is Shannon Peter
ISC is a 501(c)3 public charity. It is governed by a board of directors. The executive director is Carolina Padilla and the staff organization chart has been uploaded.
The Intercultural Senior Center (ISC) started in 2009 and became a 501(c) 3 public charity in 2010 with the initial goal of providing opportunities for learning, socialization, and nutritious lunch for older Latino adults. In 2013, ISC responded to a community need by actively welcoming older adults who came to Omaha as refugees. ISC purchased and renovated a 22,000-square foot facility (5545 Center Street, 68106) which opened in March 2019. ISC’s programs include daily lunch through the Eastern Nebraska Office on Aging, door-to-door van transportation, and the following: • Educational programs: English classes, Spanish conversation classes, literacy classes, citizenship classes, computer classes, civic engagement, music, arts and crafts, sewing, and cognitive enrichment activities • Health and wellness: daily exercise classes, walking club, gardening, workshops on health and nutrition, health screenings, dance • Onsite social services: case management, health care coordination, mental health support groups, a foot care clinic, and monthly food pantries ISC suspended in-person programming in mid-March 2020 and our COVID-19 response focused on food delivery and case management. ISC has continued food pantry delivery and mobile case management services even after re-opening to in-person services and activities in May 2021. ISC’s mission is to improve the dignity, quality of life and physical well-being of seniors from around the world through advocacy, education, access to social services, and cultural enrichment activities that benefit the entire community. We envision an Omaha that values the wisdom and experience of our diverse elders and creates opportunities for them to embrace and enhance our community. Within the 50+ age group we serve, our target audience includes those who are isolated due to pandemic conditions and who face additional barriers of mobility, poverty, or other conditions. ISC does special outreach to older adults who speak languages other than English. ISC is located in central Omaha and serves clients generally east of 132nd Street, including North Omaha, South Omaha, Council Bluffs, Bellevue, Papillion, La Vista, and Ralston. Approximately 75% are over the age of 65, and ISC clients come from over 20 countries. ISC is considered a leader in improving access to resources and community events for diverse older adults. Locally, ISC works with local colleges so students in the health professions can gain experience with diverse populations. Nationally, ISC’s recent accreditation from the National Council on Aging highlighted our “model program” for embracing diversity, and executive director Carolina Padilla was invited to speak on the topic at their national conference. ISC has been awarded ARPA funds for other projects, including $435,000 from Douglas County for mental health services and $80,000 through the United Way of the Midlands for food pantry services.
Transportation and Case management for Older Adults
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Combination of capital project and service/program
ISC is a senior center that provides activities, programs, and social services for older adults ages 50+, with a special focus on those who face barriers of language, culture, and transportation. This population has been disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, with continuing affects such as depression, isolation, hunger, and access to health care. This proposal will improve and expand transportation services for older adults living in North and South Omaha, and it will establish case management services for older adults in South Omaha. The goal of this project is to increase wellbeing, socialization, and access to services. ISC is requesting funding for three passenger vans to bring older adults living in Qualified Census tracts to our center for activities and services; one cargo van to deliver food pantries to Qualified Census tracts; and salaries for four drivers for these vehicles. This proposal also requests funding for a bilingual case worker to provide assistance to older adults in South Omaha. This case worker will take appointments in the SAVE Bus, a mobile workplace that can drive to clients’ homes or partner agencies for confidential appointments with clients. ISC will also identify and secure a satellite office in new South Omaha developments for case management appointments; we are in close contact with Canopy South staff on possible locations. We anticipate that this project will provide transportation services to 350 individuals and food pantry delivery to an additional 600 individuals. The vehicle purchases will happen upon receipt of grant funding and will replace aging, difficult-to-maintain vehicles in our fleet. One new driver position will be added to our current transportation team. Transportation and food pantry delivery are ongoing services of ISC and will begin immediately; the social worker assigned to South Omaha locations will also start immediately.
Vehicle purchase: Immediately upon confirmation of funding, based on local availability. Hire new additional driver: Immediately upon confirmation of funding Transportation and food pantry delivery: These are ongoing services of ISC Social worker (in SAVE Bus): Immediately upon confirmation of funding Social worker in satellite office in partner agency: Depending on partners’ availability and construction progress
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Fundamental Change (i.e., a proposal that will continue to elevate North or South Omaha's presence and perception within the region, significantly improving the lives of area residents through physical development)
Other Sustainable Community (i.e., create or enhance housing, services, education, civic uses, recreation, etc.)
Services for older adults
This proposal will improve and expand transportation services for older adults living in North and South Omaha, and it will establish case management services for older adults in South Omaha. Approximately 90% of ISC’s client base, both for in-person services and for food pantry delivery, live within the identified Qualified Census Tracts. This proposal improves and expands transportation services to older adults in these neighborhoods. The improvements will come with the purchase of new passenger and delivery vehicles to replace aging vehicles in our fleet. The expansion will come with the hiring of an additional driver. There is currently a waitlist to attend ISC, with participants who would like to attend more days each week but are unable to because of limited availability, and this proposal will allow for more frequent attendance. We anticipate that this project will provide transportation services to 350 individuals and food pantry delivery to an additional 600 individuals. The second part of this proposal is to establish the presence of a bilingual social worker who can provide case management services in South Omaha in the SAVE Bus, a mobile workspace that can be driven to clients’ homes or to partner agencies. This social worker can help resolve issues that older adults face, such as applying for benefits or accessing health care, with the goal of helping them live with greater independence and wellbeing. ISC will also work with Canopy South to find a more permanent, fixed location for an ISC social worker in South Omaha to work with clients there.
ISC’s proposal addresses the need for programs and services for older adults that recognize their strengths and that build upon existing community resources. ISC has long relied upon partnerships to serve older adults, not creating every services from scratch but instead focusing on increasing access to community resources through transportation, interpretation, and case management. ISC helps make diverse older adults more visible, enjoying the recreational, artistic, cultural, and other public offerings that make our community a great place to live. ISC’s work with older adults also helps support their families and caregivers. Many ISC participants, especially in South Omaha, live in three-generation households. Their participation at ISC helps relieve their families of the burdens of transportation, making and keeping medical appointments, and weekday lunches. At ISC they also stay more active, which can help prevent falls, maintain physical and cognitive abilities, and increase their connections to the world around them.
This proposal aligns with the strategic priority of LB1024 to alleviate the ongoing negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The effects of the pandemic continue to weigh heavily on older adults, who were disproportionately affected by isolation and the resulting mental and physical health issues, and this proposal will help address those needs among older adults.
This proposal creates one new permanent FTE. Further economic impact is created by helping working families and caregivers balance their jobs with taking care of their older relatives.
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The driver position at ISC pays $18.50 to $20.00 per hour.
This proposal helps increase independence and wellbeing for older adults, helping them maintain physical and cognitive activity. ISC helps older adults in two main ways: by resolving underlying issues through case management, and by providing a welcoming, culturally diverse, enriching environment for learning, exercise, and friendship.
We all benefit when older people are more active and visible in our communities. Intergenerational and intercultural relationships promote a sense of belonging in community. Older adults have skills and wisdom to share and deserve the dignity of enjoying our community resources. A universal truth is that we are all growing older, and at ISC we believe that communities are stronger and more sustainable when older adults are actively included.
When ISC received its national accreditation from the National Council on Aging, the reviewers’ reports noted that ISC is unusual among senior centers they have visited across the country, because of our commitment to actively welcoming older adults from around the world. We actively create spaces for diverse older adults to become friends, find commonalities, and share their hopes and stories.
Success with ISC participants can look different depending on their needs, but it always includes connection. This can be connection to community resources, such as government benefits or medical care. Connection can also be to other people, through participation in arts classes, conversation groups, or exercise. Often at ISC, we find that connection to resources can help alleviate issues so that connection to people becomes possible again. The intervention of case management can help clients and their families learn the skills they need to be more independent in the future. With skill-building combined with health education at ISC, we expect to see a more proactive approach to health care among clients, especially those new to the American system.
ISC regularly collects the following outputs: client participation, pantry delivery, case management statistics, demographics of clients. Pandemic conditions made ISC’s usual evaluation strategy more difficult but also presented an opportunity to rethink what we measure and why. Going forward, ISC will do more targeted assessment for participants receiving specific services, seeking to understand the immediate impact of food pantry and case management on clients’ lives. Those assessments are qualitative, which ISC uses with qualitative data gathered from case management notes, observations, and informal feedback with participants.
Yes
The Simple Foundation (case management referrals), Canopy South (host site of future office), Latino Center of the Midlands (referrals), OneWorld Community Health Centers (referrals and services), Immigrant Legal Center (referrals and services), Yates Illuminates (current collaboration for situating social worker in community agency, will launch in December 2022).
ISC has a signed lease with Yates Illuminates.
No
ISC is located at 5545 Center Street, Omaha NE. While ISC is neither within nor adjacent to the Qualified Census Tracts (QCT), approximately 90% of our clients live within the QCT's and this proposal would provide transportation and delivery services to them at their homes. Further, ISC's social worker on this project would deliver services with the QCT's in South Omaha.
Neither within or adjacent to the QCTs
ISC's budget outlines expenditures by year. The first year includes estimates for passenger vehicles and a cargo van, plus salaries and related compensation for three drivers and one social workers. Each subsequent year assumes a 4% cost of living increase. A standard 10% indirect cost fee is also included.
Funds will be used to purchase four vehicles at the beginning of the grant period (three 14-person passenger vans and one cargo van). Funding will also be used for driver salaries and related compensation (starting at $18.50/hour, and this proposal includes 4 drivers, one of which is a new position) and salary and related compensation for a bilingual social worker.
No
ISC will continue to provide transportation and case management services beyond the end date of this funding. ISC receives annual funding from a variety of sources, including the Eastern Nebraska Office on Aging, philanthropic grants, individuals, and businesses. Specific to the continuation of this proposal, ISC will continue to seek funds to support the transportation and case management teams to continue this work.
ISC has received a preliminary commitment from MAPA for $75,000 to support transportation services in 2023 or 2024. Much of ISC’s programmatic and operational funding is on an annual basis and will be secured throughout the project.
This proposal is scalable.
The vehicle purchases would serve to replace current vehicles in our fleet and could be phased in over time, although upgrading them immediately would help realize efficiencies in mileage and maintenance right away.
ISC is committed to continuing transportation and case management services in North and South Omaha and will dedicate operating funds to ensure the project is a success, including equipment, supplies, and the full transportation and case management teams to ensure that older adults receive the services they need.
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Organizational Chart Proposal Budget/Sources and Uses