352
Heartland Workers Center
4923 South 24th Street Ste. 101, Omaha, NE 68107
https://www.heartlandworkerscenter.org/
https://www.instagram.com/heartlandworkerscenter/
Lina Traslaviña Stover
Executive Director
lina@heartlandworkerscenter.org
+1 (402) 933-6095
Yes
The HWC has current project team members which include: Heartland Workers Center (HWC) Executive Director, Lina Traslaviña Stover, PhD brings much experience and expertise to HWC. Her work is informed by various institutions and community-based groups with expertise in activating leaders from underrepresented communities. Her academic and professional work demonstrates a deep commitment to addressing inequality and social injustice. Dr. Stover has an extensive background in working with marginalized groups, garnering their passions and talents to build stronger communities. Before becoming the new ED for HWC, she was the Director of Undergraduate Admission at University of Nebraska at Omaha and worked with diverse campus stakeholders to develop strategies for enrolling a highly qualified and diverse student body. 2 HWC organizers that work full time at the HWC. They support program oversight and are directly engaged in program coordination activities including correspondence and coordination with project partners, participant recruitment, and coordination with program case managers regarding program participants from their geographic areas. Yshall Davis is the Organizer in North Omaha and will assist will program coordination for participants from that area, and Perla Ochoa, Nolvia Mendoza, and Elena Cisneros are the Organizers in South Omaha, who will all support program coordination for participants from South Omaha. 1 HWC Case Manager (to be hired) - This position will be responsible for meeting with participants on an ongoing basis throughout their time with the program; meetings will consist of action planning and strategizing next steps for obtaining necessary credentials and/or licenses for participants to practice their previous professional fields of interest. The Case Manager will coordinate with the OLLAS Faculty and Research Fellow to obtain necessary streamlined processes for participants depending on fields of interest. 1 OLLAS (Office of Latino/Latin American Studies) Faculty (HWC has plans to connect and to pay for the position’s time) 1 OLLAS Research Fellow (HWC has plans to connect and to pay for the position’s time) 5-10 Student Interns (to be hired by OLLAS Faculty; HWC has plans to pay for intern time spent researching different credential/licensure/degree obtaining processes)
Board Development: HWC has undergone unexpected and significant organizational and leadership changes in the past year. Despite the diversity that may accompany change, we have shown we are not going anywhere. Our resiliency to move forward united echoes throughout our halls, because we recognize it’s more about the people we serve and that the HWC mission must continue. In 2021, HWC recruited three new board members that were onboarded this year. The board spent a significant amount of time thinking strategically to ensure we attracted the right talent to help sustain our transition. They developed a board matrix to help determine what additional skillsets and/or diversity factors the organization lacks. A major priority of focus for the Board is strategic planning. HWC has started this process and plans to have a 3-year plan done by the end of September. New Leadership: HWC recruited Lina Traslaviña Stover as the new Executive Director. Dr. Stover has an extensive background in working with marginalized groups, garnering their passions and talents to build stronger communities. Since her recruitment, Lina has produced promising results for HWC and the communities it serves. She led the organization through an evaluation of programs and identified community-driven, evidence-based practices to integrate into HWC’s current service models for greater participant engagement, retention, and community impact, based on a culturally competent model that values existing forms of capital within communities. Staffing Adjustments: HWC is now outsourcing some of the responsibilities of the Senior Director of Operations to their current contractors Avalon Accounting and Fox Creek Fundraising. HWC is working to develop a dashboard for data management and building other transparency-based operational processes. Specific strategic plan goals include the reassessment of areas of greatest impact to determine effective programs and processes and narrow our focus on certain programs and areas of greatest impact to be more efficient with program dollars. To sustain operations and organizational impact, the HWC has restricted its programmatic focus areas to civic engagement, leadership development, and community organizing. Part of this assessment includes evaluating the use of organizer time and formalizing roles and responsibilities to maximize the efforts of our community organizers.
A major accomplishment includes the organization’s recent project to create a culture of equity, transparency, and trust. HWC consulted and worked with several experts third parties. One is Mission Matters, which was tasked to review the effectiveness of the leadership, governance, and operational procedures. Throughout this project, HWC employees participated in DEI training and created an employee group and Rules of Engagement to improve communication at all levels. The Employee Handbook was refreshed to reflect a DEI, trusting and inclusive work culture. Policies were re-hauled to increase employee trust like the Hiring internal Job Posting process, promoting from within and implementing a Hybrid work model. HWC is engaging in intensive training every two weeks. These trainings are focused on teaching organizers and other staff various ways of operationalizing cultural wealth in community organizing. HWC is using evidence-based tools and other best practices to enhance emotional and social intelligence competencies (self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management). Another focus is team development, including concepts of trust, conflict, commitment, accountability, and results. HWC restructured with the explicit intention of compressing its internal hierarchy and replacing it with a model that ensures a more equitable balance of power, putting the organization in an even stronger place to serve its communities in North and South Omaha as stated in this proposal. HWC’s new Executive Director brings her expertise as a Sociologist to draw from researched models, such as the cultural wealth model, to guide the development of programs and reinforce their alignment with HWC’s mission. HWC has always prioritized uplifting BIPOC communities, however, in using researched models, the organization is able to share the story of HWC efforts in a trusted and widely recognized way. The cultural wealth model outlines six forms of capital often present in communities and used to strengthen them: aspirational, navigational, linguistic, familial, resistance, and social. Informed by this model and other community experts, the HWC identified program adaptations to create a stronger connection with community members and activating them in civic engagement and community organizing. An example of this is the integration of HWC’s youth-focused activities in a community setting rather than solely academic. HWC is building connections with community members to create a core team for Young Nebraskans in Action (YNA). In addition to reaching youth in an academic setting, HWC is now going to reach youth who immediately enter the workforce following high school. As a reminder, HWC core teams are groups of identified leaders that convene periodically to work towards accomplishing a common goal. In having a core team available for YNA youth, HWC is filling a gap in youth access to leadership and community organizing opportunities, with a culturally competent lens, supporting whatever path is needed to accomplish their career goals. While this is not the focus of this proposal it does demonstrate the extent to which HWC supports leadership development for marginalized communities like North and South Omaha, setting individuals up for purposeful and sustainable employment opportunities. Regarding new program partnerships and pilot program work that will be relevant to the organization’s work in North and South Omaha, HWC is working with E-Creative, a brand strategy and Communications group, to create a social media program with targeted content for community education and activation. HWC is working with Coolspeak, a Youth Engagement Company, to support this type of work and build different campaigns that will broaden HWC reach and increase community engagement. Learning opportunities are everywhere and HWC is using this medium to educate the community more intentionally and consistently.
Heartland Workers Center Request for Funding for the Immigrant Re-Credential and Licensing Program
1598574.25
1398574.0
Service/program
HWC respectfully request funds for its “Immigrant Re-Credential and Licensing Program” for immigrant communities that have previous experience, credentials, licenses and/or degrees from their home country that do not transfer to the state of Nebraska. The program promotes growth of immigrant communities to create a more equitable professional landscape and build community capital. Participants 1) set credential/licensing goals via action plans, 2) become educated on relevant re-credential/licensure processes and various professional development paths that are possible from their newly gained credential/license status.
10/9/2022 Submit proposal for program funding. Month 1- Month 2 - Receive notification of funding and go through entity verification process. Month 3 – Month 4 - Put out official position posting and begin recruitment process for a program case manager from the North or South Omaha communities. This position will work directly with the HWC organizers from the North and South Omaha sites. Organizers will assist with program recruitment, referring individuals interested in program participation. Month 5 - Identify case manager candidate and offer the position. Complete all necessary position training and onboarding. Finalize program materials for printing and website uploading. Month 6 - Month 7 - Promote the program to the community by posting program materials publicly in the North and South Omaha Communities and through targeted recruitment by HWC North and South Omaha Community Organizers and Core Team Leaders. HWC organizers are full time staff members that provide oversight and support to Core Teams in their respective areas (Yshall Davis is the Organizer in North Omaha and Perla Ochoa, Nolvia Mendoza, and Elena Cisneros are the Organizers in South Omaha). Core Team leaders are community members recruited into HWC programming who have participated in leadership development programming and have taken leadership positions to lead their communities in community actions planning. If participants are recruited before the program start date, HWC will encourage Core Team engagement and participation in other HWC services supporting leadership development. Month 7 – Month 18 – Program launch and pilot period is completed. HWC’s goal is to engage a minimum of 100 community members per program year. HWC does not guarantee that all participants will have complete licensing requirements by the end of the grant period as individuals are encouraged to complete programming at a pace that is comfortable and does not disrupt their work, family, health or other personal life demands. Month 19 - Complete first program year-end evaluation and reporting for stakeholders and funders involved. Use program success and current program funding commitments as leveraging points for securing additional funding for the program. Month 19 – Month 30 – Completion of second program year. Month 30 - Complete second program year-end evaluation and reporting for stakeholders and funders involved. Use program success and current program funding commitments as leveraging points for securing additional funding for the program. SLFRF funds will be expended before December 31, 2026.
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Long-Lasting Economic Growth (i.e., a proposal that will foster gainful employment opportunities and financial investment in the area, leading to the creation of generational wealth and widespread economic vitality in North and South Omaha) Transformational (i.e., a proposal that will help energize, recharge, or spur significant and favorable advancements in North or South Omaha's function or appearance)
Sustainable Community (i.e., create or enhance housing, services, education, civic uses, recreation, etc.)
HWC respectfully request funds for its “Immigrant Re-Credential and Licensing Program” for immigrant communities that have previous experience, credentials, licenses and/or degrees from their home country that do not transfer to the state of Nebraska. The program promotes growth of immigrant communities to create a more equitable professional landscape and build community capital. Participants 1) set credential/licensing goals via action plans, 2) become educated on relevant re-credential/licensure processes and various professional development paths that are possible from their newly gained credential/license status. The program phases include: 1) Recruitment & Intake - Participant needs are identified, skills are assessed, and action plans are set in place, outlining finance, employment, academic, and/or other goals related to credentials and/or licenses previously obtained from their country of origin and of current interest here in Nebraska. HWC uses evidence-based recruitment practices that increase the probability of engaging with hidden and marginalized populations. 2) Case Management - The HWC Case Manager will meet with participants to create action plans that outline career goals, account for previous experience/credentials/licenses, and define clear steps to obtain necessary credentials and/or licenses to pursue those career paths here in Nebraska. 3) Leadership Education - HWC recently implemented an evidence-based, 10 module multicultural curriculum (Family Leadership Institute) that educates immigrants on how to navigate and success in our current academic and professional systems. Author, Consuelo Castillo Kickbusch, comes from an immigrant background and preaches about overcoming barriers of poverty, discrimination, and illiteracy to be an effective leader in today’s global marketplace. The curriculum has been successful with immigrant communities because it engages not just individuals but entire families. This curriculum will be offered to participants alongside case management to help them confirm and/or adapt their career goals so that they are guided to more purposeful employment opportunities that align with their interests. 3) Follow-up Services - HWC follows up with participants’ regularly throughout the case management process to ensure they are properly supported throughout every step of the career obtainment process (even beyond securing the necessary credentials/licensing). HWC also offers support services and referrals that allow participants to fulfill their action plan goals. These services are modified to fit each participant’s expressed needs and include financial literacy education sessions, ESL Classes, and preparation for the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) Exam.
Many immigrants face barriers to obtaining postsecondary credentials and/or licenses with more than 60% of those immigrants facing limited English proficiency, and almost one-third lacking authorization to work (Friedman, 2018). This proposal fills a gap in services for immigrants 1) from the North and South Omaha communities, 2) authorized to work in the state of Nebraska, and 3) experiencing various barriers to employment and/or unemployment due to complex/strict licensing and re-credentialing processes related to their field (from their home country), inability to gain relevant work experience in the U.S., and/or limited English language proficiency (Friedman, 2018). This proposed project directly aligns with the findings from the Visioning Workshop Summary regarding the leveraging of current residents’ entrepreneurial skills and education to support the promotion of additional economic activity. Research supports that immigrants employed in credentialed and licensed positions provide positive labor-market returns due to increased labor-force participation, higher incomes, and decreased unemployment than their counterparts who lack those credentials/licenses (Batalova and Fix, 2019). However, the initial process of finding information related to the requirements for licensing is difficult for those untrained on how or where to learn that information. Findings across the literature support that detailed information relating to re-credentialing/licensing processes is rarely consolidated in one easily accessible place, therefore, seeking it out can be unclear for immigrants who may have limited English proficiency and/or may be unfamiliar with our systems (Friedman, 2018).
This proposal aligns with and addresses the following strategic priorities outlined within LB1024: (2) The social and economic challenges caused and exacerbated by the COVID-19 public health emergency include high unemployment, wage decreases, increased homelessness, and food insecurity; (3) The impact of the COVID-19 public health emergency and related challenges were disproportionately felt in low-income and minority communities such as North Omaha and South Omaha. HWC prioritizes uplifting BIPOC communities and enhancing the six forms of capital as described by the cultural wealth model: aspirational, navigational, linguistic, familial, resistance, and social. The entirety of our staff are members of the groups we serve (100% immigrants or underrepresented; 95% foreign born; 5% are native born), facilitating the integration of their experiences with our constituents’ histories. The organizers establish a consistent presence in the geographic areas of focus, meeting regularly with community, and establish trust critical to performing this type of work with immigrants and underrepresented groups. Program participants are majority BIPOC (63% LatinX; 34% Black/African American; 2% Unknown; 1% White) and of low income background. HWC also involves the voices of these communities. HWC allows members to define issues and solutions that affect them. Curriculum Development is always informed by immigrants and other underrepresented groups. They not only inform programming for their geographic areas by meeting regularly with communities they serve, but they also establish trust critical to performing this type of work with immigrants.
It is anticipated that the HWC will provide 13 immediate jobs in response to this funding and long-term, connect at least 70% of program participants over the 2-year project period (140 individuals) with employment connected to their previous fields of expertise.
13
0
$15-$20/Hour for interns (10 interns) $60,000 HWC Case Worker (1) $160,000 OLLAS Faculty 160K (1) $80,000 OLLAS Research Fellow (1)
The HWC will directly provide job opportunities to immigrants with credentials and/or licensing from their home countries seeking to re-credential and/or gain licensing within Nebraska. HWC will hire one case worker, and possibly two after the first couple of years depending on initial demand. This service is a combination of research and delivery of action plans. HWC expects that all necessary research related to the job will be completed by the newly hired position (expected to have knowledge and expertise in case management). This may potentially be a full time Research Fellow at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Case workers will likely lean into intern support for the research of credentialing. The success of the program in terms of job creation exists in the how the HWC operationalizes community development.
The current proposal will benefit immigrant communities by building their community capital. Participants set goals and outline action plans, 2) become educated on various paths to purposeful employment and community impact alongside the support of a Core Team, 3) identify paths to desired careers through obtaining credentials/licenses, and 4) participate in services that support their action plans in meeting career goals. Skilled immigrants in the North and South Omaha communities who face barriers when seeking re-credentialing and/or licensing while attempting to gain employment will have opportunities to: Improve their English language proficiency Learn about and gain expert guidance on navigating the complex processes for different credential/licensing requirements in Nebraska Receive financial assistance throughout the credential/licensing process in the form of Licensing Fee/Credential Fee/Testing Fee stipends.
This proposal contributes to community sustainability as it provides immigrant communities with the education and tools needed to identify purposeful and sustaining career paths and helps them outline action plans that will support employment attainment and fulfillment (immediately and long-term). HWC is not just creating competitive wage/salaried jobs for individuals from North and South Omaha but is also investing in programmatic activities that support these community members’ long-term self-sufficiency and professional growth to create a more equitable professional landscape here in Omaha.
HWC uses various evidence-based, community derived methods and best practices with its Grassroots Community Organizing model as the foundation for all programmatic work. This evidence-based model uses snowball sampling through which current participants identify other community members within their networks. This approach increases the probability of engaging with hidden and marginalized populations. The model identifies community strengths, maps assets, creates task-oriented groups, and develops action plans. HWC uses community organizing principles that are successful in activating community change and follows a cultural wealth model (see attached infographic). These models help HWC sustain trusting relationships with community leaders, build leadership capacity, engage local government and stakeholders, and establish collaborative structures that ensure strategies for change are implemented.
Outcomes to be measured include: Participant Knowledge gained on re-credential and/or licensing processes in Nebraska. Participant credential/license status (did they start the process? Did they get the credential/license? Did they discover another credential/license more suited for their skillsets?) Long term: interviews gained in position/career of interest specific to the credential/license gained; job secured in position/career of interest specific to the credential/license gained.
In addition to the outcomes stated above, the HWC tracks the number of participants involved in each phase of programming, 1:1 meetings, training sessions, ESL graduates, financial literacy classes, among other data. HWC conducts pre- and post-intervention evaluations with surveys and interviews. Pre-intervention, HWC tracks the various barriers faced by participants in employment and professional development. Post-intervention, HWC follows up with participants using interviews, surveys, and staff internal documentation to track participants’ progress on goals. With the recently implemented multicultural curriculum under the Family Leadership Institute (https://www.easleadership.com/programs/family-leadership-institute/), HWC will follow its built-in evaluation system so that data collected can contribute to a repository of information and best practices for activating leaders in immigrant communities. HWC will measure progress and avoid any duplication of efforts by using an existing system and comparing HWC participant data to other population datasets documented in the literature. For HWC, at the core of program evaluation and measurement of success is the understanding that success is determined by the communities we serve. We are not here to tell them what community issues they face, what barriers they encounter daily, and most definitely not when or how they have been successful. However, we can track our organization’s success in supporting communities in meeting their goals, guiding community-led change, and empowering participants to be leaders and advocates for their communities beyond the involvement of our organization. HWC ensures it’s data is anti-racist by taking necessary steps to ensure data collection tools are unbiased, culturally sensitive, and interpretable by all education levels. A best practice implemented by the HWC is to form interview guides and surveys that can be understood with a 4th grade literacy level; however, this has been, and can always be adjusted as the HWC is constantly re-evaluating its audience including language, education level, cultural background, etc. In addition to literacy level, the HWC also ensures that the type of data collected, and the measures used to track success are valid and reliable specific to the group being evaluated. HWC modifies evidence-based tools and evaluation best practices with members of their team who represent the communities they serve. These community experts help the organization refine evaluation methods to account for our communities’ primary languages, cultural backgrounds, education levels, lifestyle barriers, and standards of success.
Collecting data in this manner and streamlining data evaluation with current partners at the University of Nebraska at Omaha and other major partners through the Family Leadership Institute opens the door for HWC to receive funding through these institutions for academic, community-based research and for reimbursement via student internship opportunities. Current HWC funders have major commitments to HWC’s educational programming and are looking to help the organization build leadership capacity through these expanded program opportunities.
Yes
HWC partners with many different organizations that are led by immigrant and underrepresented communities. HWC works with a variety of nonprofit organizations, local employers, churches, businesses, unions, and labor organizations including Canopy South, Immigrant Legal Center, Nebraska Appleseed, and the Nebraska Civic Engagement Table. Within these organizations, grassroots leaders have a seat at the table and are involved with leadership and are at the forefront of leading socio-economic movements. We work with our partner organizations on state policy and advocacy, as well as immigrant rights. Specific to this proposal, planned partnerships include both the Metropolitan Community College and the English as a Second Language at UNO to build pipelines to their English as a second language programs.
No MOUs have been formalized with target program partners.
No
The proposed project will take place in the HWC home office location at 4923 South 24th Street Ste. 101, Omaha, NE 68107.
Within one or more QCTs
No
No
No
Yes
No
N/A. A capital project and constructions costs are not associated with this proposal.
No
The HWC operates with funding that is limited to its current programs which do not include the project outlined within this proposal. Over the past couple of years, post-COVID outbreak, HWC has noticed a trend of declining employment situations for immigrants in Omaha. When compounded with outrageous inflation rates and a shifting political climate, immigrants are facing poorer health outcomes. Under new leadership, the HWC has been collaborating with community stakeholders, community members, and other grassroots organizations to brainstorm ways of addressing this employment/income gap negatively affecting immigrant communities. There is an even more significant need to match skilled immigrants with jobs that provide purpose and greater security in the current economy. The HWC is requesting two-year funding to allow for sufficient time to 1) make it through the program pilot period, 2) guarantee that all initial program participants are supported consistently throughout an often-lengthy re-credential/licensing process, and 3) secure additional funders and implement other revenue generating practices that will support the program long-term.
HWC will use LB1024 funding to support all direct costs associated with the “Immigrant Re-Credential and Licensing Program” for immigrant communities that have previous experience, credentials, licenses and/or degrees from their home country that do not transfer to the state of Nebraska. Funding will cover the costs of all positions outlined within the attached project budget in addition to costs associated with credential/licensing/testing fees for program participants. Please see the attached project budget for more detailed information.
Yes
Following this initial investment, the program is expected to continue without reliance on individual funders as the HWC is working to leverage current funding to expand partnership and engagement of other financial supporters. The new Executive Director has had a strong initial and ongoing outreach to current funders and supporters, completing over 25 meetings with current, previous, and prospective funders since her onboarding in April. HWC has been prioritizing strengthening of its relationships with funders and transparent communication regarding organizational shifts and plans. HWC has also been following a funder meeting schedule. This is critical as the HWC has undergone a significant amount of growth that dramatically shifted program content and narrative previously shared with funders. HWC has also added more government grant applications to its fund development pipeline, supporting funding diversification. If awarded, these opportunities will help HWC gain visibility, partnerships, resources, and the opportunity to undergo stringent requirements often associated with these types of grants. This will encourage program clarification, stronger evaluation practices, and consistent reporting which will improve the replicable nature of HWC’s programs.
HWC has secured funding to deliver its leadership curriculum, however, no funding has been secured for the positions required to fulfill the case management portion of the credential/licensing program (1 case manager, 1 OLLAS Faculty, 1 OLLAS Research Fellow, and supporting interns). Sherwood Foundation is currently supporting HWC programming with $100,000 for 2022-2023 which covers the cost of the leadership curriculum. Sherwood Foundation has been a consistent funder of the HWC for over 5 years now. Other pending applications are to: Mutual of Omaha - $10,000 First National Bank of Omaha - $35,000 James C. Semerad Foundation - $10,000 Mammel Foundation - $25,000
Mutual of Omaha - $10,000 (expected decision date by end of November in 2022) First National Bank of Omaha - $35,000 (expected decision date by end of October 2022) James C. Semerad Foundation - $10,000 (expected decision date by end of October 2022) Mammel Foundation - $25,000 (expected decision date in November 2022)
The proposal cannot continue without the funds to hire essential personnel (an HWC program case manager, OLLAS Faculty, and OLLAS Research Fellow) and without funds to cover participant credential/license fees and testing expenses $415,000 total needed for year 1 $427,450 total needed for year 2
The project is scalable and can be completed in smaller components.
The project is scalable and can be completed without hiring student interns and without full funding for credential/licensure fees. HWC can modify fee reimbursements to provide lighter support in that area. The program still offers significant value to immigrants seeking information about how to become licensed and or re-credential within the state of Nebraska.
The HWC only has funding secured from the Sherwood Foundation ($100,000) as outlined above.
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Organizational Chart Proposal Budget/Sources and Uses