Madrina-Padrino Public Safety Project
Local Partners: Los Angeles, California
Introduction
HAPCOA national staff conducted research followed by a site visit to Los Angeles, California (May 2-8) to consider law enforcement and Hispanic community-based organizations with whom to partner in order to implement the Madrina-Padrino Public Safety Project (MPPSP). After careful consideration, the following partners were selected: Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, Bienvenidos Family Services, Boys & Girls Clubs of East Los Angeles, and the Mexican American Opportunity Foundation.
Geographic Region
Although the Hispanic/Latino community spans the entire city of Los Angles and Los Angeles County, the Project will focus on a small geographic section of East Los Angeles. Its long history as a port of entry for Latinos, in addition to the existence of established, viable neighborhood associations within a sophisticated community-based organizational infrastructure, make East Los Angeles an ideal location for implementing the Project's goals and objectives. Moreover, as an unincorporated area of the county, it is within the jurisdiction of the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department and the California Highway Patrol. Most importantly, this geographic area allows for intermediaries within the selected CBOs and a small group of recently arrived immigrants to carry the Project's messages within and beyond the community's borders to targeted audiences and stakeholders and, as much as possible, the wider Hispanic/Latino community.
Individual Work of the LEO and CBOs
- Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department
The Lost Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD), led by Sheriff Leroy Baca, is the largest in the world and its mission is equally large in scope: to lead the fight in preventing crime and injustice; to enforce the law and defend the rights of all; and to partner with the community to promote safety. Their work is bolstered by a set of core values, including honor, integrity, respect and wisdom. To achieve its mission, LASD houses ten divisions, each headed by a division chief. These divisions include three Patrol divisions, Custody Operations, Correctional Services, Detective, Court Services, Technical Services, Office of Homeland Security, Administrative Services, and Leadership and Training. Additionally specialized services are offered that include Sheriff's Youth Foundation, International Liaison, and Employee Support Services.
- Bienvenidos Family Services
Bienvenidos Family Services, a private, nonprofit community-based organization headquartered in East Los Angeles, offers programs and services that honor the strengths of Latino families by building on a foundation of cultural pride and traditional values of "familia, respeto y dignidad." The more than 1,200 families served face daunting challenges both within and outside the family, including poverty, homelessness or crowded living conditions, social isolation, unemployment, lack of parental-child nurturing skills, teen parenthood, violence in the home, and fragile child health. Its Family Support Centers provide center- and home-based services; family preservation programs; and programs specifically designed for women, youth and men. Such diverse programming and its wide reach within the community make Bienvenidos an excellent choice for implementing the Project's public safety goals of increased seat belt and child safety seat use, and reduction of drinking and driving.
- Boys & Girls Clubs of East Los Angeles
The mission of the Boys & Girls Clubs of East Los Angeles is to inspire and enable all young people, especially those from disadvantaged circumstances, to realize their full potential as productive, responsible and caring citizens. Fulfilling this mission occurs through after-school and summer activities in recreation, education, peer leadership, computer technology, substance abuse prevention, physical fitness and the performing arts. Specifically, the Teen Center's educational and career development activities, and drug and alcohol prevention programs, allow youth between the ages of 13-18 to receive positive messages about public safety in the three target areas. Such a focus on youth and the adults who serve them provide an opportunity to expand the reach of the Project across generations. Moreover, Boys and Girls Clubs have enjoyed a long, fruitful history of strong relationships with law enforcement personnel who act as mentors and positive role models for youth and adults, which will assist the Project in meeting its goals.
- Mexican American Opportunity Foundation
The Mexican American Opportunity Foundation (MAOF) opened its doors to the general public, specifically to Mexican-American communities in six counties in California, in 1962. Its mission then and now continues to be a commitment to enabling people to achieve the "American Dream." More than a decade later, in 1973, MAOF began offering full-day, center-based childcare and developmental services for low-income working parents in East Los Angeles. It currently offers a number of programs, including Child Care and Development, Headstart, State Preschool and the Infants and Toddlers Program. With over thirty years of infant and child development experience and its intensive and resource-rich programming for families of infants and young children, MAOF has a solid reputation in the greater L.A. area that fits well with the Project's goals.
Benefits of Community Partnership
Although not a formal coalition, the three selected organizations have extensive experience in working jointly on various projects to strengthen the families of East Los Angeles. Moreover, each works in close geographic proximity in the community, brings a specific community focus and clientele to the Project, as well as a vast pool of human and material resources. In addition to deepening established relationships among themselves, the organizations selected for the MPPSP will benefit the community through enhanced levels of cooperation, partnering and outcomes. Finally, long-term development of trust, credibility and immediate name recognition within the community will extend more deeply into the East Los Angeles community.
For more information regarding the Madrina-Padrino Public Safety Project,
contact Catalina Bartlett, Project Manager, at Bartlett@hapcoa.org.