Our Humble Roots
About Us
El Programa Hispano’s humble roots began in 1982, when a small group of outreach workers from Catholic Family Services, now Catholic Charities of Oregon (CCO), began to provide services to Latine migrant farmworkers in East Multnomah County.
In the 1990s, El Programa Hispano Catolico (EPHC) expanded to meet the pressing needs of the fast-growing Latine community by connecting them to adequate housing, food security, healthcare resources, legal services, translation assistance, and domestic violence prevention and education.
In 1995, EPHC hired its first domestic violence advocate, marking the beginning of UNICA, Oregon’s first fully bi-lingual and bi-cultural response and prevention program for survivors of domestic and sexual violence. At this point, El Programa Hispano established itself as a trusted place for domestic violence survivors seeking refuge.
As the demographics in Oregon changed and the Latine population quickly grew, so did their needs. EPHC has continued to respond to those needs by developing additional programs and critical services. As we grew larger, it made sense to become our own independent organization and be governed by a board of directors and leadership staff that reflect the people we serve.
In 2015, with the support of CCO, El Programa Hispano became an independent 501(c)3 organization and was renamed El Programa Hispano Catolico (EPHC) with a mission to “Advance racial equity and social justice through the power of our Latine roots, culture and community.”
Today, we serve about 32,000 individuals annually through our Economic Sustainability, Education, Community Wellness, and Domestic Violence and Sexual Violence Survivor Support Programs. Our vision is a thriving Latine Community living to our fullest potential.
Our Mission
To advance racial equity and social justice through the power of our Latine roots, culture, and community.
Our Vision
We envision a thriving Latine community living to their fullest potential.
Our Values
Inclusivity
Collaboration
Empowerment
Social Justice
Ethical & Transparent
Past & Present
Our Story
1982
El Programa Hispano began as part of Catholic Family Services, one of the agencies that later merged to become Catholic Charities. We started with a single outreach worker to help support and empower Latine farm-workers.
1986
Our work expanded as the years went by and we witnessed Catholic Charities provide support to the 200,000+ immigrants who qualified for amnesty under the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986.
1990
We expanded as a direct response to the community's most pressing needs and aspirations. El Programa Hispano worked closely with our participants to meet migrant farm workers’ basic needs such as food, housing, healthcare, and advocacy.
1991
El Programa was serving 300-400 people per month during the fall and winter, and 700 people per month in the summers. We had developed new services to meet the needs of our growing community, these services included translation assistance, driver’s education, camp medical clinics, and legal assistance.
1995
By this time, as an established agency trusted by the Latine community, El Programa saw increased numbers of domestic violence survivors seeking refuge at our offices, service locations, and even parking lot. In 1995, we hired our first domestic violence advocate. This marked the beginning of UNICA, Oregon’s first fully bi-lingual and bi-cultural response and prevention program for survivors of domestic and sexual violence. Today UNICA has close to 20 staff members, family education programs, and Oregon’s only 24-hour bilingual and bicultural emergency hot-line.
2015
En 2015, con el apoyo de CCO, El Programa Hispano se convirtió en una organización 501(c)3 independiente y pasó a llamarse El Programa Hispano Católico (EPHC). Los miembros de nuestro consejo fundador establecieron la misión de " Avanzar la equidad racial y la justicia social a través del poder de nuestras raíces, cultura y comunidad". Y una visión de “Una comunidad latina próspera que viva nuestro máximo potencial”. Tras la separación, EPHC se convirtió en miembro de la red Catholic Charities y firmó un acuerdo para que CCO proporcionara servicios administrativos para respaldar sus operaciones mientras se convertía en una organización independiente registrada 501(c)3. En el momento de la separación, EPHC gestionaba un presupuesto operativo de $5 millones de dólares para varios programas y servicios y una plantilla de 55 miembros.
2016
En 2016, EPHC comenzó a transferir la propiedad de todos los contratos de CCO a EPHC con contratos federales, estatales, municipales y del condado. También amplió sus servicios para ofrecer servicios de apoyo a la vivienda en el condado de Multnomah.
2018-2023
Entre el 2018 y el 2023, EPHC ha estado estableciendo sus servicios administrativos, incluyendo Finanzas, Desarrollo Económico, Comunicaciones, Recursos Humanos, Beneficios y Seguros, Tecnología de la Información, Instalaciones y Garantía de Calidad.
También ha ampliado su capacidad organizativa y estructura de liderazgo para servir mejor a nuestra comunidad. Implementación de puestos a nivel de Directivo para apoyar el liderazgo de los gerentes y la supervisión de contratos gubernamentales y subsidios de fundaciones.
En los últimos 5 años, EPHC ha experimentado un crecimiento significativo con un crecimiento del 55% en su presupuesto operativo y un crecimiento del 61% en el número de miembros de la comunidad a quienes sirve. Además de crecer de 65 miembros del personal a 110.
