Milestones

Congreso de Latinos Unidos: A Multicultural Agency

1.         "A Vision of Empowerment"         

In 1977, local Puerto Rican activists concerned with the social and economic conditions of Philadelphia's growing Latino community founded Congreso de Latinos Unidos.   

2.         "Saying Yes to Life, No to Drugs"

In 1979, the City of Philadelphia awarded Congreso a $15,000 grant to provide bilingual drug and alcohol counseling.   Today, these services impact more than 200 substance abusers each year.   

3.          "HIV/AIDS: Prevention and Support"

Launched in 1988, Programa Esfuerzo shifted the focus from intervention to prevention by emphasizing HIV awareness and understanding.   Nearly 10,000 HIV positive and at-risk individuals are served annually through this program.   

4         "Ken I. Trujillo: A New Kind of Leadership"

In 1990, Congreso welcomed Ken I. Trujillo to its Board of Directors.   His vision moved Congreso from a small, local non-profit serving the Latino population of North Philadelphia to one of the city's largest and most respected private social service agencies.

5         "Congreso Cares"

Launched in 1992, the "Mommy Cares Program," provided maternal and child health services, including education and home visits, to low-income and expectant mothers.    

6         "Congreso's Transformation under Alba Martinez"

Named Executive Director in 1992, Alba Martinez merged business acumen and savvy fundraising with community-based activism to lead Congreso through an unprecedented period of growth and national recognition.     

7         "Bringing it all Together"

In 1994, growing in both size and influence, Congreso consolidated programs and moved to a premiere social service venue at 719 West Girard Avenue.   

8         "Because Freedom from Fear is Everybody's Right"

In 1994, amid growing concern over the domestic abuse and mistreatment of women in the city's Hispanic communities, Congreso created the Latina Domestic Violence Program (LDVP), the first in Pennsylvania focused on Latinas.

9         "Growing with its People"

To meet increasing needs for a variety of social services, Congreso created three new centers in 1994: the Julia de Burgos Family Center; the Women's Community Center; and the Latino Community Learning Center.   

10         "Restructuring"

A 1997 strategic restructuring program consolidated the agency's collective expertise and integrated core services.   The resulting divisions of Children, Youth and Families; Health Promotion and Wellness; and Workforce Development became more manageable and efficient.   

11         "Congreso Leads the Way from Welfare-to-Work"

An increase in the number of Latino welfare recipients and a shortage of jobs led to Congreso's Temporary Assistance to Needy Families Program (TANF) in 1997.   This program was later replicated throughout the State.   

12          "Working for the Workforce"

In 1999, Congreso, along with government and private organizations, created the Latino Workforce Development Taskforce to increase sustainable employment opportunities and to facilitate higher employment rates for the Latino population.

13         "Responding to the Times"

Congreso was awarded the first-ever planning grant for the creation of a Girl's Treatment Center in 1999.   The Center provided comprehensive, project-based education and outpatient mental health services to adjudicated girls.

14         "Congreso en Acción"

In 1999, Congreso took to the Spanish-language radio airwaves to educate the Latino Community on numerous topics, including family violence, drugs and alcohol, education, health and employment opportunities.    

15         "Responding to Youth in Need"

In 2000, Congreso split the Children, Youth and Families Division into the two divisions of Neighborhood and Family Development and Children and Youth Services.   This split allows for more effective services to children.   

16          "Addressing Growing Needs"

In 2000, Congreso created the Division of Behavioral Health Services in response to the increasing need for drug and alcohol prevention and counseling programs for Latino adults and adolescents.

17         "Growing in Size and Influence"

In 2000, the Hispanic Business Magazine's Nonprofit 25 recognized Congreso as the 12th largest non-profit Community-Based Organization in the country.   

18          "A Leap of Faith-- Launching the Capital Campaign"

Despite negative results of a feasibility study, Congreso intensified fundraising efforts and, in June 2001, the Capital Campaign successfully raised $6.5 million for a new facility.

19         "A Latino Explosion"

Further evidence of Philadelphia's growing Latino population was realized when the Census 2000 results were released in June, 2001.   The nearly 129,000 Philadelphia Latinos comprised approximately 8.5 % of the city's population.  The Philadelphia Inquirer has estimated the population to be over 160,000.  Since then, Congreso has built a strong capacity around data collection, statistics, outcomes and evaluation.

20        "Technologically Sound"

Upon completion of the capital campaign for its new headquarters in 2001, Congreso launched a second fundraising effort resulting in a $1 Million technology grant from the City of Philadelphia and several other private sources. This grant enabled the agency to equip its new facility with state-of-the-art technology for staff and clients, thus helping to close the digital divide for the community.

21          "Working for Mental Health"

In 2001, Congreso received its first mental health license and began to increase the awareness, access, and quality of mental health services that are linguistically and culturally competent to Latinos.   

22        "A New Era in HIV/AIDS Services"

In autumn 2001, Congreso unified all HIV/AIDS programming into one department known as Programa Esfuerzo.   In May 2002, Esfuerzo was relocated to a spacious and technologically advanced facility at 166 West Lehigh Avenue.   

23         "Congreso Comes Home"

Congreso officially opened the doors to the "Family and Workforce Development Center" on Friday, January 25, 2002.   Located in the heart of North Philadelphia, the new headquarters is a one-stop-shop for social services and a new landmark facility in the community.   

24         "A Beacon of Light in North Philadelphia"

In June 2002, Congreso was awarded a city-funded Beacon program at the Julia de Burgos School.   The Beacon offers a comprehensive approach to prevention and intervention services on the individual, family, and community levels.   

25          "Celebrating 25 Years of an Ever-Widening Circle of Friends"   

From its humble beginnings in 1977, to a multicultural staff of over 300 people comprising 40 programs in 2002, Congreso continues to expand its ever-widening circle of friends.