HSAC Forum Report 091599 - Laserfiche WebLink

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I)ACKGKOUND The purpose of the 1999 Human Services Advisory Commission (HSAC) forum is best expressed by its title, "Building'Confianza': Developing Trust and Improving Access to Service for the Hispanic/Latino Community in Orange County." "Confianza," a Spanish word, means to have confidence in, or to be familiar with someone or something. Language and access basTiers, and insufficient knowledge of available resources combine to leave the community underserved. Local public and non - profit human services providers need new tools to effectively assist the rapidly expanding I[ spanic/Latino community. The HSAC also assesses and evaluates information from each year's forum on behalf of the Orange County Board of Commissioners. Close to 130 government employees, human services providers, and community leaders attended the forum, despite the approach of Hurricane Floyd on September 15. OVr.KVIr-W The various participants of "Building'Confianza"' were welcomed by Orange County Commissioner Barry Jacobs. He stressed the necessity for the county to assess and address the needs of the Hispanic/Latino community including such steps as providing bilingual staff and changing the county's hiring policies. Martha OlayarCrowley, Chao of the Governor's Advisory Council on Hispanic/Latino Affairs, made the first presentation of the morning session on the demographics of the Hispanic/Latino community in the United States, North Carolina, and Orange County. She initially described the importance of the Hispanic/Latino community to North Carolina. The state imports farm labor in particular from Mexico, and Central and South America to support its number one industry: agriculture. Although family is the core of the Hispanic/Latino community and many of the new residents of North Carolina moved in order to provide a better life for their families, much of the population continues to "In North Carolina, Latinos generally fall into four socio- economic subgroups: 1. Military personnel 2. Professionals, affiliated with major corporations and universities. 3. Craftsmen or skilled tradesmen who work in the construction, furniture manufacturing, and food industries. 4. Migrant farmworkers who come to work in agriculture." -from handout, "Latino Population in North Carolina " be very poor. The community continues to have the lowest rates of health insurance and home ownership while paying high rent for substandard housing.