Housing Department
The Spanish Action League Housing Program is designed to meet the many needs of the Latino community in the area of housing. The purpose of the housing unit is to work with the Latino population and provide for the further development of housing supportive services to our clients. Our mission is to provide housing services to low to moderate income families and individuals the majority of whom are Latinos. We will assist them to find decent and affordable housing and to remain in this housing through direct outreach or referrals.
The program provides an array of services such as:
- Referrals and general information
- Counseling
- Negotiations with landlords
- Relocation assistance
- Utility access assistance
- Conciliation agreements/evictions prevention
- Housing court assistance interpretation/translation
- Rent subsidy applications
- Workshops
- First Time Home Ownership Course
- Homeless assistance support
The Spanish Action League strongly believes that families/individuals must be supported and encouraged to strive for independence and economic self-sufficiency. Our years of experience demonstrate the importance of utilizing the best practice of strengthening people to work toward self-sufficiency rather than creating dependence on outside institutions. Our agency comprehends the causes of despair and disempowerment among people as rooted in discrimination, alienation upon arrival in a foreign country and culture, and lack of confidence in resolving their own problems. Families/individuals are confronting a new reality including a new language, new systems, new laws, and even new weather in some cases.
The Housing Program addresses these issues by building confidence and encouraging families/individuals to learn how to deal with their daily interactions with housing agencies and providers. Our overall approach to resolving housing needs is to provide support to empower and educate families/individuals to resolve their own needs. In our 40 years of service to the community, we have seen people who have learned to do so. These clearly are the long-term outcomes of our program. In order to prevent recurring housing problems, we work to address discrimination, build trust and relationships with landlords and other neighbors.
Collaboration and Cooperation:
The Spanish Action League of Onondaga County, Inc. is well known in throughout the City of Syracuse and Onondaga County, as well as in many cities across New York State. The agency’s reputation is well known to other housing agencies and service providers.
The Housing Program works cooperatively and receives referrals from other agencies such as: Home Headquarters, Syracuse United Neighbors, Arise Inc., SHA, ENIP, and many more. We also have established or are in the process of establishing working relationships with local banks and real estate brokers. Local neighborhood churches, including the bilingual congregations of Church of God in New York Inc., South Presbyterian Church, Iglesia Hispano Americana and St. Lucy’s Catholic Church, make referrals of persons in need of our services. Their members participate in our educational activities and are always willing to assist in any way possible.
Our agency has developed a network of positive relationships with reputable and reliable area landlords. The majority of these landlords understand the situation that neighborhood residents are facing and are willing to assist families/individuals with their housing issues.
The Spanish Action League’s Housing Program has collaborative relationships with the city of Syracuse through our CDBG grants and with National Council of La Raza, based in Washington, D.C.
For more information on the Housing program please contact Ingrid Pineda-Rogmans, Lucy Lopez, or Edwin Rodriguez at (315) 475-6153.
