About The Event
An Immigrant Crisis Hidden in Plain Sight
How families are affected, how you can help
Featuring Caly Fernandez, Executive Director, House of Love and Justice, McAllen, Texas
An estimated half a million people live in over 2,000 colonias in Texas. The House of Love and Justice focuses its work on Hidalgo County which contains 950 colonias housing over 150,000 people.
Colonias are economically distressed, unregulated residential neighborhoods located in unincorporated areas near the Texas-Mexico border. Many lack potable water, paved roads, adequate drainage, trash pick-up, street lighting, and sewage disposal.
Residents of colonias are often called the forgotten Americans. They experience dramatic inequities in health outcomes, income, and wages and are vulnerable to natural disasters as well as to communicable diseases such as cholera, dysentery, hepatitis A and typhoid.
Developers created colonias by subdividing cheap, flood-prone, rural land in unincorporated areas into small lots that were sold to low-income immigrant families looking for affordable housing.
Come to Forest Hill Church and discover how The House of Love and Justice makes a difference for residents of five colonias by distributing fresh food, improving health outcomes, strengthening families, encouraging recycling, expanding awareness of legal rights, and lessening fear of ICE. Hear wonderful, positive stories of resilience, mostly led by women doing incredible work. Learn how you can help.
Location
Forest Hill Church
3031 Monticello Blvd
Cleveland Heights,
OH
44118
United States