CREATING A
COMMUNITY
I
CELEBRATING 30 YEARS
Established by local Haitian community leaders, the Haitian Multi-Service Center (HMSC) began in 1978 with a single service, English as a Second Language for recent Haitian immigrants. In 1984, the HMSC became a community service center of Catholic Charities, Archdiocese of Boston. Located in the Yawkey Center in Dorchester, the Haitian Multi-Service Center supports newly arrived and long-term resident Haitian immigrants and refugees in their quest for educational development and economic self-sufficiency in a culturally and linguistically familiar environment. Approximately 1,500 families are served by the HMSC each year mostly from Dorchester, Mattapan, Milton, Roxbury, Hyde Park, Jamaica Plain, Cambridge, Somerville, and other neighborhoods outside of greater Boston.
n 2008, the Haitian MultiService Center celebrated its 30th year of providing services to recent Haitian immigrants to Greater Boston communities. Since 1978, when the center was operated out of a home on Bicknell Street, the Center has grown to become a mainstay and touchstone for Haitian immigrants as they assimilate into their new community. The Center joined Catholic Charities in 1984.
Haitian Services and Support For more information about the programs and services at the Haitian Multi-Service Center, call (617) 506-6600. Adult Education Programs The Adult Education program provides Haitian and other adults with essential skills that will lead to life-long learning, the promotion of literacy, and economic self-sufficiency. The program serves more than 400 Haitian adults each year through 19 classes, which include native language literacy in English and Haitian Creole, English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), math, computer literacy and training, educational counseling, citizenship, and high school diploma programs. Services that address CROSSINGS | www.ccab.org | 38
issues of cultural adjustment are also available. Each student sets his or her own educational goals, and teachers integrate those goals into classroom curriculum. Health and Human Services Management Certificate Program Catholic Charities’ Haitian Multi-Service Center and Suffolk University have developed a one-year, integrated learning and working Health and Human Services (HHS) Management Certificate Program that will effectively begin to address the scarcity of qualified not-for-profit middle managers. The HHS program will consist of five
5-week training blocks. Participants who complete the training will receive a Certificate in Health & Human Services Management issued jointly by Catholic Charities’ Haitian Multi-Service Center and Suffolk University. Those participants who excel in the successful completion of the program will receive a Certificate with Distinction. Elder Services Many Haitian elders arrive in the United States facing numerous obstacles, including pronounced poverty, linguistic, cultural, economic, or physical barriers, which directly affects their access to resources and their ability to adjust to a vastly different culture
and mindset. Of the Haitian population, elders are the most at risk for poor nutrition, poor health, and isolation. Many also struggle with the effects of physical, mental, and emotional abuse at the hands of the Haitian government. The Haitian Elder Services Program offers a wide array of services, including English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), citizenship, and native language literacy classes; counseling; and Basic Needs Services, such as emergency food, fuel, and rental assistance. Cultural and recreational events also are organized for socializing with members of the community, with the
goal of limiting feelings of isolation and loneliness. Outreach and intervention is provided to those who develop increasing health problems, a situation worsened by isolation. Santé Manman Sé Santé Petit The Santé Manman Sé Santé Petit Program, which translated from Haitian Creole means “the health of the mother is the health of the child,” provides comprehensive prenatal, perinatal, and neonatal support to the Haitian community. This program is unique in that it serves pregnant women, new parents, and infants up to two years of age.
The program helps to promote a healthy pregnancy for the mother by increasing prenatal care and providing infant and family counseling. It also aids in avoiding developmental delays by ensuring that babies are healthy and helps prevent child abuse and neglect by making certain that babies receive adequate care. Parents are supported in nurturing positive outcomes for their children by strengthening their parenting skills and in preventing psychosocial problems from escalating in the mother by improving her emotional health and, therefore, her family.
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