PROJECT ESPERANZA
HOLISTIC SERVICES, INC.
Maple Plaza II
5415 Maple Avenue, Suite 422
Dallas, TX 75235
Ph.: 214.630.0114 - Fax: 214.630.0345
Laura Trujillo Koster, SWA.
Executive Director
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Mission Statement
History
Agency Description
Program Description
Goals and Objectives
Organization Chart
Maria's Story
I AM, I WILL BE
MISSION STATEMENT
Project Esperanza is a bilingual, culturally sensitive, holistic program that promotes LOVE, UNDERSTANDING and KNOWLEDGE among the community impacted by HIV and AIDS, empowering the individuals affected to become capable of making health choices and to live with dignity.
For those who have no home
For those who have no food
For those who are sick
For those who are alone
Project Esperanza was recognized as
The Best Hispanic Program of 1994
by The Dallas Concilio of Hispanic Organizations.
HISTORY
Project Esperanza, a project of Holistic Services, Inc., has a distinguished history of serving Dallas' Latino community. Founded in 1989 by Laura Trujillo-Koster, Project Esperanza was originally developed to meet the needs of Hispanics who moved to the Dallas area through the Federal Amnesty Program.
In 1989, Project Esperanza began a support group for Hispanics who had tested positive for HIV. This group was designed to provide support for men and women in crisis who were faced with the additional challenge of living far from their country of origin, without resources and with limited ability to communicate their needs. The Dallas County Health Department provided a safe place for the group to meet.
As word of the support group spread, Project Esperanza quickly outgrew the space provided by the county health department. In 1990, the support group began to meet at Parkland Memorial Hospital. The move to Parkland was significant not only because it allowed more clients to attend support group, but because the move improved access to services for Project Esperanza's clients.
The following year, the Project began operating under the umbrella of AIDS Interfaith Network (AIN). Through Project Esperanza's partnership with AIN, Dallas' Hispanic HIV community received enhanced services and care. This move also served to develop the Project's administrative skills and to increase community awareness about this unique Hispanic HIV service provider.
By 1992, Project Esperanza had established itself as a reputable HIV service program throughout the Latino community. That same year, the Project created the HIV Hispanic Coalition. The Coalition was an opportunity for social service professionals to meet monthly and discuss methods of improving care for Latinos living with HIV disease.
Over the next two years, Project Esperanza added client advocacy and HIV education to its available services. Through the addition of staff and volunteers, Project Esperanza broadened its scope and ability to provide quality services.
In 1994, Project Esperanza was recognized as being Dallas' best Hispanic services program by the Dallas Concilio of Hispanic Service Organizations. This tribute is a testimony to the long history of collaborative relationships that Project Esperanza has developed, and to the more than 500 men, women and children that have benefited from its services.
Today, Project Esperanza stands as an independent service provider, organized under the newly formed Holistic Services, Inc. Project Esperanza remains committed to providing professional, culturally competent services for the Hispanic community affected by HIV/AIDS.
In cooperation with MACC (Maple Avenue Community Center), Project Esperanza opened its new headquarters at 4515 Maple Avenue, in November of 1995. This location gave Project Esperanza a more convenient and accessible place for the clients of Project Esperanza. This location is in the heart of a large Hispanic community.
In March of 1998, with a grant from Ryan White Title I, Project Esperanza moved to a bigger space to be able to house its 7 employees and El Rinconcito, at Maple Plaza II, 5415 Maple Avenue, Suite 422. Dallas, TX 75235.
The agency was organized in December of 1994, with nonprofit status 501 (c) 3, granted on March 21, 1995. The purpose of the project is to serve the frequently under-served Hispanic/ Latino Community affected by HIV/AIDS, in a culturally and linguistically competent and sensitive manner.
AGENCY DESCRIPTION
Project Esperanza is a holistic organization which meets the emotional and practical needs of all persons living with the HIV and AIDS disease and their families by providing direct support, education, case management, client advocacy, volunteer development, integrated medicine, its complements and alternatives. Project Esperanza is a bilingual agency and serves all HIV and AIDS affected persons, with a focus on the Hispanic community.
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
EDUCATION
1. Provides culturally and linguistically competent education about HIV prevention, transmission and infection.
2. Provides culturally and linguistically competent information about HIV testing, counseling and treatment resources.
3. Provides culturally and linguistically competent information to the care givers, partners and family members of the infected person, in this manner the infected person has less risk of rejection and better care.
CASE MANAGEMENT
Case Management is among the most critical needs of persons living with HIV disease.
1. Provides outreach and initial assessment of the clients, partners and family members' needs.
2. Delivers client center case management services that link the client, partner and family members to health care, psycho social care and other services.
3. Collaborates with other organizations and improves service provision through ongoing communication about client's needs.
4. Assists HIV and AIDS affected persons in gaining access to needed services providing follow-up support for those who have problems following through with the referral process.
5. Assists the person in completing required documentation when accessing services.
6. Upon receiving a referral for a person in need of services, the case manager guides the client through the complex of social service agencies, working to meet the changing needs and concerns of the person and his or her support system.
CLIENT ADVOCACY
A service that assesses the presenting problem of the HIV positive person. A client advocate makes appropriate referrals and provides monitoring and follow-up. Includes ongoing contact of a supportive nature. Provides culturally competent client advocacy services to the community affected by HIV and AIDS. Includes translation services to provide assistance to HIV and AIDS impacted persons and their care givers. For Spanish speaking only clients.
1. Assesses the present problems and needs of HIV positive individuals and connect them with appropriate services.
2. Works to assure that partners and family members are informed of available resources and to assist those partners and family members in assessing those services.
3. Advocates on behalf of its clients to other service providers to help ensure culturally appropriate service delivery.
4. Explains the range of services available to the client and care givers.
5. Helps clients complete necessary applications when being referred for services.
6. Accompanies clients when necessary to provide direct translation and interpretation.
COUNSELING
Provides individual and group counseling to clients and primary care givers. Includes psycho social, care giver support, bereavement counseling and drop-in counseling.
1. Provides individual counseling opportunities for persons living with HIV disease, their partner and family members as appropriate.
2. Provides group counseling opportunities for persons living with HIV disease, their partner and family members as appropriate.
3. Connects clients and primary care givers to pastoral and licensed professional counselors when appropriate.
VOLUNTEER
Trains volunteers from the community to help families and persons living with AIDS with the daily chores, support or transportation and education.
Opens opportunities for persons that have specific skills to support the HIV affected people with office work, fundraising and program development.
INTEGRATED MEDICINE
Informs and connects the HIV positive person with medical treatment, its complements and alternatives.
1. Identifies bilingual physicians knowledgeable about the treatment of HIV disease.
2. Identifies naturopaths and holistic physicians knowledgeable about the treatment of HIV disease in combination with Western medicine.
3. Information and guidance in nutrition, complements to medicine, and alternatives.
4. Informs the HIV positive person about the benefits of exercise.
MINORITY ACCESS
Provides services to improve the quality of and access to care for the community
Affected by HIV and AIDS. While Project Esperanza's services are available to any person living with HIV disease, the program focus on the historically under served Latino community.
1. Meets individually with community leaders to discuss the need for broader community awareness about the risk associated with HIV disease.
2. Meets with groups of at risk adolescents and adults to discuss HIV disease and how to access needed services. Much of the of the challenge in getting cultural minorities to access existing services comes from the misinformation about HIV disease.
3. Through the media, (newspapers, radio stations, television) richest to the community with presentations about the HIV disease, the care and prevention.
4. Bilingual staff to work with clients and community.
TRANSLATION
1. Provides translation for the clients as well as his/her partner and family members when needed to access services.
2. Provides translation to other HIV services agencies in order to facilitate better service to the HIV positive person.
GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
G O A L S
1. To reach the Hispanic community for the purpose of helping them deal with HIV infection through a Holistic approach.
2. To educate the Hispanic community on HIV issues, including prevention.
O B J E C T I V E S
1. Project Esperanza's goals will be achieved in the following manner.
Project Esperanza of Holistic Services, Inc. is an affiliate of the Dallas community's Network of AIDS organizations and a member of the HSDA HIV Services Consortium.
BODY
a. Network of Spanish speaking physicians.
b. Medicine, Complements, Alternatives and nutritional counseling, linking the client with the appropriate therapy according to his or her needs.
c. Education on HIV and AIDS.
d. Assessment of client's needs
MIND
a. Counseling
b. Support groups
c. Retreats
d. Therapy
e. Client advocacy and case management
f. Translations for the client
g. Minority outreach to the community
h. Education to the client, care giver, families and to the community
SPIRIT
a. Spiritual counseling
b. Funeral arrangements
c. Bereavement counseling
ORGANIZATION CHART
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
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EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Laura Trujillo Koster, SWA
PROGRAM DEVELOPER
Connie S. Lee
STAFF
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MARIA'S STORY
I met Maria four years ago. I was called in to translate the HIV results of her three month year old daughter, Lupita. The results were positive. Maria, then twenty four, had found out of her own HIV positive status while in her pregnancy, only a few months earlier. Unaware that her husband was a bisexual or a drug user, she had not considered the possibility of being at risk for HIV.
Then began the close working relationship with Project Esperanza. In the last four years, Project Esperanza has provided many services to Maria, Lupita and her family. Initially, the management of her case began with information and referral, providing the necessary translation, transportation, and support required to set her up with the various agencies that she and her family would be accessing the following years.
Maria has received much support from members of her support group and one of one counseling addressing such topics as bereavement, care for an HIV positive child, relationship counseling, and nutritional counseling. She also received spiritual support and was referred to her church for additional spiritual counseling.
To date, both Maria and Lupita are doing well. She continues to work with Project Esperanza and has an excellent relationship with the support group and other clients. She supports herself, Lupita, now four years, and a nine year old son, Pedrito by working in a local factory.
I AM, I WILL BE
Stop Friend.
Look at me, really look at me.
Look beyond the preconceived ideas,
beyond the prejudices and fears.
I could be your brother, your sister,
your husband or your wife.
Or I could be You.
Look trough me, see the real me!
See my dreams!
See my loves!
Because I know that one day,
like a butterfly emerging the cocoon,
I will escape this body,
and I will live behind the ugliness, the pain
and the frustration.
And I will fly away,
glittering in the light
with my new wings of hope,
with the strength of faith
and with the love of God.
Henry Frye
Board member 1995 - 1997
