UNC Charlotte Urban Institute, Latin American Coalition partner with Knight Foundation

CHARLOTTE – The first systematic investigation of the challenges faced by Mecklenburg’s growing Hispanic community and the county’s ability to address them is being conducted by UNC Charlotte’s Urban Institute, the Latin American Coalition, and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation through a Community Partners Program.

The number of Latinos in Mecklenburg County has jumped 614 percent since 1990, according to the U.S. Census, making Charlotte the third fastest-growing Hispanic community in the nation, currently home to more than 66,000 Latinos (8.7 percent of the total population).

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Mecklenburg County’s social service, education and law enforcement systems are facing severe challenges in meeting the needs of this rapidly growing Hispanic community, experts say. Similarly, Latino residents must overcome language, cultural and socio-economic barriers that can prevent them from succeeding in school, finding gainful employment or engaging in the civic and social fabric of the community.

“As the demographics of Charlotte change, the community’s needs for services such as education, health and employment are in need of evaluation,” said Angeles Ortega-Moore of the Latin American Coalition. “A study like this outlines those needs and begins the process of addressing them.”

By coupling the Urban Institute’s expertise in community-based research with the Coalition’s intimate knowledge of the local Latino community, the partners will begin a countywide needs assessment of the Latino community beginning in November. Funded by a $105,000 grant from the Knight Foundation, the study will systematically identify needs, ascertain the availability and effectiveness of services, and highlight any barriers.

Later this month, a survey will be mailed to all agencies serving Mecklenburg’s Latino population. In addition, a telephone survey targeting Mecklenburg County’s Latino residents will begin, followed by a series of focus groups. Both the Latin American Coalition and the UNC Charlotte Urban Institute strongly encourage community participation.

The Urban Institute is a non-profit, non-partisan, applied research and community outreach unit of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. The Latin American Coalition is Charlotte’s oldest and largest Hispanic service agency. The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation promotes excellence in journalism worldwide and invests in the vitality of 26 U.S. communities where the Knight brothers owned newspapers.

For more information about the Mecklenburg County Latino Community Needs Assessment, contact Jess George at the Latin American Coalition at (704) 531-3848 or Christian Friend at the UNC Charlotte Urban Institute at (704) 687-2330.