Homewood nonprofit helping immigrants across the state
In the 17 years that it’s existed, the Hispanic Interest Coalition of Alabama (HICA) has become known in the Hispanic community as a place with an answer for nearly any problem. So much so, that a pregnant woman once showed up at the HICA office when she went into labor instead of the hospital.
“That’s kind of the extreme example,” HICA employee Holly Hilton said of the problems the organization sometimes has to solve, but it represents the important niche that HICA has carved out in Birmingham and across the state.
HICA is based in Homewood at 117 South Crest Drive and might be recognized by most residents for its annual tamale sale in winter and the HICA night with the Birmingham Barons, where the baseball team wears special “Los Barons” jerseys that are later auctioned off. But these two events are just fundraisers for the work that HICA does in the community every day.
“We’re the only organization in Alabama that’s specifically focused on serving the Hispanic community,” Hilton said.
As HICA has grown from its roots as a one-person organization, Hilton and communications and development associate Monica Black said the organization has added services to meet the needs people bring to them.
“What they [HICA employees] discovered is that once they got to know people and the clients trusted HICA, that deeper needs started coming forward,” Hilton said.
Current services now are divided into four main areas: community engagement and education, Strong Families, asset building and economic development and immigration and access to justice.
Ana Valeriano works in the community engagement and education area of the coalition, which includes voter engagement, civic participation, women’s empowerment and workshops on everything from computer skills and filling out job applications to college access and their rights as a U.S. citizen.
“Now when they are able to fill out that application by themselves, that is a very important goal for them. That is also gratifying for us,” Black said.
The Strong Families program provides assistance with language barriers, domestic violence and access to outside resources such as doctors, lawyers and counselors. Valeriano said the program is often a starting point for Alabama residents who have been the victim of a crime or mistreatment.
“Strong Families really is our busiest department,” she said.
The asset building department helps families better manage their finances, including filing income taxes or getting a business license for entrepreneurs. Many times, Hilton said new U.S. citizens have trouble starting a business because they are unfamiliar with regulations and laws in the state. Hilton said HICA has helped 20 new businesses get started this year, many in the Birmingham area.
One success story she points to is Taco Morro Loco, which two brothers started as a food truck and now have a brick-and-mortar location.
“That represents new jobs and increased income for the families,” Hilton said.
Finally, the immigration and justice department of HICA helps Alabama immigrants work toward receiving visas or citizenship.
Black said she recalls one man who, after successfully completing his citizenship test in Atlanta, drove directly to the HICA office to show off his certificate and give flowers to the people who had helped him prepare for the test.
Black said Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), which allows undocumented immigrants who arrived before they turned 16 to receive a work visa and deportation exemption, is also a significant part of the immigration and justice department. HICA works with young men and women to help them receive visas or attend college.
“This is very important to us because we know that pretty much the youth are facing other barriers to go to college,” Black said. “So it’s why HICA started a scholarship for Latino students last summer.”
Hilton, Black and Valeriano came to HICA from other nonprofit and advocacy work, and they said they had held HICA in high regard even before they came to work there.
Hilton, who mainly works in grant writing, jokes that she is one of only two people in the office who isn’t bilingual. Valeriano can attest that being bilingual is critical for effective advocacy.
“I lived in Blount County for many years and being of a handful of bilingual people, people naturally turned to us for help and guidance. So I would help in the community as much as I could,” Valeriano said.
Because they provide unique services in the area, Valeriano and Black agreed the Hispanic community is supportive and helps through volunteering and donations.
“Community response is awesome. As there is a large need of information, HICA is a beacon of information. What’s going on locally, politically — people come to us, but also when HICA needs help, like for the tamale sale, when we need help in getting the scholarship ready and going, there’s a lot of participation. We’ve created a dual relationship. We are part of the community, so the community has been very welcoming,” Valeriano said.
Though they work mostly with Hispanic residents of Alabama, Black said HICA has worked with immigrants from around the world.
Going forward, one of their big goals is to provide more resources for new and potential homeowners. Another is to make Birmingham a Welcoming City, which is part of the national Welcoming America program.
Valeriano said HICA already is working with Birmingham’s mayor, city council and business alliance to enact policies and programs to become more immigrant friendly, and she hopes to begin the paperwork for Birmingham to qualify soon.
“Our role is to advocate and to help people ask for what they need,” Hilton said.
Annual HICA Tamale Sale
WHEN: Nov. 24-Dec. 11; tamale pickup is Dec. 16.
WHERE: HICA Headquarters, 117 Southcrest Drive
PRICES: Half dozen: $18; Dozen: $30; All that and a bag of chips (A dozen tamales, jar of salsa, four Pepsi bottles and a bag of tortilla chips): $48. Tamale fillings include pork, chicken or peppers and cheese.
WEB: Order at hispanicinterest.org.
MORE INFORMATION: HICA is also seeking Tamale Sale captains and pickup day volunteers. Contact tamales@hispanicinterest.org or
776-2489 for more information.