Demands for increased services at a village outreach program for Hispanics have grown steadily since its inception more than two years ago, village officials said.
An increasing number of residents have used the Neighborhood Resource Center, located in the heavily Hispanic Glendale Terrace apartments. Residents have gradually used the program more as they have become familiar with the services, said human services coordinator Linda Weiss.
The center provides food, help in finding a job and tutoring to residents around the village, officials said.
The program expanded last summer with the addition of a social worker funded by a non-profit agency in Elgin, Weiss said. The 20-hour-a-week worker connects residents to services and is an advocate for the population, Weiss said.
The village established the center in response to trouble at the complex caused by a lack of knowledge of social customs, said Police Chief Gary Altergott.
“We used to spend a lot of time in that complex,” Altergott said. “The program has developed trust between residents and the village.”
