Welcome to the Norris Square Civic Association Web Site

Norris Square Civic Association Affiliates

Asociaci㮠de Puertorrique᯳ en Marcha- PA	Philadelphia PA Northeast
The Asociaci㮠de Puertorrique᯳ en Marcha-PA was formed in 1970. APMҳ mission is to promote the welfare of the Puerto Rican/Latino residents of the Delaware Valley by providing services that improve the quality of life, create opportunities for the community, and support families and individuals. Services provided include educational programs, health and mental health services, job placement, housing and economic development services, recreation, and children welfare programs.

Congreso de Latinos Unidos, Inc.	Philadelphia PA Northeast
Incorporated in 1978, Congreso de Latinos Unidos, Inc. provides innovative, bilingual/bicultural services to North Philadelphiaҳ Latino neighborhoods. Congreso has evolved from a primarily health-focused agency, to a multiservice center, which addresses the social and economic development of the people they serve. Congresoҳ comprehensive services include HIV prevention, drug and alcohol counseling, after-school and summer youth programs, welfare-to-work and workforce development initiatives, and the first Latino domestic violence program in Pennsylvania. By building productive partnerships with businesses, government agencies, health providers, labor organizations, and other community-based institutions, Congreso is becoming more successful in delivering concrete results and progress for children and families in North Philadelphia.

Hispanic Association of Contractors and Enterprises	Philadelphia PA Northeast
The Hispanic Association of Contractors and Enterprises (HACE) is a nonprofit community economic development corporation originally formed to save a crucial neighborhood mall in the heart of Philadelphiaҳ Latino community. HACE seeks to empower people through economic development initiatives that address commercial revitalization, employment opportunities, the creation of safe affordable housing, and the provision of support services to meet the needs of community residents. HACEҳ focus is to rebuild the neighborhoodҳ economic base, thereby promoting community empowerment. HACE provides affordable housing, tenant counseling, housing counseling education, job opportunities, and neighborhood stability through local development projects.

Norris Square Civic Association	Philadelphia PA Northeast
Norris Square Civic Association (NSCA) was incorporated in 1982 by a group of young mothers who, unable to find outside help, launched their own organization dedicated to the revitalization of the neighborhood and the empowerment of its residents. NSCAҳ mission is to empower Norris Square residents to improve their lives by becoming self- reliant, and to unite and build the community through the development and improvement of the physical, economic, social, cultural, and educational aspects of the neighborhood. Families and individuals are active participants at every level of the organization and in planning the neighborhoodҳ housing, economic, cultural, and educational strategies.

Nueva Esperanza Academy	Philadelphia PA Northeast
Nueva Esperanza is a public charter high school, serving grades 9 through 12. It is dedicated to providing a quality education that prepares critically thinking, socially capable, spiritually sensitive, and culturally aware young adults who can use English, Spanish, and technology as tools for success in the 21st century.

Nueva Esperanza, Inc.	Philadelphia PA Northeast
Nueva Esperanza, Inc. was founded in 1988 to assist the low- and moderate-income Hispanic community of Philadelphia with housing and economic development. Nueva Esperanza provides mortgage counseling and assists families in becoming first-time homeowners. In 1994, the agency opened Esperanza Institute, a neighborhood educational tutorial program that focuses on language, culture, education, and basic study skills for elementary and middle school students. The Esperanza Institute also works with parents, encouraging and enabling them to become more involved with their children's performance in school.

SACA Development Corporation	Philadelphia PA Northeast
SACA Development Corporation (SACADC) is a community development organization founded in 1984 to provide affordable rental and owner-occupied housing and neighborhood revitalization for low- and moderate-income families in Lancaster County. SACA Development Corporation is a wholly-owned subsidiary of SACA, a major developer of housing in the inner city.

Spanish American Civic Association (SACA)	Philadelphia PA Northeast
For nearly three decades, the Spanish American Civic Association (SACA) has developed and nurtured hope, pride, productivity, and progress among Latinos in Lancaster City and County. For many, SACA is the bridge to affordable housing, jobs, education, human services, and a better future. The organization offers a variety of services including the Human Services Network, which is neighborhood-based and operated by a group of dedicated bilingual professionals and talented community residents providing a vital link within the Latino community. Its clients are able to access a wide variety of needed services they would otherwise find difficult to receive. SACAҳ educational center, La Academia, has evolved into a dynamic institution serving the needs of the unemployed and underemployed residents of the inner city of Lancaster. La Academia programs work to keep young people in school and to encourage high school dropouts to complete their high school education. Cooperative educational efforts with schools and other agencies are maintained. La Academia also houses the Partnership Charter School, serving 100 high-risk students. SACA also offers an affordable housing program, the ultimate goal of which is to replace blighted structures with renovated neighborhoods, increase homeownership, and instill tangible pride in community neighborhoods. SACAҳ Development Corporation Homeownership Program, a subsidiary of the Spanish American Civic Association, is designed to allow first-time low- and moderate-income families to own a home. Furthermore, SACA Broadcasting WLCH Radio Centro (91.3 FM) is another subsidiary of SACA and is licensed as a public educational station, which broadcasts in Spanish and English 18 hours a day.

The Center Daniel Torres, Inc./Centro Hispano Daniel Torres,	Philadelphia PA Northeast
The Hispanic Center of Reading and Berks County is a nonprofit organization that has been providing assistance to the Latino community, and others in need, throughout the area for over 34 years. Its mission is to provide fully bilingual and bicultural programs that not only meet immediate needs, but also promote acculturation and self-sufficiency. The Hispanic Center provides a wide array of resources, including information and referral, supportive counseling, translation/interpretation, transportation and accompaniment, in-home family program, HIV/AIDS outreach, abstinence education, tobacco prevention, La Casa de La Amistad Senior Center, employment and training programs, micro-enterprise program, computer learning center, leadership institute, scholarship fund, higher education initiative, and other