Transforming lives. Transforming communities. Annual Report 2007 Transformation. It is a powerful journey: One that can lift the spirit. Help realize human potential. Create a world of justice and opportunity. At Heartland Alliance for Human own are on the path to economic Needs & Human Rights, transforma- stability and security. And immigrants tion is what drives us. It underlies unjustly detained through a broken every day of our work helping thou- immigration system gain access to sands of men, women, and children critical legal services to help reunite threatened by poverty and danger them with their families. move from crisis to stability and on But transformation is not just our to success. end. It is also our means. As an Whether it is our work in housing, organization, Heartland Alliance has health care, legal protections, or transformed to address evolving economic security, we transform lives. societal challenges. We increasingly We transform communities. share and apply our knowledge to help other communities address Heartland Alliance has spurred similar problems. We use our 119 many exciting transformations over years of experience providing human the past year: services with growing frequency to Once pock-marked high-rise public make a lasting impact at the policy housing buildings are now vibrant making level. mixed-income communities. Young These transformations will ultimately people anxious for basic health care carry us to our destination of a more can now access desperately need- just society where the human rights ed dental services at our school- of all are fully realized. Thank you for based health centers. Homeless your passion and investment in this families struggling to stand on their important journey. “Roosevelt Square is marvelous. The first thing that got me—it was so peaceful here. It took me four days to adjust! I remember when you couldn’t walk through here. It was madness. A lot of change around here, all of it I like.” Darla Riley, resident of Roosevelt Square, and participant in Heartland Alliance’s Transitional Jobs program. Transforming lives and communities through housing. A Key, a Door, a Lock. Most of us take for granted the weight We’ve taken our expertise in successfully developing of a key in our pocket, the slam of a door at the end of the more than 1,000 affordable homes to create revitalized, day, or the click of the lock as we secure our homes for mixed-income communities with the CHA in Chicago the night. These are potent symbols of an elusive dream neighborhoods on the near west and south sides. This when you’re struggling to find or maintain a home. Hav- year alone, we developed more than 220 affordable resi- ing a roof over your head is not just a fundamental need, dences at the Roosevelt Square and Jazz on the Boulevard but a basic human right. Heartland Alliance knows that housing developments. having a space to call home, a place to develop roots, pro- But we know that a stable home takes more than just vides purpose and possibility—a springboard to a brighter four walls and a roof—it means having opportunities to future. be a successful member of your community. That’s why Transforming Communities. Nowhere is this more apparent Heartland Alliance provides CHA residents with life than among residents of the Chicago Housing Authority, skills and tools—such as innovative job training pro- one of the nation’s largest and oldest public housing agen- grams, employment referrals, and a “101” on building a cies. Heartland Alliance has worked as a partner with the nest egg. Chicago Housing Authority to help transform Chicago’s Other cities in the Midwest have turned to Heartland Al- public housing—deep, concentrated pockets of urban pov- liance to learn from this recipe of success. Our next fron- erty and decline—into healthy, vibrant communities. tier: helping the cities of Milwaukee, Wisc. and Benton Harbor, Mich. tackle similar challenges in their communities. 5 Heartland Alliance was recognized at the 2007 Community Neighborhood Development Awards for its work on the first phase of the Roosevelt Square initiative. More than 50 percent of Senn High School’s 1,800+ students rely on Heartland Alliance’s health care services. Transforming lives and communities through healthcare. Without health insurance, getting treatment for a sick child tional Health Center affiliate, meets the needs of students is a struggle. Battling a serious illness an insurmountable at Nicholas Senn High School in Chicago’s Edgewater feat. Preventative care likely out of the question. This is the neighborhood. unfortunate reality of the 1.7 million people in Illinois Heartland Alliance is at the forefront of establishing a and nearly 47 million people nationwide who lack health school-based health care model that meets the needs of insurance. at-risk adolescents. Of the school’s diverse student body As health care reform remains politically gridlocked, —1800+ students representing 65 countries and 46 native Heartland Alliance reaches out to individuals in need languages—90+ percent are poor and many would have no where they are—in schools, shelters, or even on the access to health care were it not for Heartland Alliance. street—providing them with medical services and fulfill- This past year, Heartland Alliance added dental care ser- ing their right to basic health care. vices to students, making the Senn High School Health Transforming Youths’ Lives. An aching tooth. Emotional Center one of a handful in Illinois to offer such compre- trauma from abuse. Asthma-related breathing problems. hensive services. Heartland Alliance’s next stop? Roos- These are as much of a challenge to learning as inade- evelt High School in Chicago’s Albany Park neighbor- quate teachers or dated textbooks. From providing an ice hood, where we will bring this successful model to another pack for a bruise to tackling childhood obesity and diabe- diverse population of youth facing similar challenges in tes, Heartland Alliance, through its Heartland Interna- receiving basic health care. 9 The Senn High School Health Center is one of only a handful in Illinois offering primary, mental, and dental health care. More than 1 in 4 young Illinois adults lack health insurance. “Our health care really makes a difference in students’ lives. From taking care of a cavity to more serious health problems, we not only help students take care of their bodies, but also help them stay focused on learning.” Dr. Bob Fitzpatrick, Heartland Alliance dentist at Senn High School Health Center. 11 “When I got asylum, I cried and so did my lawyer. We were so happy after six years of waiting. They’re always there for me.” Donald Hanaj, an ethnic Albanian who fled persecution in Serbia as a 17-year-old orphan, on his experience with Heartland Alliance’s NIJC lawyers. Transforming lives and communities through legal protections. Alone, without access to a lawyer. Held indefinitely with- public education, and advocacy to help restore a standard out a day in court. Inhumanely treated, many times of basic human decency to the immigrant detention system. without basic, sometimes life-saving, medical care. It’s the story of more than a quarter million immigrants—men, This past year, we helped put detention reform on the women, and children—detained in a complex web of federal legislative map—encouraging the “Secure and county jails and federal facilities. Most pose no threat to Safe Detention and Asylum Act”—during the U.S. Sen- our communities. Many are fleeing persecution and seek- ate’s immigration reform efforts. We have educated 1,200 ing asylum. It’s a system that tramples the cornerstones detainees about their basic rights, secured the release of of our U.S. justice system. Undermining our moral and more than 150 detainees, and provided more than 7,500 democratic values. Threatening the rights of us all. people with legal services in the past year. While immigration reform did not cross the legislative fin- Transforming a Broken Immigration System. Heartland Alliance ish line this year, Heartland Alliance remains committed believes a common-sense approach must trump this to reforming this inhumane and unjust system of detaining warehousing of people in the U.S. immigrant detention people. This commitment is the fabric of who we are and system. Through our National Immigrant Justice Center, what we do—restoring hope and the promise of the Ameri- Heartland Alliance is using precedent-setting legal cases, can Dream for all. 13 150 Detainees released through our National Immigrant Justice Center’s (NIJC) efforts 1,200 Detainees educated by NIJC about their basic legal rights 7,500 Persons provided legal services through NIJC The National Immigrant Justice Center uses precedent-setting legal cases, public education, and advocacy to help restore a standard of basic human decency to the immigrant detention system. 15 “I’m responsible. I control what goes on here. Something is in my name.” Joy Jackson, participant in Heartland Alliance’s Families Building Community program. Transforming lives and communities through economic security. Poverty ravages the human spirit. It destroys families, erodes Heartland Alliance works closely with program partici- communities, and handicaps economies. At some point pants over a one-year period, placing them in safe apart- during adulthood, the majority of Americans will live in ments with leases held in the participant’s name—a poverty.1 It is not the issue of “others.” It affects us all. unique program feature that helps participants develop a financial track record from day one. Heartland Alliance Heartland Alliance’s approach to creating economic provides intensive supportive services—ranging from security—from job training and job placement to help- job search assistance to domestic violence counseling to ing build a nest egg for the future—transforms lives.