In October 2020, a surge in asylum seekers and the reality that nearly a quarter of El Paso County‘s residents were foreign born sparked the formation of the “Office of New Americans.” This division of the El Paso Community Services Department aimed to make local government more accessible and the El Paso region a more welcoming community.
The Office of New Americans serves a broad cross section of El Paso County residents, from immigrant and refugee communities to veterans and the homeless, connecting them with civil services, resources and initiatives designed to meet people where they are.
For Lorey Flores, program manager for the Office of New Americans says their mission is more personal.
“‘Welcome,’ to me, means making county and local government resources more easily accessible, not just to our immigrant and refugee community, but also to our homeless community, also veterans,” Flores said. “One of my goals is to make sure that through some of these initiatives, we‘re making people feel like they belong.”
That sense of belonging is something the Office of New Americans hopes to build through their collaborative works with local and federal partners, as well as their own initiatives.
Catching up to government offices across the nation, one of the office’s newer programs is ‘I Speak 915.’ With 12 current locations and over 250 languages the growing translation service aims to eliminate language barriers for civil services like marriage license and business registrations.
Through the ‘I Speak 915’ cards and reference sheets, anyone can identify the language they need an interpreter for and be connected with one instantly. Claudia Jimenez, the office’s community outreach coordinator said this tool is even used by the department’s staff to help ensure that their own messages are made clear, and questions can be answered.
“We also have a card that we carry and I can use my personal device. If I do have somebody in the audience that is Chinese, and she has questions, I don’t want her to walk out the door not being able to get those services or understand what I just went over. I can call translation services using ‘I speak 915.’
An interpreter, within seconds will jump on the line, and then she can translate our conversation. I don’t want them to leave without knowing,” Jimenez said.
Non-profit groups, city departments and schools like the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) have become key partners in expanding the office’s reach. Through the Social Work department and Center for Civic Engagement, UTEP students regularly support and participate in outreach and program development. In a marketing class collaboration, specifically for the ‘I Speak 915’ program, students reviewed materials and developed social media campaigns and awareness strategies.
For some students like Joanna Roman, a sophomore at UTEP majoring in biomedical sciences, the partnership goes further as she works on programs like ‘I Speak 915′ and in the beginning stages of other anticipated programs.
“Through the work study program and through the community, I’m here at UTEP, they gave me the opportunity to get an internship, a paid internship, so that’s why I’m here. I have experienced a lot of stuff that I never thought I was going to do, like working on ‘I speak 915,’ creating graphics and creative videos and just now with this program 915 Belong,” Roman said.
Yet reaching those who need help most remains an ongoing challenge. Many residents, especially new arrivals, are often unaware or unsure how to navigate the services that the county offers and whether or not they even qualify.
“I know people struggle and sometimes they don’t know where to go because they don’t know these types of resources,” Roman said.
Geography adds another layer. El Paso County extends well beyond city limits into colonias, small towns, and unincorporated areas where residents are often more vulnerable and less mobile.
“There’s a lot of smaller cities and unincorporated areas and we know there’s even more marginalized groups there,” Blakeman said. “A lot of our work is going out to the colonias, the more rural parts of the county outside of the city, and making sure they get the same access to services as city residents.”
While their work is far from finished, the Office of New Americans continues their goal of making El Paso County’s resources visible, accessible and approachable for every resident regardless of language, location or legal status.
Jewel Ocampo is a staff reporter and may be reached at [email protected]
