Now in its third year, the highly innovative Little Village Reconnection HUB (LVRH) program provides coordinated support for nearly 450 opportunity youth in Chicago’s thriving Little Village community. Little Village Reconnection HUB director, Larissa Aranda, believes these services are needed to respond to the lack of social services that many of our disengaged youth need between the ages of 16-24.
The top of the list for this population includes employment opportunities, mental health access, immigration, transportation, education, housing, and food assistance.
Aranda, an MBA graduate student at DePaul University, knows and understands the needs of this population as she is a resident of Little Village. She believes that these services are especially vital given our country’s economy and the uncertainties associated with the pandemic.
Designed as a way to virtually connect opportunity youth to their specific needs, the LVRH provides immediate wrap-around supports to meet the needs of the “whole person” wherever they are emotionally, socially, or academically. LVRH leverages the resources provided by the lead agency, Central States SER, and partner community-based organizations such as ENLACE, New Life, and other valued non-profits as a service delivery system that responds immediately in a culturally competent manner.
The LVRH addresses opportunity youth on Chicago’s West and South Sides to help navigate them through “an often sliced ecosystem of community partners,” and link them to vital services needed by this vulnerable population. The program is supported by Thrive Chicago and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation. For more information, call 773-542-9030.
Written by Javier Garibay
Images Courtesy of SER – Used With Permission
