HACER

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Our publications

Northcountry Development Fund: Focus Groups with Hispanic/Latino Residents in Rural Minnesota Manufactured Home Parks

Authors:
Alyssa Banks, Rafael Ortiz, JD, MPP, Elisabeth Golub

Date: March 2007

Description:

This study was funded by the Northcountry Development Fund (NCDF) to investigate and assess whether rural Latino manufactured home park residents would be interested in cooperative ownership of their manufactured home park. Utilizing data from three focus groups conducted with rural Latino residents in manufactured home parks this report discusses residents ideas of what ‘home’ is; residents’ perspectives and experiences on manufactured home park living; areas for improvement of Latino residents living situation; Latino residents’ perspectives on cooperative living and ownership; Latino residents preferred modes of receiving information. In addition this report offers strategies for promoting cooperative ownership with rural Latino residents in manufactured home parks.

Let Us Meet You Where You Are: Securing the Educational Accomplishments of Migrant Students (SEAMS)

Authors:
Jared Erdmann, MPH, Michael Rodriguez, MPH, Elisabeth Golub, Alyssa Banks, Rafael Ortiz, JD, MPP.

Date: December 2006

Description:

This study presents the findings of a statewide Comprehensive Needs Assessment of Migrant Students in Minnesota, which HACER conducted for the Minnesota Department of Education. This project used focus groups, key informant interviews and a survey of migrant parents to identify and prioritize the educational needs and strengths of migrant students in Minnesota. The SEAMS report includes: an overview of the Migrant Education Program in Minnesota; a profile of migrant students in Minnesota; a description of research; analysis of academic achievement information for migrant students in state databases; key perspectives of service providers, migrant parents and migrant students interviewed for this project; and analysis of barriers and facilitators to migrant students’ academic success according to 7 areas of concern. The report concludes with recommendations to improve the delivery of educational services to migrant students in Minnesota, and a discussion of lessons learned that could inform future Comprehensive Needs Assessment (CNA) processes.

Minnesota Migrant Education Program: 2006 Re-Interview Process

Authors:
Elisabeth Golub, Pamela Jo Johnson, MPH, PhD

Date: November 2006

Description:

This report summarizes finding for a re-interview process conducted by HACER for the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) in order to evaluate prior eligibility determinations for the Migrant Education Program (MEP). Over the summer of 2006, HACER re-interviewed the families of 187 students identified as eligible for MEP. The study estimates the ineligibility rate for students identified as eligible for MEP, and offers recommendations for how MDE might improve student eligibility rate.

Fishing in the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area: Focus Groups with Hispanic/Latino Residents

Authors:
Elisabeth Golub, Jared Erdmann, MPH

Date: June 2006

Description:

This project, funded by the Minnesota Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, investigates fishing among Latinos in the Twin Cities metropolitan area. Drawing from three focus groups with Latino metro area residents, the report describes participants’ impressions of nature, their perception of and participation in fishing, and their views on channels and modes for communicating information about fishing.

Migrant Farmworker Enumeration Estimates and the Assessment of Migrant Legal Services Needed in Minnesota and North Dakota

Authors:
Rafael Ortiz, JD, MPP, Jared Erdmann, MPH, Alyssa Banks

Date: April 2006

Description:

This is a preliminary review of existing data on the enumeration of migrant workers and families in Minnesota and North Dakota. It discusses existing studies and interviews conducted by HACER in order to assess the accuracy of migrant counts, identify areas where more information is needed, and suggest a research protocol to assess current needs for legal services among migrants.

Steps Towards a Healthier Minneapolis

Authors:
Jared A. Erdmann, M.P.H., Maria Vázquez-Calatayud.

Date: October 2005

Description:

This project provided Hispanic/Latino residents of the Phillips and Northeast neighborhoods of Minneapolis an opportunity to dialogue about their understandings and concerns related to increasing physical activity and improving nutrition. HACER carried out 5 focus groups with Hispanic/Latino residents in the two neighborhoods—3 in Phillips and 2 in Northeast. The focus groups took place during the last week of August and first two weeks of September 2005.

Root Causes and Solutions to Disparities for Hispanics/Latinos in the Juvenile Justice System

Authors:
Jared A. Erdmann, M.P.H., Heather Britt, Ph.D.,
M.P.H., Tatiana Achcar, J.D.

Date: May, 2005

Description:

This report provides evidence of disparities between Hispanic/Latino and White (non-Hispanic) youth in Minnesota’s juvenile justice system, and describes their root causes. Drawing from focus groups with Hispanic/Latino juvenile offenders and interviews with the service providers who work with them, this report also outlines key cultural components that service providers need to know in working more effectively with Hispanic/Latino youth and their families. Findings suggest recommendations for how the juvenile justice system can better serve Hispanic/Latino juvenile offenders. (English only).

Driver Safety and the Role of Minnesota ’s Driver’s License Policy

Authors:
Jared A. Erdmann, M.P.H.

Date: March, 2005

Description:

This report quantifies the number of unlicensed drivers in two of Minnesota ’s most populated counties, Hennepin and Ramsey. It places the contentious debate over the undocumented, unlicensed driver in the context of an unlicensed driver problem. By using factual information about traffic violations and incarcerations involving Hispanic/Latino and Non-Hispanic drivers, the report demonstrates to what extent Minnesota driver’s license policy has exacerbated the number of unlicensed drivers, presumably by prohibiting undocumented immigrants from getting a license. Analyses suggest important implications of Minnesota driver’s license policy on driver safety and on Hispanic/Latino drivers.

The Other Family: How Gangs Impact Latino Families and Communities

Authors:
Maureen O'Dougherty, Ph.D, Maria Vázquez-Calatayud.

Date: February 2005

Description:

The Other Family: How Gangs Impact Latino Families and Communities , a report that focuses on the impact of gangs on Latino communities in Minnesota. HACER's new report also brings to light accountability measures and the perspectives of multiple sectors within the Latino community. This report includes perspectives on gang prevention of policymakers, law enforcement, schools and educators, community organizations, businesses, church members, parents, and youth and their roles. Community-wide recommendations for gang prevention are also included (with Spanish executive summary.)

Eligible Latino Voter Maps

Author:
Jeff Matson, MNIS.

Date: May 2004

Description:

Eligible Latino voters by county and by city in Minnesota. "Eligible Latino voters" refers to Latino native citizens and foreign-born, naturalized citizens 18 years of age or older.

Data Source: 2000 U.S. Census, SF4 Table PCT 44.

Aprendemos Juntos (We Learn Together):
An audio documentary about Latino students in a small town

Authors:
Jason Ruiz, Annie Ericson, Jenn Blair.

Date: June 2004

Description:

(Audio Documentary) The vast majority of immigrants in Minnesota settle in the Twin Cities. However, particularly during the 1990’s, increasing numbers of immigrants have moved to small towns. One such town is Long Prairie, MN, where the scale of Latino population growth has been dramatic. The shifting demographic tide in a historically homogenous farming community presents a multiplicity of challenges. A primary challenge is education for all children. As of 2003, no Latino/a student had ever graduated from Long Prairie High School . This audio-documentary is a compilation of interviews with the students, high school principal, teachers and others from this rural community.

The Economic Impact of Latino Entrepreneurship in Richfield

Authors:
Catie Almirall; Raymond Robertson, Ph.D.

Date: June 2004

Description:

This report looks at the contributions of the growing Latino business community in Richfield, highlighting the annual impact of the businesses’ expenditures. It also documents contributions such as providing unique products and services, increasing neighborhood cohesion, serving as role models, providing innovation, creating jobs, and training employees. Finally, opportunities for growth are explored.

Latinos in the Frogtown and Summit-University Communities of St. Paul

Authors:
Deborah Bushway, Ph.D.; Maria Vázquez-Calatayud.

Date: 2003

Description:

This report brings to light the experience of an overlooked but rapidly growing Latino community (growing more than 123% between 1990 and 2000) that lives in the Frogtown and Summit-University neighborhoods of St. Paul. The report discusses why Latinos choose to live in these communities, Latino homeownership rates, and gives recommendations from community members for how to enhance the vitality of the neighborhoods.

Author:
Peter Rode.

Date: 2002

Description:

Recognizing that culture shapes the way health messages are understood and received, the Association for Nonsmokers-Minnesota requested HACER's help in conducting two urban and two rural focus groups to explore the Latino community's perceptions of secondhand smoke and its reaction to various kinds of messages about secondhand smoke. The report provides insight into Latinos' attitudes and practices in regard to secondhand smoke and into messages that might influence them.

Migrant Worker Housing: Survey Results from South-Central Minnesota

Authors:
Ann Ziebarth, Ph.D.; Jaehyun Byun; Jason Ruiz.

Date: 2002

Description:

Each year, thousands of migrant Latino farmworkers journey from the Southwestern United States, Northern Mexico and Latin America to Minnesota in order to make a living in picking and processing agricultural crop, and to the work in the ornamental plant industry. Their labor is clearly a vital component of Minnesota's agricultural economy. These workers must navigate perilous terrain in search for housing during the working season. This report blends quantitative and qualitative findings to reflect the tensions that arise between an economic sector that relies heavily upon the work of migrants which fails to provide them with resources that will secure adequate provisions to meet basic human needs. Also included is the analysis of the survey results of 282 migrant farmworkers.

Latinos on the West Side of St. Paul

Authors:
Jason Ruiz; Phuong Dao.

Date: 2002

Description:

In this brief, HACER includes three tables that summarize the statewide high school graduation rates by race/ethnicity and raw data from school districts across Minnesota that have a relatively large Hispanic/Latino student population. Additionally, the brief looks closely at 47 school districts that have the highest and lowest Latino graduation rates relative to the statewide graduation rate of 78.1%. The data is from the larger report Completion Study for the Class of 2001 from the Minnesota Department of Children Families and Learning.

Latino High School Graduation Rates in Minnesota Brief:
The Class of 2001 at-a-glance

Author:
Deborah Bushway, Ph.D.

Date: 2002

Description:

This report brings together personal interviews, focus group data, quantitative data, and photos to introduce readers to the Latino community which has shaped the neighborhood known as the West Side. While describing a vibrant community that has been established for nearly eight decades, this report also imparts the strengths, needs and continuing growth of the Latino individuals and families that continue to live and work in this area. The study was conducted within the framework of an interactive, community-based model of research and utilized individual interviews and focus groups to seek the answers for the questions it presented.

Disparities in Health Access: Voices from Minnesota's Latino Community

Authors:
Lynn A. Blewett, Ph.D.; Sally A. Smaida, MPH.

Date: 2002

Description:

This report represents the synthesis of findings from seven rural and four metro-area Latino focus groups, conducted over the course of a two-year period. This collaborative community-based study was funded by the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), the Minnesota Medical Foundation, and the U.S. Health Resources and Service Administration State Planning Grant. They key findings fell into three categories: access to care and health insurance coverage, service quality and health status, and process, knowledge and education. The report concluded with an examination of provider-patient cultural issues and recommendations.

The Vitality of Latino Communities in Rural Minnesota

Author:
Deborah Bushway, Ph.D.

Date: 2001

Description:

In some rural Minnesota communities, the Latino population now accounts for approximately one quarter of the community's residents. Since the early diversification of these rural communities, there have been questions and challenges as these towns have sought to adjust to the changing population. This project seeks to identify and measure specific barriers and supports for community development for Latinos in Greater Minnesota.

Minnesota Latino Nonprofit Economy Report

Authors:
Paul Carrizales; Juan Carlos Ortega; Sonia Ahmad; Jon Pratt

Date: 2001

Description:

This report, produced by HACER and the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits, considers the landscape of Latino nonprofits in Minnesota and examines the impact that this sector has on the Latino community. Its results aim at identifying effective strategies and policy solutions to support the successful development of the Latino nonprofit community. The data presented in this report, including details on the operational and financial aspects of Latino nonprofits in Minnesota, and was gathered through surveys collected from these nonprofits.

Latinos on the East Side of St. Paul

Author:
Mary Martin, Ph.D.

Date: 2001

Description:

The experience of Latinos living and working in the Saint Paul's East Side neighborhoods, encompassing Sunray, Battle Creek, Highwood, the Greater East Side, Hayden Heights, Prosperity Heights, Hillcrest, Dayton's Bluff and Payne-Phalen. HACER estimates that approximately 12,000 Latinos live in the area. This report uses a blend of quantitative and qualitative research methodologies to illustrate the reasons Latinos come to the East Side, strengths and needs of the Latino community and the vision for the future of this established and hopeful community.

Economic Impact of Undocumented Workers in Minnesota.

Author:
James J. Kielkopf, M.S.

Date: 2000

Description:

Do the benefits of undocumented immigrants outweigh the costs? To answer this question economist James K. Kielkopf analyzes six industries that employ undocumented workers. The results presented in this report represent to date the most complete empirical estimate of the actual economic impact of undocumented workers in the State of Minnesota.

Census 2000 Summary: Latinos in Minnesota

Author:
Rafael Robert, MA.

Date: 2000

Description:

Minnesota ranked among the states with the most rapid growth in the Latino population. This one-page brief gives the raw population counts for cities and counties throughout Minnesota as reported in the 2000 Census.

The Chicano Latino Community in Minnesota: Recent Trends

Authors:
HACER, Urban Coalition.

Date: 1999

Description:

This report summarizes trends among the Latino population between 1990 and 1998. It looks at population estimates, school enrollment, economic comparisons, and health comparisons to fill information gaps between the 1990 and 2000 censuses.

Suburban Realities: Latinos in Dakota County

Author:
Mary Martin, Ph.D.

Date: 1999

Description:

This report presents the experience of Latinos in Dakota County, just south of St. Paul's West Side neighborhood. It is estimated that in 1999 more that 10,000 Latinos live in the county. Researchers examined demographic information, conducted face-to-face interviews with both Latinos and non-Latinos, and conducted focus groups with Latinos who work or live in the county. Photographs and quotes from the interviews help to convey why Latinos come to Dakota County, the strengths and challenges they have found in this suburban region.

Public Health and Health Care Access: Minnesota's Latino Community

Authors:
Ellie M. Ulrich, MPH; Lynn Blewett, Ph.D.

Date: 1999

Description:

In response to the growing concerns of the state of health and health care access of Latinos in Minnesota, the Minnesota Department of Health funded the Minnesota Chicano/Latino/Hispanic Health Care Access Project to explore the health and health care access needs of Latinos in Minnesota. This report summarizes the project's initial work of compiling current information about the health and health care access of Minnesota's Latino population and identifies areas where more research is needed. This report also presents data gathered from qualitative key informant interviews with 19 individuals throughout Minnesota. The information contained in this report serves as a guide for further study of health and health care access of Minnesota's Latino community.

Latino Realities: A Vibrant Community Emerges in South Minneapolis

Author:
Mary Martin, Ph.D.

Date: 1998

Description:

"Tremendous", "immense", "dramatic" are the words professionals and business people used to describe the growth of the Latino community of South Minneapolis. This study asks the questions that so many, consequently, have been asking: What is happening in the Latino community of South Minneapolis? How many Latinos are now in the area? Where are people living? What is life like for this burgeoning community? And perhaps, most importantly, how is this energetic community contributing to the city? This report seeks to answer these questions based on its findings from numerous focus groups and interviews, in addition to analysis of available quantitative data.

The Human Face of Poverty: Chicano-Latino Children in Minnesota

Author:
Mario C. Compean.

Date: 1995

Description:

How are Latino children affected when their families don't have or don't earn enough money to make ends meet? Through focus groups in the Metro Area and Greater Minnesota this report allows readers to understand the problem of poverty and its affects on Latino children. The report summarizes its findings and concludes the report with recommendations in the areas of education, health and human services, housing, nutrition and food, adolescent needs, racism and social justice.