http://www.nbc4.com/news/4865302/detail.html



Brochure Targets Local Hispanics
Brochure Written In Spanish Language

POSTED: 7:43 pm EDT August 17, 2005
UPDATED: 7:47 pm EDT August 17, 2005

WASHINGTON -- The D.C. government wants the city's 55,000 Hispanic residents to know more about city life and city services, officials said Wednesday.

A new Spanish-only brochure was introduced Wednesday to help Latino residents who are struggling with housing and other needs.

D.C.'s housing boom is still driving up prices for expensive condos replacing once-cheap apartments. It's a major worry, city officials said, and the city's black and Latino communities are hard-pressed by gentrification.

"It's a big, big concern, which is why in everything we do, we're pushing affordable housing." Mayor Williams told a crowd at the brochure's unveiling.

Officials said they're receiving numerous requests for the new brochure.

"It's dispersing very rapidly to Ward 4 and Ward 5. We've even received a lot of calls from people living East of the river," said Gustavo Velasquez, director of the D.C. office of Latino Affairs.

The brochure was distributed at a street fair that drew thousands of business, community and neighborhood officials and residents.

"It's a good way to approach the Latinos to show the community how the government works for them," said D.C. resident Jairo Cvallos.

Mayor Williams, who hasn't said publicly whether he'll run for re-election next year, plunged into the crowd like a candidate, although sources tell News4 Williams doesn't plan to seek re-election.

Officials say that Spanish is the primary language in almost three-quarters of Latino homes in Washington, D.C.

Central city Ward 1 has the largest number of Latinos in D.C., but the Spanish population is growing the fastest in the District's upper Northwest Ward 4, officials said.