BY KRISTIN COLLINS - Staff Writer
CARRBORO -- A nonprofit that served Orange County's Latino population for a decade closed its doors this week, saying the recession had taken a heavy toll on its funding.

El Centro Latino provided English classes, after-school childcare, employment assistance, interpretation and other services to the Spanish-speaking community, which makes up about 6 percent of Orange's population.

It closed Wednesday after its board of directors decided it did not have enough money to continue operating. The group relied on contributions from individuals and small businesses, as well as private and government grants - all of which board members say had fallen off steeply.

"It has been a wonderful nonprofit that has provided so many good services to the community," said Paula Gildner, a UNC-Chapel Hill researcher and board member. "It was just the recession. It's hit a lot of nonprofits hard, especially small ones like ourselves."

Gildner said the board has not given up on El Centro. It did not dissolve the organization and plans to hold a community meeting in January, bringing together county leaders, the Hispanic community and funders to talk about whether the group can continue any services.

For now, Gildner said, only the after-school program, run in cooperation with UNC-CH, will continue. English as a second language courses also will continue through Durham Technical Community College, though they will no longer meet at El Centro's office. The group's three full-time employees lost their jobs.

A group of Hispanic leaders spurred the creation of El Centro in 1999. It was among several service centers that sprang up in the Triangle as the Hispanic population surged, offering guidance, education and cultural events to people isolated by language and cultural differences. Similar centers still operate in Durham and Siler City, and Raleigh remains home to the statewide advocacy group El Pueblo.

"This is a huge loss for the community," said Chris Moran, director of the philanthropic Interfaith Council for Social Service, which shared an office building with El Centro. "Latinos need to have a place where they can come to and feel safe, where they can express their needs in their first language. Now where are those folks going to go?"

The group's tax reports show that its grants and donations had been declining for several years. In 2007, the most recent year for which tax reports are available, it took in about $190,000 in contributions, down from about $250,000 in 2003. In the past few years, the group sought out cheaper office space and went through several changes of leadership. An interim director, Ilana Dubester, had been running the group since April.

Needs remain

Board members say employees worked hard with limited resources to provide a safe haven for recent immigrants. In the past year, they were deluged with clients looking for help finding jobs, Gildner said.

Many say they hope El Centro eventually will reorganize with more secure funding.

"The needs are absolutely still there," said Richard Gugelmann, a pediatrician who left El Centro's board about three months ago. "And everybody there is dedicated to trying to help, but at the moment they just can't."

http://www.newsobserver.com/news/local_ ... 13989.html