Supporting Families

What We Do 

At Ciudad Nueva, supporting families means connecting our students and people in the Rio Grande Neighborhood in El Paso, TX with resources for job referrals, food, educational opportunities, short-term emergency assistance, and more. Over the years, we’ve been thankful for new programs that have been started thanks to the voices of our community. We encourage you to read more about how we are supporting families: 

Community Connectors 

Community Connectors are community residents who have been identified as leaders in the neighborhood and are hired and supplementally equipped by Ciudad Nueva to build relationships, identify assets, assess and resource needs within the community, connect community members to Ciudad Nueva programming, encourage and equip neighbors for leadership development opportunities, and refer residents to vital, local services.

Community Connectors particularly prioritize the most vulnerable residents in the neighborhood and are at the heart of all activity within Ciudad Nueva. Here are more specific ways our Community Connectors support families:

• Regular informal counseling + referral to dozens of local resources/agencies
• Occasional emergency rent or utility assistance
• Periodic provision of food, household items, furniture and appliances
• Assistance for enrollment in GED and job training programs
• Job search assistance and referrals
• Community college scholarships
• Connection of youth and families with local churches

Community Access Initiative

This initiative supports resourcing and empowering seniors and individuals with disabilities in the neighborhood, especially those who have not been previously connected with Ciudad Nueva. It was launched by our Community Connectors with seed money from the Anderson Foundation. Our Community Connectors and adult program coordinators are excited for this new opportunity to continue developing! 

Food Co-Op

Our food co-op was started in 2017 and is a program that connects with local grocers, warehouses, and other community partners to donate produce and shelf stable food items to our neighborhood-run food co- op. The community families and volunteers work together to collect, sort, and distribute food boxes, as well as work together to clean up afterwards. Co-Op members gather each time they meet to share life with one another and pray for one another’s needs, and sometimes those needs are met in that same room by one another.

The co-op members have shaped the program by requesting educational seminars which have covered topics such as tenants’ rights, immigration, parenting, healthy relationships, and English classes. Our Community Advisory Board was birthed out of our co-op as neighbors began to share with one another the needs they had for themselves and their community. 

Food Co-Op hours: Tuesdays 2pm-3pm & Thursdays 1:00pm-2:00pm. For more information, contact Alma Martinez at alma@ciudadnueva.org or (915)-408-7478. 

“Tiendita” (Little Store)

The Tiendita was also birthed out of our co-op and is held at Ciudad Nueva where families can purchase daily necessities at discounted or at-cost prices. Not only are these items made more accessible financially, the location of the Tiendita helps tremendously for those who might be without access to transportation to stores located outside of the neighborhood.

Funds raised from the Tiendita go back into the Tiendita, and co-op members decide what items are most needed.  This is a way for the community members to help meet their own needs with the resources they already have. 

Tiendita hours: Tuesdays 2-3pm and Thursdays 1-2pm. Contact Mari Guzman at maria@ciudadnueva.org or 915-251-7677 for more information whether it’s to join, volunteer sorting donated items, or to donate items. 

Esperanza Nueva

As a Department of Justice Recognized Agency with a DOJ-Accredited Representative, Esperanza Nueva (New Hope) is a part of Ciudad Nueva that allows us to walk alongside our neighbors who are in need of trustworthy and affordable immigration legal aid in the Rio Grande neighborhood of Central El Paso.

Our goals for this include reducing barriers to effective legal aid for individuals and families in our area, providing an avenue to security and self-empowerment through immigration legal resources, and combating the negative effects of notario fraud on low income communities.

Get Involved at Ciudad Nueva
To get involved in our programs that focus on supporting families, we encourage you to contact us online or call 915-521-2951. To support financially, please visit our donation page where you can securely give online.