EL BUEN SAMARITANO EPISCOPAL MISSION
Strengthening Families
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Almost 25 percent of Travis County, Texas Latinos live in poverty and 25 percent do not have medical insurance. Our service delivery model is specifically tailored to meet the needs of the low-income Latino population in the Austin area and the three counties that surround it. Ninety-five percent of our clients live at or below 200% of the Federal Poverty Limit and face barriers to education, healthcare and financial security. Our integrated services support the whole family with emergency food, education and healthcare. Additionally, we support those who are at increased risk of social isolation.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Adult Education
Our program strengthens a family’s ability to improve their physical, emotional and financial wellbeing by promoting educational attainment, job promotion and family engagement through digital literacy and English as a Second Language classes.
Youth Services
Our youth education programs including after school tutoring & enrichment and summer camp, are designed to improve academics, physical activity, nutrition and social and emotional learning. Registration occurs three times per year in August, January and May.
Family Planning
El Buen has been a Title X provider since July of 2007 and is currently the only Title X provider in Central Texas. Title X is a federal program with the intended goal of “providing individuals the information and means to exercise personal choice in determining the number and spacing of their children.” El Buen provides bilingual, bicultural, and confidential reproductive life planning services to individuals of reproductive age. Reproductive life planning sessions includes goal setting on how and when to start your family and the personal values and resources to achieve those goals. Our Community Health Worker (CHW) team is highly skilled in motivational interviewing and client centered counseling techniques that allow us to meet clients where they are.
Community Health Worker Training Center
A Community Health Worker (CHW) or “promotora” is a trusted member of the community who has a uniquely close understanding of the community served. This relationship enables community health workers to serve as a bridge between health and social services and the community to facilitate access to services and improve the quality and cultural competence of service delivery. Community Health Workers are an essential workforce contributing to the health and wellbeing of individuals and communities.
El Buen Samaritano has played a key role in the strengthening and sustainability of the Community Health Worker workforce in Austin, Travis County since 2012. El Buen hosts the only bilingual certified Community Health Worker Training Center in Central Texas, which provides comprehensive bilingual certification for community health workers. Certified in 2012 by the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS), El Buen has certified over fifty-five CHW’s through our training program, and over 125 CHW’s have received bilingual continuing education units or CEUs. The individuals that participate in our program have competencies not only in skill, but also in cultural relevance that can be translated throughout the State of Texas and beyond.
Access to Food
El Buen's food pantry has long served as a central program. We have worked in partnership with the Central Texas Food Bank for the past several decades to ensure Central Texans have access to healthy and nutritious food for themselves and their families. We know that many of the clients we serve live below the federal poverty line and/or in food deserts. We are committed to ensuring equity to food access in our community. Our food pantry offers emergency food assistance with nutritious food to families who have financial limitations, regardless of where you live. No appointment is necessary. If you qualify for SNAP, TAN F, or Medicaid you automatically qualify for assistance. We provide food assistance to our clients for six months at a time, twice a month. Our wonderful food pantry staff and volunteers are available to assist you in English and Spanish.
El Buen Samaritano has a beautiful, organic community garden that hosts both plots for community members and production plots for our food pantry. There are 19 total production plots and 17 community plots. Plot availability is dependent upon the beginning of each season. The Spring season begins March 1st and runs through the end of August, while the Fall season begins September 1st and runs through the end of February.
Where we work
External reviews
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of clinic visits provided
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Ethnic and racial groups
Related Program
Access to Food
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
The clinic was transferred to another health care entity in 2019.
Number of students enrolled
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Students enrolled in Family literacy programs (adult education and ESL, digital literacy, and youth services) In 2020 our student population decreased due to pivot online due to COVID-19 pandemic.
Number of people within the organization's service area accessing food aid
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
Individuals who access El Buen's food pantry and community garden
Number of clients served
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Ethnic and racial groups
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
From all programs (duplicated)
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Reports and documents
Download strategic planLearn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
El Buen Samaritano aims to empower and support families, helping them gain the skills and resources necessary to lead healthy, productive and secure lives.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
We offer a variety of services to help our clients address a range of issues:
Education and Supports
• Adult Spanish, English and computer classes
• Youth tutoring and summer day camp
Wellness
• Emergency and supplemental food assistance
• Nutrition counseling
• Community garden
• Health classes
• Spiritual services
• Financial and rental assistance
Prevention and Health Services
• Health screening
• Health education
• Diabetes self-management education
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Since its inception, El Buen has been at the forefront of responding to the many social-environmental factors leading to lack of access to health care, social services, education, and nutrition. Over time, El Buen has adapted to meet the community needs that come with population growth, immigration, and economic fluctuations.
This adaptation to change has led to our comprehensive strategy of becoming a “one stop shop” to address the needs of the Latino and Spanish-speaking community in Travis County and surrounding areas. Through our Family and Health Literacy programming, El Buen provides education (ESL, Digital Literacy, Adult Basic Education and High School Equivalency in Spanish), workforce development, child and adolescent development (parenting and school-readiness, after school tutoring, and summer camp), health literacy (access to health services, chronic disease management classes and screenings), a year-round, no-cost food pantry, and a community garden where clients can grow their own healthy food. These services are provided by bilingual bicultural staff that includes community health workers (CHWs), volunteers, and health and social services practitioners.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
In 2018, El Buen’s Board of Directors decided to transfer its health care services to Lone Star Circle of Care (LSCC) through contractual affiliation. Clinic operations were officially transferred in July 2019. Since then, El Buen has set out to reinvest in its existing basic needs programming, including education services with a particular emphasis on youth development and education. We embarked on the process to create a new multi-year strategic plan in November 2019. This past spring, as a result of COVID-19, we had to adapt our strategic plan to ensure continuity of operations throughout the pandemic. We shifted our focus to serving as a “first responder” emergency response organization. Through this emergency response operation, we have provided families with access to food and cash assistance and have pivoted to virtual strategies to operate our adult and youth education services, workforce development, and health literacy programs. This recalibration has ensured the health and well-being of our staff and volunteers, as well as providing technology and connectivity to families to ensure equitable access to our online remote services.
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
EL BUEN SAMARITANO EPISCOPAL MISSION
Board of directorsas of 03/08/2022
The Rt. Rev. Kai Ryan
Episcopal Diocese of Texas
Term: 2019 -
Gustavo Hernandez
The Rev. Chad McCall
Minister, St. David's Episcopal Church
Luisa Gavino-Martinez
PNC Bank
Ana Hernandez
Program Coordinator, Girasol at TXICFW
Gustavo Hernandez
Silicon Labs
The Rev. Minerva Skeith
Rector, St. John's Episcopal Church
Katy Sauer
Still Water Foundation
Cassy Mora
Pioneer Bank
Ramiro Lopez
Law Office of Ramiro Lopez PLLC
Meg Erskine
Multicultural Refugee Coalition
Tom Canby
Jennifer Gerber
April Kerwin
Concordia University
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
No data
Gender identity
No data
Transgender Identity
No data
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data