PLATINUM2023

Solutions in Hometown Connections Corp

Our communities as pathways to empowerment and thriving futures

aka SHConnections   |   College Park, MD   |  www.shconnections.org

Mission

engaging with refugees and immigrants to build better communities

Ruling year info

2018

Principal Officer

Merritt Groeschel

Main address

8145 Baltimore Ave Box 458

College Park, MD 20740 USA

Show more contact info

EIN

82-1942936

NTEE code info

Ethnic/Immigrant Services (P84)

Family Services (P40)

Employment, Job Related N.E.C. (J99)

IRS filing requirement

This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.

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Communication

Programs and results

What we aim to solve

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Adjustment to life in the US can be challenging. The initial excitement and relief of reaching the US, often after a long and harrowing journey, can quickly turn to isolation and depression. Challenges for newcomers engaging in a new community are layered, and learning English can be the largest and most intimidating barrier. SHC programs are designed to help remove barriers, promote social connectedness and combat isolation.

Our programs

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?

English Language Learning

Child Friendly English Language Learning Groups in welcoming community spaces.

Population(s) Served
Families

The SHC Citizenship Preparation program tracks students through the entire citizenship and naturalization process.

Online civics classes teach civics material and prepare students for the Civics Exam portion of the interview. Classes are taught by professionally certified English Language instructors on Zoom.

After learning the material, students continue to participate in ongoing review weekly review booster sessions to solidify their civics knowledge and practice test taking strategies.

All citizenship students are invited to participate in guided weekly one on one Zoom tutoring by our network of volunteer tutors.

SHC partners with local immigration legal service providers to bring instructional workshops to students to present the process and answer general questions about filling out the application and what to expect in the interview. SHC families who need assitance preparing and filing immigration paperwork are connected to our legal partners for assistance.

Population(s) Served
Adults

SHC Pre-school classes are 30 minute classes taught by a professional childhood educator and are open to children ages 2-5 and meet twice per week on Zoom while SHC classes are in session. Children learn Kindergarten readiness skills such as writing their name, practicing alphabet, date, days of the week, weather, songs, numbers and learn to interact with their teacher.

Our Preschool class curriculum is complemented by a 30- minute librarian led storytime and songs from the New Carrollton Branch of the Prince George's County Memorial Library System on Zoom. When weather permits, SHC also participates in an outdoor Library storytime open to all at the Branch.

When SHC programs are held in person, a complementary SHC Pre-school program for children under 5 is always scheduled simultaneously in the same space or an adjacent space.

Population(s) Served
Economically disadvantaged people
Immigrants and migrants
Economically disadvantaged people
Immigrants and migrants
Infants and toddlers
Children

Where we work

Our results

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.

Number of participants attending course/session/workshop

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Population(s) Served

Immigrants and migrants, Adults, Children and youth

Related Program

English Language Learning

Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

This metric measures the number of participants consistently attending SHC English Language Learning (online and in person) during a calendar year.

Our Sustainable Development Goals

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.

Goals & Strategy

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.

Charting impact

Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.

SHC engages staff, volunteers and the community to help newcomer families become thriving members of our communities. SHC programs provide resources, training and support to volunteers, professionally led high-quality literacy and English learning programs for families; and assist individuals in navigating community resources and programs.

SHC creates opportunities for support and training for staff and volunteers so that each individual who is connected to a newcomer family has a network of resources and support that can create a path to empower refugees and immigrants to become part of our communities and make them stronger and more resilient.

SHC has a network of over 100 active volunteers, more than ¾ of these volunteers either volunteer with SHC for an extended period of time or return to help with SHC programs on multiple occasions. SHC leverages partnerships with other community-based organizations, resettlement agency affiliates, schools and universities, and state and county offices to access programs, and raise awareness.

Since SHC's founding in 2017, SHC has worked with more than 2,000 individuals in the metro Washington DC area. SHC's English learner program is focused on English learners who also need literacy support. More than ⅔ of SHC English learners return for multiple classes, and more than 80% report that SHC English class has helped achieve goals such as feeling more confident in the community, being able to complete tasks independently, and being able to interact with teachers and administrators in children's schools.

How we listen

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.

done We shared information about our current feedback practices.

  • Who are the people you serve with your mission?

    Refugees and other immigrant groups

  • How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?

    To inform the development of new programs/projects, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals

  • What significant change resulted from feedback?

    We try to match students with tutors who have requested them as part of our end of session surveys. We are adding additional literacy class levels to meet the need for deeper literacy support for our adult students.

  • Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?

    We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive

  • What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?

    It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback

Financials

Solutions in Hometown Connections Corp
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Operations

The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.

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lock

Connect with nonprofit leaders

Subscribe

Build 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.

Solutions in Hometown Connections Corp

Board of directors
as of 02/14/2023
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Board chair

Loan Nguyen

US Department of Labor

Marcie Bane

Elahe Darabi

Arabella Meyer

Meira Neggaz

Institute for Social Policy and Understanding

Aliya Husain

Workld Bank

Board leadership practices

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.

  • 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 ? No
  • 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? No

Organizational demographics

SOURCE: Self-reported; last updated 2/14/2023
info Candid has made improvements to the race and ethnicity options.

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
White/Caucasian/European
Gender identity
Female, Not transgender (cisgender)
Sexual orientation
Heterosexual or straight
Disability status
Person without a disability

Race & ethnicity

Gender identity

 

Sexual orientation

No data

Disability

No data

Equity strategies

Last updated: 03/25/2022

GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more

Data
  • We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
Policies and processes
  • We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
  • We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
  • We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.