Building engagement in immigrant communities through the arts, culture and food

Sean I. Robin, Executive Director, Hudson River Housing, Inc.
Elizabeth Druback-Celaya, Director of Organizational & Community Development

Challenge: In small cities and neighborhoods across the country, immigrant communities have taken up residence in vacant and blighted downtowns. As we work to revitalize these areas, how do we effectively engage immigrant communities and mitigate challenges such as communication differences, the lack of permanency and scarcity of trust?



The mission of Hudson River Housing is to improve lives and communities through affordable housing development, housing education and services, and neighborhood revitalization. Many of our efforts are concentrated in the small city of Poughkeepsie, NY, and within that, the Middle Main neighborhood, an ethnically and economically diverse community located in the heart of Poughkeepsie's Main Street corridor.

The Middle Main neighborhood is over 70 percent non-European American and is home to a diverse array of immigrant populations, with a majority from Latin America. Middle Main has more than double the Latino population of any other census tract in the City of Poughkeepsie. The neighborhood has been negatively impacted for decades by multi-lane highways which isolate it from surrounding neighborhoods, long-term structural poverty, crime, both real and perceived, and decades of limited public and private investment.

At the same time, the immigrant community has stemmed the deterioration of Main Street. Immigrant households have taken up vacant storefronts, launched and grown new enterprises, filled housing units with families, and brought a vibrancy of culture and heritage, artistic traditions, and food and beverage that are now core assets of the Middle Main neighborhood.

This dynamic is common in small cities across the region. Drawn by opportunity — for low-cost housing and entrepreneurship — and the possibility of living in an immigrant enclave, immigrant communities have taken root in areas that have otherwise been abandoned. Immigrants are by nature risk-takers, and they are not daunted by the challenge of building a home or business in depressed areas. The lack of attention from more mainstream public and private entities also forms somewhat of a shield, allowing them to recreate traditions and establish family and community networks with less fear of resistance.

These same dynamics, however, present challenges. As private and nonprofit entities work to bring economic vitality to struggling cities, how can immigrant households and businesses be effectively engaged as participants in revitalization? And how can existing social and economic networks be preserved and strengthened in the process?

In 2009, Hudson River Housing launched the Middle Main Initiative to unite residents, businesses, government and other stakeholders in building a sustainable, inclusive and participatory community. They focused on the creative use of arts, culture and food as a bridge to communication and engagement and placed a priority on celebrating the immigrant community's cultural heritage and traditions. The Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) festival is a prime example. It is a beautiful celebration of the cycle of life, celebrated especially in southern Mexico, where many of the residents of Middle Main hail from. Hudson River Housing's efforts showed the immigrant community that they not only saw and cared about their presence, but felt that it was worth celebrating. The festival also builds community pride, as immigrant residents see their heritage being showcased. Over five years, the festival has grown from a two-hour event to two weeks of hands-on workshops, informative lectures, art exhibitions, and performances, and attendance has multiplied tenfold. Importantly, participants represent a cross-section of cultures and races that are able to learn about the community's history and traditions and gain an enhanced appreciation and respect for cultural differences and contributions.

They have also worked to engage small businesses in neighborhood revitalization efforts. In Middle Main, immigrant-owned businesses are in the majority, and many are food establishments offering an array of authentic ethnic fare. In a neighborhood like Middle Main, where most of the housing is rental and the community is fairly fluid, small businesses are a more stable and rooted component. Most small business owners have invested all of their available financial capital in their business and the entire family is involved in operations. They have an incredible incentive to seeing the neighborhood thrive. In addition, businesses are often the best "eyes on the street," providing important information about quality of life and neighborhood dynamics.

Hudson River Housing's business engagement has led to the development of the Made in Middle Main campaign, which currently brings twenty neighborhood businesses — half of which are immigrant owned — together to support and promote the neighborhood, Through workshops showcasing the preparation of unique cultural food offerings, "Eat Middle Main" community lunches, and language-exchange learning programs, they are both promoting the business community and celebrating the cultural heritage of the business owners as a core asset of the neighborhood.

Through these and other efforts they have successfully engaged the immigrant community in community building and illustrated the immigrants' contribution as critical to the identity and stability of the Middle Main neighborhood.

Hudson River Housing's efforts reveal important lessons learned:

1. Go beyond acknowledgement to a commitment to include the immigrant community in organizing efforts and to building trust through cultural competency and a dedication to learning.
2. Build participation through celebrating and showcasing the contributions of immigrant residents and businesses as important to the stability and vibrancy of the neighborhood.