What we do
From a humble but mighty beginning as an emergency shelter created by a small group of persevering Latinas, Esperanza United has grown into the largest, most-respected Latin@ organization in the country focused on ending gender-based violence.
Esperanza United provides family advocacy to Latin@ communities in the Twin Cities metropolitan area, meeting survivors where they are. We provide emergency shelter, comprehensive community-based advocacy, co-advocacy with other shelter programs and community organizations, and a 24/7 bilingual crisis line for Minnesota’s Latin@ community.
Esperanza United works with the entire community to prevent gender-based violence, using a whole-family approach. In Minnesota, our Fuerza Unida Amig@s initiative focuses on leadership development and community action planning among Latin@ youth, women, men, and gender non-conforming folks.
Esperanza United works with service providers nationwide to make sure that together, we are meeting the needs of Latin@ survivors. As a federal technical assistance (TA) provider, we help Latin@ groups, domestic violence organizations, mainstream agencies that work with Latinas and their families, and organizations that serve other, culturally-specific communities.
Esperanza United elevates the voices and realities of Latin@ communities through research and evaluation that promotes social justice in the field of domestic violence and sexual assault. Our research center conducts culturally relevant research to inform the creation of new strategies for engaging Latin@s and their communities in ending domestic violence.
Esperanza United works to ensure that policies nationwide are responsive to the needs and realities of Latin@ communities, advocating for enhanced rights and protections for survivors, immigrants, and Latin@s. We also decode policy changes and implications for Latin@-serving organizations, helping to better serve our communities.
From a humble but mighty beginning as an emergency shelter created by a small group of persevering Latinas, Esperanza United has grown into the largest, most-respected Latin@ organization in the country focused on ending gender-based violence.