Where we come from: a conversation with Doña Elsa

As we get closer to our 45th anniversary, our team has been looking back at the roots of this work. And when you want to know where you come from, you go to the people who were there. Our CEO Vivian Huelgo,JD and Adriana Alejandro Osorio, Phd recently sat down with Doña Elsa, one of our founders, to hear the story of Esperanza United in her own words.

Here’s some of what she shared.

It started with a community naming the problem

The idea for our organization began at the Spanish Speaking Affairs Council, known today as the Minnesota Council on Latino Affairs. That’s where domestic violence in our community was first brought forward, and where the push for state funding began.

When that funding finally came, Women of Color in the movement made a clear call: the money should go to a Latina-specific effort, not be divided up within a movement that was largely white-led. Our communities deserved services built by and for them.

Four sisters and a different way of leading

The work started with four sisters who led together as a collective, with no executive director. Not everyone believed that model could work. The Bremer Foundation funded them anyway and gave them room to figure it out.

The St. Paul YWCA also took a chance on them, renting the top two floors of its building for our very first shelter, even though its own board had concerns.

A shelter that honored culture and faith

That first shelter had a prayer room. From day one, this work was about serving Latinas in a way that honored our culture and our faith, not asking survivors to leave those parts of themselves at the door.

From the Y, we moved into a shared house, and then into our own home, El Refugio, on the East Side near Lake Phalen. Soon after, we hired our first executive director.

Building an organization and raising families, together

Doña Elsa’s son was born around the time we were founded. With no offices, the women took turns caring for each other’s children while they built this organization from the ground up.

That’s the kind of sisterhood we come from.

From Casa de Esperanza to Esperanza United

When we asked Doña Elsa what she’s proudest of, she didn’t hesitate. It was the moment Casa de Esperanza became Esperanza United.

What started on the top floors of a Y is now an international organization that brings advocates from Puerto Rico and beyond to Minnesota for training. She was also moved to hear how many of our alumni now lead organizations across the Twin Cities.

Her challenge for the next chapter

Doña Elsa didn’t just look back. She also gave us something to carry forward. She challenged us to stay close to young people, especially around dating violence and technology, and to rebuild the kind of volunteer relationships that keep people connected for decades.

Honoring the women who planted the seeds

Everything we do today grew from the hope of a beautiful tomorrow for Latina survivors of domestic violence. As we celebrate 45 years, we honor the women who planted those roots, and we commit to keep growing in the direction they pointed us.

Gracias, Doña Elsa.