'charlas' for Change: Latino Immigrant Men and Behavioral Health Providers Work to Improve Immigrant Services in Baltimore

Background and Purpose: Proyecto SALUD is an innovative Community Based Participatory Research (CBPR) study aimed at improving the social service infrastructure for undocumented Latino immigrant men working in Baltimore’s informal labor workforce. Previous research indicates a dearth of social and health services for this undocumented and often monolingual Spanish-speaking population. Undocumented Latino immigrant men working in the informal labor economy often face limited protections and heightened vulnerability due to their precarious legal status and the unregulated nature of their work. This presentation will report on Proyecto SALUD as a case example of how CBPR was successfully used to develop a coalition of immigrant-serving social service providers and Latino immigrant men to engage in dialogue and develop an actionable framework for positive changes in the immigrant social service infrastructure. We will further discuss how rapid policy changes and actions brought on by the Trump administration, including the commitment to enforce “the largest domestic deportation operation in American history,” highlight the promise and limitations of CBPR with socially vulnerable immigrants.

Methods: A Community Advisory Board (CAB) of Latino immigrant men and immigrant-serving social service providers was developed through ethnographic methods. Using elements of the Delphi method, an effective tool for generating structured conversation among participants, researchers organized four different to identify critical gaps in accessibility and care within the immigrant-serving social service infrastructure in Baltimore. Through a continuous process of engagement spanning three months, participants co-developed an Action Framework outlining goals for improving the immigrant-serving social service infrastructure in Baltimore.

Results: The CAB identified four main actionable goals: a) developing a centralized information hub for Spanish speaking providers and immigrants; b) increasing availability of responsive social and health services for immigrants; c) building up an advanced Spanish-speaking behavioral health workforce; and d) cultivating an environment responsive to workers’ rights and legal needs. The Action Framework comprehensively addresses structural, community, and practice aspects related to the immigrant social service system in Baltimore. Upon the conclusion of the ‘charlas,’ the researchers, Latino immigrant men, and behavioral health provider participants were tasked with specific action steps from the Action Framework to track and work towards. A “white paper” was developed based off this Action Framework and is currently being disseminated to critical stakeholders including local policymakers, funders, and social service leaders.

Conclusion and Implications: This study brought together a synergetic interdisciplinary bilingual team of researchers, behavioral health providers, and Latino immigrant men to co-develop and co-implement an Action Framework that moves beyond individual risk to address structural barriers to social services for a vulnerable and significantly underserved group of immigrant men. Findings reflect the strengths and limitations of this approach in affecting system-level change particularly during a time of increased deportation threats and restricted funding for social services.