Capi Usa

Economic EmpowermentIn 2024, CAPI served 1,146 unduplicated individuals through jobs and training programming, financial and homeownership services, and free tax services. Highlights included: Career Plans 402 MFIP and Career Pathways participants completed a work readiness assessment and developed a Career Plan. Job placement, income gains, & credentials earned 185 individuals secured and maintained employment with an average hourly wage of $21.80; 81 individuals successfully completed training; 53 earned at least one industry-recognized credential in healthcare, property maintenance, and/or green energy and 37 people continue in training to obtain at least one industry recognized credential.Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP) Served 252 individuals in 2024. Case Managers provided ongoing support and and advocacy to ensure success. The Counselor also assisted those solely seeking employment, assessing their situation to help them become job-ready. This included resume building, cover letter review, mock interviews, and even physically driving individuals to interviews. Our Education & Career Counselor effectively provided intensive case management services to MFIP participants seeking employment or training opportunities. This program concluded on December 31, 2024, and will not continue in the future. Career Pathways Our team served 164 individuals in 2024 and continued its services through (1) Property Maintenance Training in partnership with Century College and Osseo Adult Education; (2) Green Energy Training in partnership with the Center For Energy and Environment; (3) Certified Nursing Assistant training; (4) Long Term Care program in partnership with Century College and Osseo Adult Basic Education); (5) Southeast Asian job placement and training Services; (6) Internationally Trained STEM Professionals program for individuals seeking to acquire international credentials/transcripts reviewed from World Education Services, connect with and pass board/national certification exams, gain credit for prior higher learning, and obtain equivalent healthcare careers in the United States, and (7) the Restaurant Ready Program in partnership with the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation for individuals seeking to acquire credential/training for the hospitality industry. In 2024, our General Job Search services made a substantial difference by providing one-on-one job counseling to 43 individuals. Additionally, 67 individuals enhanced their skills through our work readiness and digital literacy workshops. We also organized 12 job fairs, encompassing both industry-specific and general job opportunities. These events were highly successful, with enthusiastic participation from employers who contributed to training cohorts, offered valuable insights, conducted mock interviews, and shared practical tips and information on job opportunities.Financial coaching and financial education The integrated services of CAPI's Financial Opportunity Center (FOC) provided 107 new individuals with 1:1 financial coaching and 78 existing participants for a total of 178. 85% of participants indicated at least one key financial outcome. FOC staff worked with 88 individuals to complete a family budget; 45 achieved at least one goal of their action plan, 20 increased their credit scores, 3 participants established credit for the first time, and 107 clients completed financial education classes (with 90% indicating enhanced knowledge).Homebuyer Services In 2024, 242 clients completed 8-hour Homestretch workshops; 107 received homebuyer financial wellness or homebuyer counseling, with 14 purchasing homes. CAPI hosted a monthly Homestretch Workshop to address language barriers and partnered with housing professionals who speak Spanish and Hmong. In 2024, the agency achieved HUD approval as a Housing Counseling Agency, marking a significant milestone that enhances its capacity and community impact. Throughout the year, 45 individuals achieved key financial outcomes, with 36 increasing their monthly savings and 6 reducing their debt. Thanks to Allianz funding, we distributed $6,700 in match savings to clients, with additional funds allocated for 2025. We also secured sponsorship from Wells Fargo to support comprehensive financial literacy workshops and two additional Homestretch workshops, further expanding their community education efforts. Additionally, the agency orchestrated the first AANHPI Resource Event in collaboration with community API partners to celebrate Asian Heritage Month and improve access to vital support services. They also launched the first Hmong Homestretch Workshop, providing essential homeownership resources to the Hmong community. Finally, CAPI partnered with such organizations as US Bank, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Cross Country Mortgage, Guaranteed Rate, NARHREP, and AAREA to promote its services.

In 2024, the Refugee Services Department served 231 unduplicated individuals across 5 program areas. Key outputs and outcomes of this unit's programs included:Afghan Housing Stability Program In 2024, 48 families in unstable housing situations were provided holistic case management services to help them decrease living expenses, increase their income, and work toward sustainable housing solutions and financial independence. 100% of these families received rental subsidies for 3 month increments to further help stabilize their living situation, totaling $423,651 in subsidies distributed. A total of 152 individuals have been supported through this program in 2024. Afghan Career Coaching Program Through the federal Office of Refugee Resettlement's Employer Engagement Program, CAPI's Afghan Career Coaching team has been working to build partnerships with employers to further skills development and career advancement opportunities for Afghan employees. In 2024, we secured 4 new employer partners who are committed to providing accessible career advancement pathways, job skills training, and work-based ELL courses. Through partnerships and training, the ACC program served a total of 38 clients in 2024, delivered 340 hours of English classes and 90 hours of job skills training and coaching. Employment and Career Supports In March 2024, CAPI was added to DHS RPO's EARN Program. We were awarded a new contract in October 2024 to implement the Employment and Career Supports program, which provides New Americans with services for employment placement across a range of employment needs. Services include employment skills assessment and goal planning, initial employment placement, employment upgrades that increase economic stability, and bridges to career pathway programs and opportunities for economic mobility. In 2024, we served a total of 86 clients, many of whom our Employment Counselors will continue to work with in 2025. Family Resource Connections Launched in October 2024, this program provides critical assistance to newly arrived families to resolve a wide array of immediate or short-term needs. Services focus on assisting households to access and navigate a wide array of community resources to resolve needs. We have hired two Family Resource Navigators, who collectively speak Spanish, Russian, and Ukrainian and will facilitate serving a broad range of New American clients.

Civic Engagement and Public PolicyCAPI's Civic Engagement programming unit works on behalf of legislative public policy and systems change priorities most vital to the immigrant, refugee, and BIPOC (Hennepin County) residents it serves. This includes a focus on equitable transit development along the Blue Line, representation at the ballot box, economic and racial justice, youth engagement, and immigrant and refugee advocacy. In 2024, as a program whole, CAPI attended 260 Coalition Meetings across a wide range of issue areas including Immigrant Advocacy, Food Justice, Anti-Displacement, Aging Supports, Environmental Impact, and Economic Mobility. Staff attended 189 Events and hosted 108 Events including both outreach and non-outreach events that reached more than 50,000 people. We, in partnership with our Subgrantees, engaged more than 18,000 people and posted 573 Social Media Posts.Civic Engagement CAPI's Civic Engagement work was expanded and diversified this year. We took on 4 sub-grantee partners including: Karen Organization of Minnesota, SEWA-AIFW, Believe in What's Possible, and One Neighbour. In addition, we hired 2 part-time staff to assist with voter outreach social media and canvassing efforts. In total, CAPI and partners assisted with 860 Voter Registrations, conducted 31 Voter Education Workshops, and attended 97 Voter Outreach Events. In addition, a total of 62.5 hours of Canvassing/Door Knocking was conducted and 97 different Phone Banking Sessions facilitated and attended. All of this worked to educate and encourage eligible voters to exercise their civic power to have a say in the 2024 elections.CAPI Youth Fellowship We continued to explore new and better ways of conducting our youth focused programing in 2024, steering it towards more hands-on experience in civic engagement and public policy work. We conducted 13 Youth Cohort Meetings and 11 Youth Focused Events, engaging 106 Youth from the community. Programing included education around General Civic Engagement, hands on Public Policy experience, and new Youth Voter Registration law. North Star Alliance Leadership CAPI as a Leader of the North Star Alliance pushed for policies that would protect the most vulnerable immigrants. Though the bill did not pass, the NSA made a notable mark and helped to start building immigrant protections within the State of Minnesota.