A look at how CasaLuz helps protect the Hispanic community in Memphis

CasaLuz's office is normally busy with women and children, receiving counseling services and meeting with legal advocates ― but on this particular day, the power to their building was out. A tower that feeds power into the building had fallen the day before, leaving it without air conditioning and lights.

At the front door, Inés Negrette, executive director and founder of CasaLuz, saw a woman pull into the parking lot with her child in tow and immediately kicked into action. The woman had an appointment, but due to the lack of power, all appointments were canceled. Negrette explained that the woman received a phone call, notifying her of the cancelation and that the appointment would be rescheduled.

Even without power, CasaLuz's mission ― working to reduce domestic violence and related crimes in Memphis' Spanish-speaking community ― didn't stop. Memphis's Hispanic and Latino population has seen significant growth since CasaLuz was founded in 2015. According to the 2020 U.S. Census, the Hispanic and Latino population has grown to 8.4% in Shelby County.

The domestic violence advocacy center provides its services completely in Spanish and is dedicated to putting culture first for its Hispanic and Latinx community members. CasaLuz is also the only domestic violence support provider in Memphis and Shelby County that services only the Hispanic and Latinx communities. CasaLuz uses the gender-neutral term "Latinx" to describe the organization's mission.

The cultural aspect of the services CasaLuz provides is also important, Negrette said. During the COVID-19 pandemic, CasaLuz still provided restricted in-person services as a dedication to putting culture and language at the heart of their services.

CasaLuz provides legal orders of protection to rent assistance for their clients

When a client first calls the CasaLuz office, an assessment is done over the phone by one of Negrette's staff and an in-person appointment is made. Negrette said the first appointment can last hours, as this is sometimes the first time a client has opened up about their abuse.

All legal work is done in-house, and phone calls to the police are also performed by the legal advocates who work at CasaLuz. Legal advocates will go to court with the victim and a partner attorney, they also file protective orders and go to the police station to receive the paperwork. Communication between the legal advocates and the victim is all done in Spanish, one way CasaLuz is dedicated to putting culture and language first, Negrette said.

The advocates can also connect clients to other services like medical services where CasaLuz knows that there are staff members who speak Spanish. Not only are legal advocates available for clients, CasaLuz has two Latina counselors for both adults and children. The counselors provide short-term therapy for victims of domestic violence, all in Spanish.

CasaLuz also has weekly support groups, and weekly classes like yoga, self-defense and English as a Second Language for all clients who use their services.

The services are not restricted to female survivors of domestic abuse, men often seek out help from the organization. Negrette said because of the "macho" behavior of men in Latin American culture, it is difficult for men to come forward.

She told the story of a man who sought out services from CasaLuz, and he showed up to his appointment bleeding from an injury inflicted on him by his abuser.

"He told me that his wife puts some scissors on his head. It was not in deep, but it was a lot of blood," Negrette said.

His wife, an American woman, began using his immigration status as a weapon against him ― a common occurrence in the abuse cases Negrette sees. The wife told the victim that even if the police were called, they would not believe him because he's not a citizen.

The man did not want the police to be called for fear that he would be made fun of. After some encouragement, the male victim finally let Negrette call the police. Negrette stayed by the victim's side throughout the police intervention and supported him throughout the ordeal.

At the end of the intervention, the police officer turned to Negrette and asked that she tell the victim that he was proud of him for coming forward.

"The officer said 'Tell him that as a police officer 10 years ago, I was in the same place he is right now, and I know how difficult it is. Tell him that he made my day today,'" Negrette said.

Civil Rights Act requires language services

Service organizations that receive federal grants are required by the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to provide services that do not discriminate against race, color or national origin ― this includes providing language support and assistance. Negrette said that many organizations are not aware that they are violating this when they turn away or do not provide services to individuals because they cannot speak English and the organization does not provide an interpreter or translator.

Negrette gave a presentation at the Symposium on Ending Homelessness, organized by the Coalition for the Homeless, to inform organizations that providing language support is required by law. While CasaLuz does not technically provide homelessness assistance, they often find themselves assisting those in need of housing because of domestic violence.

Negrette has had her fair share of instances where housing assistance providers have denied clients because they were not proficient in English. In one instance, Negrette has been told by organizations that they do not work with immigrants because it is "too hard." When Negrette met with a civil attorney regarding this, they said it had been years since they heard that.

It took months until Negrette was able to get in touch with someone within that organization, and when she finally did they asked her to provide training to the staff.

Federal grants keep services, in-kind donations allow for more flexibility

CasaLuz's funding sources are mainly from federal grants and state grants, with the exception of some small philanthropic donations here and there. Even when the money has come close to running out, Negrette said they have still provided services to their clients.

Grants from both federal and local governments come with restrictions, and that can sometimes be an issue, Negrette said. The monetary donations are non-restrictive, and they are able to make up the difference when the grant money isn't enough.

"Let's say (a client's) rent is $1,000 and based on the percentage of the staff on each grant issued can cover a little bit," Negrette said. "Let's say (the grant) covers $500, we need to pay the difference."

The cash flow account allows CasaLuz to help victims get rental assistance when leaving abusive situations, provide food and clothing for victims and gives the organization a little "cushion" Negrette said.

CasaLuz will be holding an online auction starting Oct. 1, in honor of their eight-year anniversary. The money raised will be used to make up the difference between grant funding.

Brooke Muckerman covers Shelby County Government for The Commercial Appeal. She can be reached at brooke.muckerman@commercialappeal.com and followed on Twitter/X @BrookeMuckerman.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: CasaLuz Memphis: a look inside the group helping Latino domestic abuse survivors