Esperanza Community Center

Empowering Northwood day laborers and families to thrive.

In the Northwood area, an “open-air labor market” began to develop next to Broadway and 44th Street several years ago. Up to 60 day laborers, primarily Mayan immigrants from Guatemala and Southern Mexico, congregate daily in an unorganized outdoor labor market where employers pick them up for work. A group of concerned citizens got together to address the problem in early 2019, and Esperanza Community Center was formed. The primary goal of the Center was to transform the problem of an unsafe and contentious open-air day-labor market into a safe day labor center. In addition, we have since learned that there are currently no organizations providing services on behalf of the broader Latino community in the Northwood area and the needs are many. The Center has expanded its focus to address the broader needs of this community.