El Futuro

Programs: The last ten years have been a "stormy season" for north carolina's public mental health agencies. Budget cuts and poor planning have unfortunately led to negative consequences for many agencies offering public mental health services. Over the same period of time, the immigrant population has continued to grow exponentially. The needs of this growing latino community have challenged an already frail state mental health and substance abuse health system. During this time, el futuro has built a stable program based upon solid partnerships and sound practices. El futuro is a young and dynamic organization that has attracted national recognition for its pioneering work to provide mental health and substance abuse services to latino families in central north carolina. Many of those we help have experienced sexual abuse, physical abuse, human trafficking, migration trauma, and many ohter traumas associated with poverty and immigration. Over the last twelve months, we served 1,680 clients through 10,761 sessions and maintained an average of about 6. 4 visits per person - demonstrating help provided that is not just crisis-oriented but also having long term impact. El futuro has recruited an expert team of dedicated clinicians. The bilingual staff provide culturally appropriate care in a professional environment, where individuals are treated with dignity and respect. The clinical work of el futuro includes evidence based practices used by clinicians who are licensed behavioral health service providers in north carolina. Each person served is assessed before, during and after treatment in order to measure their improvement. This helps ensure the right type of service is provided to meet each indivdual's needs. The majority of those helped are uninsured and live below 200% of the federal proverty level. Most are classified as the "working poor" - meaning that they work for very low wages and their families live below the poverty level. Main areas of program development over the last year include the child and family trauma treatment program and substance abuse treatment program. Referrals to el futuro come from a variety of sources - primary care providers, schools, social service agencies, churches and hospitals. As our work has grown and we have established trust or "confianza" with the local latino community, additional referrals have come from friends and family of those we have served. Surveys of our former clients indicate 99% of respondents reported feeling helped and respected. Additionally, 99% of clients explained that they would recommend el futuro's services to friends or family.