The Olympics in Rio de Janeiro have netted the US teams 19 medals including 5 gold metals thus far. These athletes are incredible and have worked hard to get to this point in their career. *HPLA extends it sincere best wishes and prayers for a safe and successful conclusion to this years events and we are confident that “Team USA” will once again show the world our dedication to hard work. honesty and a winning sprit.

While some of these athletes have tremendous and ongoing support others have very little or no support and yet are able to compete and make a good showing. Those with the least support generally don’t medal, with very few exceptions. So is the lesson here that with enough resources anyone can become a gold medalist?  I dare say that natural talent and abilities play a large part in the winners but without resources and support even the most talented will lose.

For HPLA the same holds true for those we help and support. The combined resources of charities working together along with private donations from you make great things happen. Although some charities have earned continued support through hard work and years of dedication much of that support has a hard time reaching the grassroots organizations like ours. The process to get minor home repairs for a home owner who has fallen victim to the accelerated raising cost of goods with little or no increase in income causes structures to go unpainted, leaky faucets to go unfixed and in the hottest part of the year air conditioning systems to remain idle. One utility bill for a elderly person to stay cool may take an entire month of available income. To add insult to injury cities and counties are mandated to issue code violations and demand a home to be kept up or the home owner is fined. In rare cases homeowners are forced to give up their homes and go elsewhere.

So what is the answer?

As we are all very painfully aware, the attraction of a one million dollar grant to help the elderly  can be easily used up in research to locate and contact individuals in need and or by offering a large salary to someone to manage the grant money. It does take special skills and education to dot the i’s and cross the t’s in satisfying the grant demands. But the end result is reduced funds and a lottery system for those in need to jump through hoops and fill out applications with legalese not  translatable to most of these poor folks. The waiting list is long and help months away if not years away. (i.e. Mrs. G has gone without hot water all summer due to a broken hot water heater which is beyond repair)

So for these potential Special Olympians the reward is not fame and notoriety, for these Olympian’s it is the support to have the ability to survive and acquire the most basic of physiological resources; food, water & a suitable shelter. Your private donations can go to replace that hot water heater. Labor and installation provided by HPLA.

Habitaciones Para Latinos Association has dedicated it’s efforts to help Latinos but, to date, we have done less work and supported less Latinos than any other culture. We do not turn anyone down if resources are available!!

It is a first come first served system but, we are doing our best to get the word out to those neighborhoods that tend to house Latinos. Please help us educate everyone on our existence and to call if a need arises which would require basic home repair. Secondly, please donate. Even one dollar. All donations go directly to buy materials and supplies and not to operate or propitiate the existence of our association unless so designated by you.

Si se puede.

God Bless You.

Sincerely,

Robert Flores-Chairman

Habitaciones Para Latinos Association

HPLA

*We operate in Kansas City Metro & Wyandotte County Kansas