CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – James Santiago is living out his dream, owning and operating his business, Elevate Barbershop, within the very Clark-Fulton area he grew up in.
But even he needs to keep a close eye on his finances. “Making sure I have money, always making sure I have a rainy day stash on the side,” he said.
Northeast Ohio’s leaders gathered to discuss what they can do to help Hispanic businesses like Santiago’s and the community at large to prosper, gathering at Centro Villa 25 alongside members of the national Hispanic civil rights group, UnidosUs.
Jenice Contreras is the director of the Northeast Ohio Hispanic Center for Economic Development. She explains policy decisions at the national level can impact the Spanish-speaking communities at home.
“From stripping everything that’s diversity and inclusion…language we can no longer use. But to add to that is the pressure on our immigrant community in our city,” she said.
Contreras added these trends can lead to a sharp decrease in both confidence and spending: “There are folks in immigrant communities who are scared to go out publicly…that inevitably affects businesses they typically frequent.”
19 News also spoke to Irving Vasquez, who’s lived in Cleveland’s West side for decades. He points to the rising costs of everyday goods as a barrier.
“Year to year they have exponentially increased in price,” he said. “Jello, eggs, even chicken went up in price.”
So what can Cleveland’s Latino residents do to get financially ahead? The consensus this week focused on education and awareness.
“We need to be more mindful on the decisions of corporate interests, and we need to support our own,” Contreras said.
Vasquez added that Cleveland’s Hispanic organizations have several resources and tools available, but many aren’t informed about them: “I just spoke with a neighbor who’s from Central America and he just didn’t know how to approach some of these agencies because he didn’t know they were right here.”
The effort in Centro Villa this week hopes to find more solutions for people like Santiago, who want nothing more but to see their neighborhoods thrive.
“This business will be here, and it will be the roots that I plan to grow into the community,” the barber said.
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