Our Program
In 2020, under the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power's (LADWP) Community Partnership Outreach Grants Program, Hermandad Mexicana Nacional (HMN) developed its pilot program, Juntos Conservamos Agua y Energia. In 2022, HMN applied and signed an MOU on July 16, 2022, to implement Juntos Conservamos Agua y Energia in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Wilmington and Council Districts 1, 6, 7, and 15. The program continued until June 15, 2023. Our organization has been established in the area since 1994 and is well-known in the community. HMN has offices in various parts of Los Angeles County and Wilmington.
HMN continues to address the critical and immediate concerns of disadvantaged communities, the lack of access to financial resources, and the severe consequences of climate change. Juntos Conservamos Agua y Energia demonstrates how Spanish-speaking and immigrant communities can contribute to protecting the environment with a particular focus on water and energy conservation. We encouraged people to become educated about climate change, access available financial resources, and save on utility bills. HMN's overall goal is to help residents overcome racial and ethnic health disparities and reduce the social and economic problems related to the environment. HMN plans to narrow the persistent gaps and existing inequalities among the Spanish-speaking population.
Our purpose
The "Juntos Conservamos Agua y Energía" program, operating during the 2022-2023 contract period, primarily addresses urgent water and energy conservation concerns. This cycle emphasized climate change, electrification, and financial assistance programs. To reach its target audience, the program employed an array of outreach strategies, including in-person interactions, emails, phone calls, and letters.
Hermandad Mexicana works in high-risk communities. The communities where immigrants live in the state of California have been identified by the California Environmental Protection Agency as high-risk communities. They are low-income and face higher levels of poverty, and pollution, and are located near transportation routes, and industrial facilities or garbage dumps and refineries. The target population encompassed citizenship graduates and applicants, LAUSD parents, senior citizens, LADWP clients, low-income individuals, residents of housing projects, and those in low socioeconomic neighborhoods. Partnerships were forged with community and faith-based organizations, parks/recreational facilities, and senior centers.
How do we help at Hermandad? We give workshops educating about the current state of our environment and explain how we can take action to help protect our environment. We offer tips on how to make positive changes at home and we offer financial assistance helping to apply for discounts and past due bills financial aid. At the end of the workshop we give participants a set of LED lightbulbs or a gift card as a thank you. We want you to be part of the solution and not just the problem, we want you to be part of improving water and energy consumption, improving the environment, your health, and your income.