La Villa Hispana
Bob PerkoskiClark Fulton/La Villa Hispana neighborhood
A vision 35 years in the making is hitting critical mass as the community of La Villa Hispana takes shape with a renewed sense of community and a flurry of new development. Long known to Greater Clevelanders as Clark-Fulton, Cleveland's near west side has long played home to the state’s largest concentration of Hispanic residents—but is now branding itself with the identity to match.
FreshWater Cleveland will have a unique vantage point from which to follow the neighborhood's progress as we embark on a 12-week On the Ground reporting initiative covering La Villa Hispana. Long-time FreshWater contributor Mark Oprea is acting as lead writer, keeping "office hours" at Las Tienditas del Mercado and reporting from within the neighborhood.
The La Villa Hispana community reporting project is being made possible by partnerships with Dollar Bank, Hispanic Business Center, Esperanza Inc., Greater Cleveland Partnership, Cleveland Neighborhood Progress, and Cleveland Development Advisors.
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Too many Clevelanders, especially those living in the city's predominantly Black and underserved neighborhoods, struggle to make ends meet as a result of unemployment and underemployment. Many area organizations are working hard to meet the needs of people. Three Cleveland organizations are taking grassroots, creative approaches to supplying basic resources.
OhioMeansJobsǀCleveland-Cuyahoga County has partnered with Dave’s Markets to hold Community Outreach events in Dave’s stores throughout October to help job seekers find training and employment. Find out where to catch the events here.
Will Sanchez hasn’t been able to reopen the doors to his vibrant Clark-Fulton art gallery, La Cosecha Galeria, in nearly a year— but that’s not stopping this long-time local artist. Instead, Sanchez is doubling down and opening a new gallery space in Old Brooklyn, replete with a café and retail component.
Rolando Alvarez is kicking down doors to the knowledge of the world—the Internet. After working to bring high-speed Internet to rural villages in his native Bolivia, Alvarez's mission now is to connect more than 27,000 households around Cleveland in tandem with DigitalC.
Cleveland is lagging in responses to the 2020 U.S. Census, so community groups are taking some creative measures to encourage traditionally hard-to-reach groups to be counted—and it's working.
Michael Sanbury, a self-proclaimed historical renovation fanatic, knew when he saw the abandoned turn-of-the-century house on Daisy Avenue that it was the right home. After nearly two years of restorations, Sanbury and his wife, Bridget, own the pride of Daisy Avenue in the Clark-Fulton neighborhood.
In just over two years, Tanisha Velez grew her fascination with microgreens into a budding business in Tremont's storefront incubator program.
From cooking pots and cleaning supplies to groceries, the large Congolese refugee community living in Cleveland ensures everyone in their neighborhoods are cared for during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Abattoir Gallery is opening in a refurbished space inside a former sausage factory in La Villa Hispana.
LatinUS Theater, Ohio’s first independent Latino theater company, is staging their fifth Spanish-language production this month and plans to open in their own space next year in Cleveland’s Clark-Fulton neighborhood.
PRE4CLE is all about preparing preschoolers for kindergarten, which studies show pays dividends down the road. As the organization reaches the five-year mark, it has much to celebrate but also decisions to make about where to go next.
Change is coming to Clark-Fulton, in no small part due to these five energizing new projects.
You can't get much closer to home than people's backyards. Cuyahoga Arts & Culture is teaming up with ioby Cleveland (in our backyards) to raise matching funds that support innovative artists.
Throughout his childhood, Esbeey Madera lived in three different houses on Cleveland’s Near West Side—on Seymour Avenue, Brainard Avenue, and Bridge Avenue. None of those houses are still standing.
With the help of a $50,000 Cuyahoga Arts & Culture grant, the Hispanic Business Center is helping Latinx artists get more exposure, increase their reach, and receive business development support via the new Artist Colectivo network.
As La Villa Hispana continues to crystallize as a cultural hub, the neighborhood is amplifying the sounds, sights, and smells that make it so special—and events like La Placita and new spots like Las Tienditas are enticing all of Greater Cleveland to experience them.
Hispanic Americans are almost twice as likely to be diagnosed with diabetes than non-Hispanic whites, a fact that doesn't escape residents of Clark-Fulton—home to Cleveland's largest Hispanic/Latino population. Meet the changemakers working toward prevention and healthier eating options for the neighborhood.
Meet the local heroes working to restore a sense of safety in the Clark-Fulton neighborhood.
When Spanish-American Committee executive director Ramonita Vargas submitted 25 nursing candidates to a major medical institution for hiring consideration, she felt positive about their prospects—but was dismayed when all 25 were turned away “because their English wasn’t perfect.”
Jean Garcia and Xaidy Rodriguez aren’t like other siblings their age.
For one, they’re both bilingual transplants native to Ponce, Puerto Rico, a small city of 145,000 on the southern part of the island. At 19 and 15 respectfully, Garcia and sister Rodriguez helm one of the youngest restaurant startups to open on Cleveland’s West Side, well, in ages.
For one, they’re both bilingual transplants native to Ponce, Puerto Rico, a small city of 145,000 on the southern part of the island. At 19 and 15 respectfully, Garcia and sister Rodriguez helm one of the youngest restaurant startups to open on Cleveland’s West Side, well, in ages.
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