Pictured: Hugo Carvajal (second from left) with Latino Support Network team members Leandro Diaz and Cardeliz Paez and Co-founder Rafael DeLeon.
“Without knowledge and an education on how to navigate the system, a new culture, a new country, people run into problems and issues; abusive landlords, predatory lending. If you don’t know then you’re prone to be abused. We had wanted to create a nonprofit that would provide support for Latinos and an understanding on how to integrate into the US; not assimilate, but integrate, bring what we can contribute and the best that we can offer and adapt and learn.”
– Hugo Carvajal, Founder & Executive Director, Latino Support Network CDC
Meet Hugo Carvajal, Founder & Executive Director of Latino Support Network CDC and the recipient of our 2024 Josephine McNeil Community Impact Award!
Lawyers Clearinghouse staff chose to recognize Hugo because of the work he and the team at Latino Support Network have done over the past decade to create a safe, welcoming, and supportive space for the Latinx community in Lynn and beyond.
Hugo and co-founders Rafael De Leon and Thelma Fuentes first started LSN in 2014 after they were connected with volunteer attorneys through the Clearinghouse’s pro bono Legal Referral Program. They wanted to help recent immigrants access resources and educational classes related to citizenship, finance, English as a second language, and computer literacy—services Hugo says are “essential” for the immigrant community when trying to navigate a new place and build a solid foundation for the next generation.
Since its founding LSN has grown a great deal. In 2021, the organization was designated as a community development corporation (CDC) by the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities, which has enabled it to focus more heavily on supporting families and small businesses through economic development and the expansion and preservation of affordable housing.
As a CDC, LSN is working in partnership with The Neighborhood Developers to create 90+ units of family affordable housing in Lynn, and Hugo and the team have partnered with the Emerald Cities Collaborative to help residents address housing conditions that negatively impact their lives and health. The organization is also working on initiatives to better support the needs of vulnerable communities, including refugees, asylum seekers, and other immigrant populations in the city.
Head to the LSN website to learn more.
We look forward to celebrating Hugo and highlighting the work of Latino Support Network at our upcoming 36th Annual Meeting, where we’ll also recognize Nolan Leadership Honoree Clark Ziegler, Executive Director of Massachusetts Housing Partnership, and Pro Bono Excellence Awardee Dick Bauer, Access to Justice Fellow and Clinic Consultant. Join us on September 26!
