:: Our purpose

The primary purpose of the HCP is to engage in any lawful act or activity for which not-for-profit organizations may now or hereafter be organized under Pennsylvania law governing such organizations and, without, in any way, limiting the generality or specificity of the foregoing, the HCP shall:

v  serve as an information clearing house for all Haitian communities and help build the capacity of member-organizations’ ability to provide appropriate professional social services;

v  empower Haitian refugee immigrant communities and organizations in Pennsylvania by  promoting their economic development;

v  educate the media and broader American public on Haitian cultures and experiences;

v  proactively seek and develop partnerships with not-for-profit public, private, educational, medical, Haitian American institutions, as well as other philanthropic and social services oriented organizations;

v  establish and strengthen relations, and maintain proactive dialogue with other non-Haitian communities in  the city of Philadelphia in particular, and the state of Pennsylvania in general;

v  bring Haitian interests and issues to the collective agendas of the different Haitian groups in Pennsylvania on refugee resettlement, social services, employment and job training, health, education, culture, etc.;

v  serve as a greater, louder and common voice and a unified agency of service and advocacy for the different Haitian groups;

v  balance the need for managed growth and unity of the coalition and its member-organizations, while enabling each member-organization to realize the vision of its particular group;

v  coordinate, integrate, unify and leverage the power of the organization, while at the same time, supporting and empowering the individual Member Organizations to maintain their identities and strengths, without fostering or encouraging dependency in the process;

v  develop and implement programs and services in the areas of employment and job training; education and enrichment for women, children, youth, and adults; housing assistance; health programs, such as women’s health, including pre- and post-natal education, mental health, Hepatitis B and HIV/AIDS outreach, prevention and education through its member organizations;

v  ensure that Haitian refugees and immigrants are assisted to attain self- sufficiency shortly upon their arrival in Pennsylvania; provide linguistic- and culture-appropriate support services and employment to them; and ensure coordination of public medical, cash and support services and effectively promote and encourage their early self-sustenance;

v  undertake needs assessments and write grant and other provider-oriented applications to fund projects, programs and proposals beneficial to member- organizations of HCP, while encouraging member-organizations to undertake independent projects and solicit support for such projects beneficial to their communities independent of HCP efforts;

v  establish and consolidate relationships with current and prospective funding providers, establish strategic partnerships with peer organizations, development systematic quality assurance procedures and policies, and link culturally sensitive and culturally competent resources to needs within the Haitian community;

v  act as agent, attorney-in-fact, broker, intermediary, commission or otherwise for member-organizations and, as such, to aid, develop plans and projects and solicit funding for implementation of such projects and services on behalf of member-organizations;

v  enter into and carry on contracts, union of interests, concessions or transactions of every kind, with any association, partnership, firm, corporation, State and Federal agencies incidental to achieving or carrying out the purpose of HCP and generally engage in, do and perform, any enterprise, activity or vocation that a natural person may or could do or perform and to do any legal acts or activities for which not-for-profit organizations may be authorized to do;

v  engage in one or more of the purposes as specified in Section 5018 (g) 3 of the Internal Revenue Code, including, the making of distributions to organizations that qualify as exempt organizations under Section 501 [c] [3] of the Internal Revenue Code; and,