BakerRipley
Project Title
For the development of a multi-sector plan to promote immigrant integration in Houston
Date
Sep. 08, 2016
Duration
12 months
Description
With 6.2 million residents, Houston is the country’s most diverse and rapidly growing metropolitan area. The Latino and Asian shares of the city’s population have more than doubled in the past two decades, and by the time of the 2010 U.S. Census, Houston did not have a majority racial or ethnic group. Of the city’s foreign-born population (604,475 individuals, as of 2013), 72 percent are from Latin America, 19 percent from Asia, 4 percent from Africa and 4 percent from Europe, and more refugees are resettled in Houston than in any other U.S. city. Despite this vibrancy and rapid growth, naturalization rates in Houston consistently fall below the national average (34 versus 44 percent of the foreign-born population). Citizenship rates are even lower for immigrants from El Salvador (24 percent), Mexico (22 percent), Guatemala (17 percent), and Honduras (14 percent). With Corporation support, the Neighborhood Centers will develop a citywide plan in partnership with business, civic, nonprofit, and government agencies to promote immigrant integration, including legal services for those applying for citizenship.