Barriers, Challenges and Opportunities for Social Services in a New Immigrant Settlement City

Nationally, a new trend in migration includes the settlement of Latino migrants in cities without an established community of Latinos, such as Baltimore. Latinos are the fastest rising ethnic group in Baltimore with census data indicating a doubling of the population from 11,061 in 2000 to 25,960 in 2011. While social service delivery is highly critical in the maintenance of the health of vulnerable populations, little is known about the context of social services in new settlement immigrant destinations.

Purposive theoretical sampling was utilized to recruit social service providers who work with Latino immigrant clients. In-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with 26 social service providers.  

Findings reveal that limited number of Spanish speaking providers coupled with a rising Latino immigrant population may be exacerbating health disparities among Latinos in Baltimore. Further barriers include: limited resources such as childcare, transportation, and lack of programs in Spanish as well as mental health stigma.

Baltimore is at a crucial moment in which identifying how to reach its vulnerable, hard to reach immigrant residents is a central challenge for public health workers. Discussion will include strategies to assist social service providers best meet their Latino immigrant clients’ needs within a new immigrant settlement context. Implications suggest that Schools of Social Work and Public Health in these cities must make concerted efforts to recruit and retain Spanish speaking students. Further training and retention of Spanish speaking providers is also urgently needed to facilitate the health of Latino immigrants in new immigrant settlement destinations.