An organization that connects the community
Casa Comunitaria de Recursos (CCR) was featured in a Poughkeepsie Journal report published on December 26, 2024. Journalist Nickie Hayes interviewed Gabriela Vega-Matthews, founder and executive director of CCR, to learn about the organization’s history and its work with Latino and immigrant families in Poughkeepsie.
During the conversation, Gabriela explained how CCR seeks to bring people closer to information, services, and opportunities available in Dutchess County, especially when language barriers or a lack of guidance make those resources harder to access.
From a community initiative to a nonprofit organization
The early efforts that gave rise to CCR began in 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic. During that time, Gabriela began sharing information and connecting members of the Hispanic and immigrant community with support services.
In 2022, Casa Comunitaria de Recursos was formally established as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
Gabriela also shared part of her journey in Dutchess County. For 20 years she worked as a liaison and advocate for the Hispanic community in the county’s Department of Behavioral and Community Health, an experience that allowed her to identify difficulties in accessing services and resources.
Language, the lack of accessible information, and the distance between some institutions and immigrant families were among the needs addressed in the interview.
CCR as a link between families and resources
One of the central points of the report was CCR’s role as an organization that connects people with services that already exist in the region.
Its work includes guiding families, helping them understand important information, providing support with documents, and facilitating communication with community organizations and government agencies.
Gabriela explained that the goal is for more people to learn about the resources within their reach and be able to use them to meet their needs.
Education and community engagement
The article also highlighted CCR’s initiatives to share information in Spanish and expand its community outreach activities.
Among the people mentioned in the report is Samantha Romero, who was collaborating on the development of CCR’s website and on efforts to gather information about resources and opportunities available to the community.
The publication also recalled an educational activity held around the November 2024 elections, attended by 35 adults and seven children.
During that meeting, elected representatives explained the responsibilities of various public offices and answered participants’ questions, offering an opportunity to better understand how local government works.
Supporting families during the holidays
The interview was published during the Holiday Helping Hand campaign, an initiative by Poughkeepsie Journal and United Way of the Dutchess-Orange Region to support Dutchess County children and families during the holiday season.
CCR was one of the organizations supported by the campaign. Through this collaboration, gift cards were provided for families in the Hispanic and immigrant communities.
This support allowed children from the beneficiary families to choose items for themselves during the holidays.
A mission that continues
In the interview, Gabriela noted that among CCR’s priorities for 2025 were immigration education, civic engagement, and health.
The Poughkeepsie Journal report helped share the efforts the organization had been making to make information more accessible and strengthen communication between families, institutions, and community services.
Original publication
Report written by Nickie Hayes and published in Poughkeepsie Journal on December 26, 2024, with an update on January 3, 2025.