GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Puertas Abiertas is an organization dedicated to supporting women from all Latina backgrounds by providing them with personal assistance in accessing available resources. Much of their focus is on women and men going through a domestic violence or trafficking situation.
Before starting Puertas Abiertas in 2019, Andrea Inostroza-Castro worked as a therapist at a prominent Grand Rapids school.
She says she began to see a worrying trend.
“I noticed the suicidal ideation, the suffering of the children, mostly was because of domestic violence at home, or trafficking,” Inostroza-Castro recalled to FOX 17.
While there were resources available in Kent County for people dealing with domestic violence or human trafficking, Inostroza-Castro realized they weren’t all immediately accessible to those not fluent in English.
“It's very important to have a program that is culturally sensitive,” she said.
She began Puertas Abiertas with just two people doing the work, initially serving a group of thirteen Latina women.
The group has grown to 16 employees, now working out of an office on the second floor of 1345 Monroe NW.
They connect people to vital resources with a cultural approach and an awareness of each individual’s background and primary language.
“It is a bridge for everybody,” Inostroza-Castro explained.
They provide their clients access to all manner of programs— group therapy, one-on-one therapy, English classes, groups for LGBTQ+ adults and youth, GED classes and nutrition classes.
Program manager Julieta Tornes says some people are looking for help navigating the legal system, while others are looking for bare essentials.
“They are looking just for basic needs. It can be clothing, food…or they need an immigration attorney, they have a family case, they need a PPO…they are in a really, sometimes, dangerous situation.”
Since its inception in 2019, the group has served over 400 women, over 45 men, over 700 children and about 110 adolescents.
They are currently averaging about five to six new clients every week.
“We’re changing the ecosystem. I know we're teaching, we're improving behaviors at school,” Inostroza-Castro said. “This is a huge, huge cycle. It’s not only helping a woman or man get out of domestic violence or trafficking… it's everybody who the woman or man touch. It’s a change everywhere.”
More information on Puertas Abiertas can be found on the organization's website.
