At Casino Road ‘village,’ immigrants navigate complex new American lives

EVERETT — Niuvys Prestamo was folding clothes in a laundromat on Casino Road when she heard some people speaking her native language over the roar of washers.

The Cuban woman, 37, had immigrated to Snohomish County just days prior. After striking up a conversation, the stranger encouraged Prestamo to check out Connect Casino Road, a local nonprofit that helps immigrants build their lives in Everett.

Prestamo now shows up each week for help with the most daunting of tasks in this American life: our health care system.

“Navigating health insurance is so complicated — even for me, and I’ve been doing this for years,” said Ivonne Radovich, onsite community relations coordinator for Coordinated Care.

The partnership between Coordinated Care and Connect Casino Road is new as of last month. Connect Casino Road, launched in 2017, is the backbone of 24 organizations housed in The Village on Casino Road. Together, they offer everything from legal council to child care.

Now, dozens of low-income, immigrant families have step-by-step help with the fine print when signing up for health insurance, applying for bill assistance or finding providers — all in their native language.

The service is free to the Casino Road community.

Located in South Everett, the neighborhood around Casino Road has higher-than-average poverty rates, while roughly 3,000 residents do not have health insurance coverage, according to census data pulled by the center. Nearly one in four residents is an immigrant. Of the residents who use another language at home, about 76% speak Spanish.

Between onsite and telephone consultations, Radovich said she helped 40 families in just a month.

“I teach people to use the technology. … But I’m not empowering them, they’re already powerful,” Radovich said. “I just want them to feel comfortable using the tools so that they can live better lives.”

Alvaro Guillen, the organization’s director, interpreted for Prestamo as she explained in Spanish how much the services have helped her and her family. Another immigrant, Johana Duarte, sat beside Prestamo in Connect Casino Road’s conference room, nodding along.

Duarte was only 12 when she fled her home in Honduras. She set out alone, headed toward Texas. Guillen played a game of bilingual telephone with the pieces of Duarte’s past, recounting the course of events that brought her to Everett.

Duarte teared up as she spoke.

“We get to know these families, and they feel comfortable,” Guillen said. “This is a trauma-informed care program with a two-generational approach. So we work with parents and children because we know that when we do that, families have higher chances of succeeding and thriving.”

And it’s not all health insurance and paperwork.

On Saturday, more than 300 people had gathered for Connect Casino Road’s Summer Carnival by noon. Kids chased their friends through booths and excitedly tried on free backpacks stocked for the upcoming school year. There was free food, face painting and free haircuts.

“It’s about more than meeting needs,” Guillen said. “It’s about providing spaces to gather, to have fun, to socialize, experience joy and build community.”

Guillen continued: “As we speak, low-income kids from Casino Road are on a sailboat near the San Juan Islands. We give kids from Casino Road the chance to have those experiences.”

A community resource navigator works full-time at The Village, 14 East Casino Road, to connect people with the specific services they may need.

“It may feel different, big or intimidating, but don’t be afraid to ask and find the resources because they are here,” Prestamo said in Spanish. “It’s intimidating sometimes, but just say, ‘Hi, hello.’”

Kayla J. Dunn: 425-339-3449; kayla.dunn@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @KaylaJ_Dunn.