Contact: Maureen Acosta, Director of Fund Development and Communications

Phone: 651-379-4202

Wednesday, May 12, 2004 - Chicanos Latinos Unidos En Servicio (CLUES) embarked on a new era of service when the agency held its ground breaking ceremony at 3 p.m. on Friday, May 7th for its new office building to be located at 797 East Seventh Street on St. Paul's east side. Honored guests for this event included the Honorable Carlos Sada, Consul General of Mexico in Chicago, Ruben Barrales, deputy assistant to President Bush and director of the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, and St. Paul Mayor Randy Kelly.

CLUES will be moving into its new building on November 1, 2004. The new location will allow CLUES to meet the needs of over 14,000 Latinos now living on the east side while maintaining a presence on the west side, the traditional home of Latinos in Minnesota. CLUES will keep its Aging Well Services at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, on the west side.

Half of the building will house the CLUES administration and four of its five core programs: Mental Health Services, Chemical Health Services, Employment Services, and Educational Services. The rest of the space is being leased to a mix of commercial, retail and nonprofit organizations. The focal point at CLUES new site will be the Latino Learning Institute as a reflection of our commitment to improving literacy and the educational attainment of Latino children and adults.

BWBR Architects designed the new two-story, 21,500 square foot building that will be located in the heart of St. Paul's growing Latino community. Krauss Anderson Construction Company is slated to finish the project in late 2004. The project is being managed by Sterns & Associates, LLC.

Since 1981, CLUES has been providing linguistically appropriate and culturally proficient services to Latinos in Minnesota. In 2003, CLUES had over 18,500 client visits. In July 2003, CLUES received the Helen Trías Rodríguez Award in recognition for being selected the National Health Care Affiliate of the Year by the National Council of La Raza, this country's largest Latino advocate group. And Hispanic Business just named CLUES as among the top 25 Latino nonprofits in the country.