Empowering Communities Initiative (ECI) is a coalition of community organizations that connects people in Houston with the right help for the citizenship process and language access.
We refer you to trusted member organizations within the ECI network that offer citizenship help and support in your language. Our goal is to make the process clear and easy so you do not have to search for help on your own.
If you need help becoming a U.S. citizen or multilingual assistance, ECI helps you get to the right place quickly.
ECI brings together trusted organizations across Houston that help residents with citizenship. Each organization works closely with the community and helps you reach the one that fits your needs.
We connect you with organizations that can help you in your language. This includes interpretation and language support for the civics test and citizenship process.
You do not have to start over each time you talk to a new organization. When we connect you to a partner, we share information so the next organization is ready to help you. Our partners work together so the process feels simple and organized.
ECI connects you to citizenship help and language support in many languages. You receive step-by-step guidance through the naturalization process, smooth connections to organizations that understand your community, and support that helps you move forward with confidence.
ECI connects you to organizations that can help with:
● Filling out citizenship applications
● Fee waiver help
● Citizenship interview and civics test preparation
● Interpretation and language support
You get clear guidance and support from start to finish.
Help is available in many languages, including Vietnamese, Korean, Chinese, Arabic, Urdu, Hindi, Pashto, Farsi, Dari, Burmese, Tagalog, Thai, and others.
Our partner organizations have years of experience helping immigrant communities. They understand the challenges of the citizenship process and work to give clear, respectful, and accurate help.
ECI is here to help you feel supported, confident, and informed. We connect you with trusted organizations that work together so you are not facing the citizenship process alone. Our goal is to help you understand your options, move forward with clarity, and feel supported every step of the way.
When ECI helps you, you can expect to feel:
● Connected to a larger network of support
● Confident knowing your information has been carefully reviewed
● Supported by organizations that communicate clearly and work together
● Guided step by step so you always know what comes next
● Reassured that you are not navigating the process on your own
When organizations work together, everyone benefits. ECI brings people and organizations together so individual needs are met and communities are stronger. When you succeed, it helps create better access and support for others as well.
The Empowering Communities Initiative began in 2017-2018 when leaders from Houston’s diverse multicultural communities gathered at the Asian American Justice Center conference and recognized a powerful truth: while each organization served their community with deep cultural expertise, they could create something extraordinary by working together.
What started as informal conversations between community leaders became a way for organizations to work together, where Vietnamese, Korean, Chinese, Arabic, Urdu and other language communities discovered they could maintain their cultural identity while building collective strength that no individual organization could achieve alone.
Today, we work across Houston and connect different language communities to make everyone stronger. We help coordinate citizenship services, multilingual support, and community programs.
