Vietnamese Social Services of Minnesota
Background and Purpose
Located in St. Paul, Vietnamese Social Services of Minnesota (Vietnamese Social Services) was founded in 1987 to serve the Vietnamese refugee community of Minnesota. During its 20-year history, the agency has worked to help Vietnamese refugees and immigrants overcome language and cultural barriers to successfully adjust to life in Minnesota.
In 2002, Vietnamese Social Services made the decision to utilize the organization's skills and capacity in refugee resettlement to serve new refugee groups settling in the Twin Cites. Vietnamese Social Services' new mission is to maintain the identity of Minnesota's Vietnamese community while addressing the basic economic, educational, and health needs of refugees and immigrants statewide. It accomplishes this mission through its primary programs which include:
- Self-Sufficiency and Employment;
- the Literacy and Citizenship Program;
- Elders Program;
- Youth Program; and
- Good Health-Better Life Program.
Since 2002, Vietnamese Social Services has provided resettlement services to the Somali and East African communities through the services of two Somali staff. In 2004, leaders from the Karen community, who are refugees from Burma, began building a relationship with Vietnamese Social Services.
Current Request
With the support of the Mardag Foundation, F. R. Bigelow Foundation, and The Saint Paul Foundation, Vietnamese Social Services hired a Karen Outreach and Access Specialist in June 2005 and began providing resettlement and social adjustment assistance to the Karen Community. Since that time over 900 Karen have been assisted as they learn English, find jobs and housing, enroll their children in school, obtain health insurance, and take care of their medical needs.
Most of the new Karen immigrants are met at the airport by Vietnamese Social Service staff and taken to their apartments where they are oriented to life in a U.S.-style home. Vietnamese Social Services is requesting fourth and fifth year funding to support the full-time Karen Outreach and Access Specialist who provides social adjustment assistance. The specialist will specifically provide translation and interpreter services, employment assistance, transportation assistance, application assistance, student support, and client advocacy to help Karen individuals and families access community resources.