How We Started In May 2000 several organizations led by the Global Organization of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO) discussed the concerns of the fast growing South Asian immigrant community in New York; South Asian Council for Social Services was formed to respond to these needs. SACSS is a not-for-profit organization that provides services to underserved South Asian and Indo-Caribbean communities in New York.
The areas of major focus for SACSS are (a) healthcare access, awareness and advocacy (b) parent education
(c) mental health (d) English classes and basic computer skills training. All our programs focus on and assist our clients with various needs in these areas, through direct services as well as referrals. We also advocate with elected officials on our community's behalf. All of our programs and services are free and are provided by culturally competent staff members who speak Hindi/Urdu, Punjabi, Gujarati, and Bengali.
Since our inception, we have
- Provided case management and counseling support for families of direct victims of the 9/11 tragedy
- Completed a comprehensive needs assessment survey of the community and released Unlocking the Golden door: A Report on the needs of South Asian New Yorkers
- Assisted the NYC Commission on Human Rights in collecting surveys on racial bias and discrimination
- Organized and co-sponsored several legal clinics for South Asians requiring special registration
- Held focus groups for Naturally Occurring Retirement Communities and their service providers in Flushing
- Received the Union Square Award
- Received the India Abroad Gopal Raju Award for Community Service
- Continued to provide ESOL classes, parenting workshops, job training and preparedness, and computer training courses
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