South Asian Council for Social Services’ [SACSS] mission is to empower and integrate underserved South Asians and other immigrants into the economic and civic life of New York.
Our Mission
SACSS (South Asian Council for Social Services) is a community based nonprofit organization that serves over 220,000 immigrant New Yorkers every year. SACSS’s mission is to empower and integrate underserved South Asians and other immigrants into the economic and civic life of New York. We champion healthcare access for all, support our seniors’ to thrive, enable food justice, prepare community members in workforce development, training them in basic and advanced English and learn to use computer, and empower women through our Wednesday’s for Women and Stitch with SACSS tailoring program to be economically independent, provide information on immigration through a legal clinic, develop our youth’s leadership, and engage community members in their civic rights through our programs.
South Asian Council for Social Services (SACSS) was founded in 2000 in response to critical issues raised around the tremendous barriers to social services faced by New York City’s fast-growing South Asian community. Since we first opened over 24 years ago, we have become a trusted community institution for over 1,000,000 New Yorkers. In 2016, we made New York City history by opening the city’s first ever South Asian food pantry, and in 2021, we opened our new community center in the heart of Flushing, Queens. Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, we have continued to be on the frontlines of community care and support.
We meet the needs of our vibrant, diverse community with free services in any of the 20 languages our staff members speak: Hindi, Bengali, Urdu, Punjabi, Gujarati, Kannada, Marathi, Malayalam, Nepali, Tamil, Telugu, Cantonese, Mandarin, Hakka, Tibetan, Malay, French and Haitian Creole, Spanish, Tagalog and English.
South Asian Council for Social Services’ [SACSS] mission is to empower and integrate underserved South Asians and other immigrants into the economic and civic life of New York.
Our Mission
SACSS (South Asian Council for Social Services) is a community based nonprofit organization that serves over 220,000 immigrant New Yorkers every year. SACSS’s mission is to empower and integrate underserved South Asians and other immigrants into the economic and civic life of New York. We champion healthcare access for all, support our seniors’ to thrive, enable food justice, prepare community members in workforce development, training them in basic and advanced English and learn to use computer, and empower women through our Wednesday’s for Women and Stitch with SACSS tailoring program to be economically independent, provide information on immigration through a legal clinic, develop our youth’s leadership, and engage community members in their civic rights through our programs.
South Asian Council for Social Services (SACSS) was founded in 2000 in response to critical issues raised around the tremendous barriers to social services faced by New York City’s fast-growing South Asian community. Since we first opened over 24 years ago, we have become a trusted community institution for over 1,000,000 New Yorkers. In 2016, we made New York City history by opening the city’s first ever South Asian food pantry, and in 2021, we opened our new community center in the heart of Flushing, Queens. Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, we have continued to be on the frontlines of community care and support.
We meet the needs of our vibrant, diverse community with free services in any of the 20 languages our staff members speak: Hindi, Bengali, Urdu, Punjabi, Gujarati, Kannada, Marathi, Malayalam, Nepali, Tamil, Telugu, Cantonese, Mandarin, Hakka, Tibetan, Malay, French and Haitian Creole, Spanish, Tagalog and English.
Our History
Our History
SACSS: 25 YEARS OF EMPOWERING COMMUNITIES THROUGH SERVICE AND SUPPORT
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2000
South Asian Council for Social Services (SACSS) is founded in response to critical issues raised around the tremendous barriers to social services faced by New York City’s fast-growing South Asian community.
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2001
SACSS was deeply committed to working with the families of the victims of 9/11 during their time of need, providing empathetic grief counseling and support.
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2002
Launched Basic and Advanced English classes for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) classes, a 12-week program teaching academic and conversational English to help clients improve their conversational skills and build confidence when seeking employment.
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2004
Released “Unlocking the Golden Door:” A report on the needs of South Asian New Yorkers based on interviews with 629 individuals. .
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2007
Launched Healthcare Access Programs that today serve over 60,000 individuals annually, ensuring our community is informed about and has access to public health issues and services.
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2009
Amid the Global Financial Crisis in 2008-2009, SACSS staff members took a pay cut in order to help the organization survive tough times during the economic downturn.
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2012
To expand its services and programs, SACSS moved from the Holly House Community Center in Flushing and opened its office at 143-06 46th Avenue.
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2014
Launched 12-week Computer Classes focusing on hardware and software programs, enabling students to enhance their job skills.
2014
Launched Senior Support Services, including individual and group counselling in Hindi, Urdu, Punjabi & Bengali, that now serve older adults annually.
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2015
Launched a Youth Leadership program to prepare participants (ages 13-17) for communication skills, creative writing, public speaking, college readiness, and community engagement. Youth Leadership Program, 2015
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2016
Introduced the first South Asian culturally palatable food pantry, specializing in Asian food staples, in New York City that serves 2,000 families weekly.
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2018
Launched the Culturally Responsive Collaborative of Queens to connect hard-to-reach populations with healthcare access.
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2020
SACSS celebrated its 20th anniversary of service to the community with special guests including Sendhil Ramamurthy, Zarna Garg, Sree Sreenivasan, and many others.
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2021
Opened our permanent two-story community center in the heart of Flushing that includes a senior center and food pantry to meet the needs of our growing, diverse community.
2021
Launched a weekly Legal Clinic in partnership with CUNY Citizenship Now!
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2023
Introduced a women’s economic empowerment program, “Stitch with SACSS,” tutoring South Asian women tailoring skill sets to pursue work and enable financial independence.
2023
Launched “Wednesdays for Women” – wellness and empowerment for women in the community.
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2024
Planned expansion of mental wellness services takes hold.
2024
Planning commences for a Resource Center to further expand workforce development services.
2024
Introduce a Community Garden for seniors to grow vegetables.
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2025
SACSS Expansion to NJ takes hold
SACSS plans to expand its community services to New Jersey, providing vital access to healthcare, public benefits, and more to those who need it most. This expansion allows us to serve a broader population, ensuring that everyone has the resources they need to thrive.