Boat People S O S Inc

Programs: With teams of qualified staff and passionate volunteers operating in 15 office locations across the united states and internationally, we empower individuals, strengthen families, and build communities through:- direct services- advocacy- community organizing & development- media- research- leadership developmentlocated inside vietnamese communities - from large and populated metropolitan areas such as houston, texas and orange county, california to rural and isolated communities such as biloxi, mississippi and bayou la batre, alabama, our branch staff are on the ground everyday in order to serve our populations effectively. During 2011, boat people sos, inc. (bpsos) continued with our mission and achieved the following accomplishments:disaster recovery and assistance: through our long-term case management and community redevelopment initiatives, more than 6,000 individuals affected by natural disasters recovered and rebuilt their lives, including 122 families who did so with the help of legal recourse. With 31 years of experience working with immigrant and refugee populations in times of crisis, bpsos has become a leading authority in long term recovery case management for high needs populations. In the event of disasters, bpsos is a first responder - bringing immediate relief and recovery services to communities through direct assistance and short term case management. Through our emergency preparedness training, we mitigate the impact of future disasters and develop community resiliency. Domestic violence: with the support of our services, 150 victims of domestic violence rebuilt their life, restore their dignity and achieve self-reliance. Bpsos provides a wide range of services to assist victims of domestic violence and their children. Our bilingual and bi-cultural case managers and attorneys assist victims as they navigate through the social services, immigration and legal systems in rebuilding their lives. Our on-going community outreach helps break the culture of silence and foster community awareness of domestic violence as well as the rights of victims. Human trafficking and labor exploitation: through case management, legal representation, and other support services, 250 victims of human trafficking secured remedy from labor trafficking, forced labor, domestic servitude, wage theft and sex trafficking, both in america and in asia. In partnership with communities, service providers, and law enforcement agencies, we defend the rights and interests of abused victims while increasing public awareness and effecting systemic changes so as to eradicate this modern-day slavery. Livelihood development: bpsos fosters financial security and independence and builds wealth among our communities. In cities and towns across the united states, our services helped: a dozen aspiring business owners establish small businesses; 65 first time home buyers achieve the dream of owning their first homes; 150 families secured stable housing; 230 job seekers secured and retained new jobs; and 150 individuals built strong credit, financial security, and wealth. Service centers: families and individuals, especially those with low income, who aspire to become american citizens, received support through translation service, application assistance, and citizenship preparation classes at our service centers, located at various bpsos branches across the u. S. Through a specialized curriculum, we helped 180 individuals develop their civic knowledge and english language proficiency to prepare for their naturalization examination, and advised more than 1,000 individuals on their rights as immigrants. Workplace safety: nearly 800 community members both workers and their supervisors - gained the practical skills they need to ensure safety in the workplace. Family wellness: more than 2,100 families were positively impacted by bpsos family wellness services, including more than 245 individuals who achieved independence through financial literacy training and help developing wealth, over 500 couples developed healthy communication skills to strengthen their marriage, 120 parents were empowered to help their children achieve academic success and plan for the future, 100 youth gained skills and motivation to pursue a career and participate in community service, 350 seniors were engaged and active through peer support groups, and more than 600 families gained access critical health information as well as decent, affordable healthcare. Capacity building for grassroots organizations: in addition, through our national network of 12 office locations, we have established mutual assistance networks, developed new services to address unmet needs, provided training and assistance to local community- and faith-based organizations, and built a multi-component media network capable of reaching large as well as small and insolated vietnamese communities. It is our goal that individuals and families have sufficient resources and communities gain strength to address their own needs and concerns. Media outreach: in 2011, our vietnamese radio and print publications (mach song) reached 100,000 listeners and 10,000 readers nationally. 500 leaders in 5 years: the "500 in 5 years" project aims to cultivate one hundred new leaders per year, who will hone their skills on community projects. These leaders will be the seeds of change in vietnamese american communities across the country. Project participants, highly selected, will go through a year-long leadership development curriculum combined with exclusive networking opportunities and hands-on projects. They will develop the mind of a strategist and acquire leadership competencies and skills. Each community will select their candidates and raise funds to finance the year-long training. As part of the training, each candidate will work on a community-focused project for the entire year and will report achievements to their sponsors and community members. Program graduates will be better equipped to engage and respond to the various development and empowerment needs of the community, focusing on community organizing, political engagement, and economic development. In 2011, in partnership with the national organization of vietnamese american leaders, we have formed local leadership driving constituencies in washington, d. C. , dallas/fort worth, texas and atlanta, ga.