Vietnamese American Community Center of the East Bay

The problem:

Compelled by persecution, political oppression, and/or a lack of resources and opportunities, immigrants and refugees flee their homeland in search of a higher quality of life. Upon arrival, they are faced with many barriers. Struggling with an unfamiliar environment, they have trouble navigating through life. The goal of the Vietnamese American Community Center of the East Bay (VACCEB) is to help immigrants and refugees—especially those who are low-income—gain emotional, financial, and educational stability through the programs we offer. However, in order to achieve this goal, we need all the help we can get.

There is a growing need for our services and programs which have made us into a pillar of the community for over two decades. Help keep VACCEB thriving!

We, as a community, have an opportunity to uplift immigrants and refugees in need.

The programs we offer:

Advocacy:

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, hate and violence towards minorities, specifically the Asian community, is worse than ever. 

Recent Events:

- An elderly Thai immigrant died after being shoved to the ground in San Francisco, CA. 

- A Filipino-American was slashed in the face with a box cutter on the Subway in New York City, NY. 

- A Chinese woman was slapped and then set on fire in Brooklyn, NY. 

Violence against Asians, especially the elderly, is on the rise. To provide support to the community, VACCEB is actively educating and conducting outreach to our senior community members.

We educate seniors through multilingual flyers, to inform Asian community of their legal rights, remedies for hate crimes, prevention tips, and supporting resources. VACCEB’s goal is to reach out to 2,500 clients regularly with education and outreach information by distributing flyers and providing safety kits. 

VACCEB is committed to building a supportive, safe, and inclusive space for all races, ethnicities, and ages. 

Employment Services:

Immigrants and refugees face many different challenges on their path to self sufficiency and financial stability. Without a stable job, life is extremely difficult. To address these barriers, we have developed a model which integrates workforce development, public benefits assistance, financial education, and coaching to provide clients with secure employment and financial stability. 

Our Path to Self-Sufficiency (PSS) Program services include: 

1) ESL classes (as needed) 

2) Assessments and counseling to identify short and long-term career goals 

3) Resume and cover letter creation 

4) Assistance with job searches and applications 

5) Direct job placement at local partner employers 

6) Mock interviews and access to free professional clothing 

7) Job retention and ongoing on-the-job counseling 

8) Education about workplace rights 

9) Referrals to external sector-based training, community colleges, and GED programs 

10) Long-term future career counseling and support to attain career advancement and jobs with higher wages. 

To address the economic impact of statewide response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Employment Services Office also helps clients file for monetary relief through California’s Employment Development Department.

We serve a number of unique client populations including Southeast Asians, limited English speakers, asylees, highly-skilled immigrant professionals, and those who have been impacted by the Digital Divide (i.e. lack of access to technology and/or limited digital literacy skills). Sectors of employed clients primarily include hospitality, food & beverage, retail, industrial/production, security, and healthcare. 

Senior Health and Empowerment:

Our Senior Health and Empowerment Program offers opportunities for senior citizens to convene for educational workshops and enriching activities. We provide programs, social events, and services each year to encourage elders to focus on their health, wellness, and education. The ages of our participants range from 60 to 93.

We facilitate educational nutrition, dance classes, mental health workshops as well as educational field trips to museums, botanical gardens, and theatrical performances.

We offer congregate meals, American charades and jeopardy events, tai chi and breath exercises, penny auctions, cultural fashion shows, gardening, ballroom dancing, bring a grandchild to VACCEB day, free family portrait photo shoots, tea tasting events, and special holiday potlucks.

Education:

The language barrier immigrants and refugees face is one of their biggest challenges. The ability to understand English, delivered through text or speech, is essential. It is a crucial step in adapting to a new society and culture, we offer a variety of educational classes to help immigrants and refugees acclimate. We offer Citizenship classes, Digital Literacy classes, and ESL classes. Classes help their English reading, writing, comprehension, and speaking skills. We have three ESL classes, each with 20-25 students that are driven by big goals. They hope to pass the naturalization interview and civics exam, to become American citizens. They hope to effectively communicate with their children in the future. 

It is important to develop technological skills. In our courses we teach them how to use technology, so they can take advantage of the benefits they offer. 

Food Security:

Food insecurity around the world was on an upward trend before the COVID-19 pandemic started, but the COVID-19 pandemic has severely increased food insecurity around the world. It is more important than ever to alleviate this problem as a nutritious meal is necessary in these times of need. Our congregate meal program serves approximately 1,000 individuals, providing around 40,000 meals a year. These meals are carefully curated to cater to diverse cultural cuisines and support a nutritionally balanced diet. Our team works hard to ensure timely delivery of meals to all clients, including those who are unable to pick up their bags due to lack of transportation and/or mobility issues. We cater to those who have lost jobs and those from low-income families.

Information & Assistance:

Immigrants and refugees need a place where they feel free to ask questions about anything or ask for assistance. Here are examples of things we provide information or assistance on.

-Low-income housing applications

-Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) application

-PG&E, EBMUD Water Bills, applications.

-Retirement benefits, disability insurance, unemployment insurance.

-Application for citizenship/naturalization.

-Subsidized child care. 

Words from those we serve:

“Since COVID-19 I have been jobless. My husband has been out of work too because restaurants have been shut down. The food and produce by VACCEB has been very important as we struggle to buy food. This place has made me happy because it is the only place that I go for fruits and produce and it helps my family get by. My family and I have been waiting for this very tough time to pass, it has been a very hard time for us. VACCEB does great work, every time I come all the employees treat me with kindness.” - Tran Quyen Phanh

“I am a long-term client at VACCEB. I really like VACCEB because the staff here are very respectful and conscientious. They provide us with all kinds of helpful information, and help seniors like us who have limited knowledge in filling out applications and all other info. 

"We are extremely happy when we receive our food bags once every two weeks. I hope that the meal program can last longer because this program has helped us save a lot of money for food. Compared to other food programs, I prefer VACCEB’s Meal Program because their program provides Asian food.” - Sau Thi Tran

Where Your Donations Will Go:

We envision a rebuild of both internal and external features at our new center in San Leandro so that we can continue to provide proper wraparound services and even more for our clients. This includes, but is not limited to: 

- Electricity and plumbing

- Building a fence

- An ESL teaching space

- Handicap-accessible restrooms 

With the donations we will also be able to expand services to meet the demand of our growing clientele. We look to improve existing programs and establish new ones that provide to our community.

88rising Collaboration: