Disaster Relief & Recovery

In the wake of both Hurricane Katrina and Rita, many of the 30,000 Vietnamese in the Gulf Coast region are still seeking timely help and information from mainstream relief agencies -- both private & public.

What we are doing:

BPSOS offers the following services at our disaster relief centers:


Background

Since Monday, August 29, more than 15,000 Vietnamese-American evacuees have arrived in the Houston area and over 250 families in Bayou La Batre have been left homeless.

Over Labor Day weekend, BPSOS began providing direct relief aid to the 15,000 Vietnamese evacuees from the New Orleans area at our Houston branch office. With limited staff and many community volunteers, BPSOS and local partners provided immediate counseling support and connected hundreds of evacuees with public services.


In response to requests for assistance from over 250 families (mainly Vietnamese but also Cambodian and Lao), BPSOS opened an emergency office in Bayou La Batre AL on October 4. This community is comprised of many recent arrivals to the US, most with limited English skills, and a limited understanding of the US legal and social system. They have been very slow to access federal assistance due to language barriers and fears of the system. BPSOS is working in collaboration with local faith-based organizations and community groups to reproduce the success of our work in Houston.


Like other victims of the hurricanes, the Vietnamese have lost their lives, their loved ones, their homes, jobs and possessions, as well as their entire community support system, but they face far greater challenges. Vietnamese hurricane victims remain largely out of reach of federal, state, and local governments as well as mainstream charitable organizations because of language and cultural barriers.


Not only is it a largely low-English proficient (LEP) group, this evacuee population is encountering a host of related issues that will require special assistance. Many LEP hurricane victims lack the know-how to resolve even simple problems, such as replacing a defective food stamp debit card, cashing a cashier's check, or understanding FEMA's request for additional information, let alone accessing mainstream services. Without the support of service providers, these evacuees are at risk of falling prey to individuals who charge service fees up of to 35% for benefits recovered.


Milestones

As of the end of January 2006, our disaster relief staff & volunteers:

Local, state, and federal officials are working together with national organizations to meet the needs of most of the victims of Katrina and Rita, however they are unable to provide culturally and linguistically appropriate services to the various immigrant communities affected. BPSOS is proud to have worked with the various agencies and grassroots organizations who collaborated to provide comprehensive care to the Southeast Asian community.


Looking Forward

Through federal, foundation and corporate support, BPSOS has mobilized its core resources to help survivors navigate the system and get them back on their feet. As part of Katrina Aid Today, our case managers will identify sources of support, develop personal recovery plans, acquire access to services and take appropriate actions to rebuild the lives of Vietnamese & Asians in the affected areas. The spirit of collaboration among UMCOR partners should serve as the new model of fair and just disaster relief. Only by sharing our strengths can we champion a dignified recovery and rebuilding.

The funding from UMCOR helps link victims to existing services. We are still looking for broader support to fill the gaps in services like youth mentoring and financial education.

We hope our successes set a new precedent in addressing immigrant populations in times of disaster.


Staff Contacts

Dr. Nguyen Dinh Thang
Executive Director
703-538-2190


Tram Nguyen

Emergency Preparedness and Response Project Director
tram.nguyen@bpsos.org
703-538-2190


Bao H. Le
Disaster Relief Program Manager
bao.le@bpsos.org
281-530-6888


Media Inquiries:
Tram Nguyen
tram.nguyen@bpsos.org
703-538-2190


Other Resources

Partner organizations

About the Community Development Department

As a community-based organization, capacity building of our local areas and its residents is necessary to promote change. Our social and economic empowerment programs aim to foster growth both individually and collectively.

 

To view the Community Development Department Achievements, please click here. 

These include:


Individual Development Accounts

Our individual development accounts (IDA) program helps Vietnamese Americans make the right choices in their day-to-day life and in their long-term plan for economic independence.

Participants will:

  • learn to tightly manage their personal finances, develop savings goals, accumulate asset through savings, and build their credit history, and
  • acquire the basic financial literacy and get ready to effectively invest in their future, including home purchase and business development.

Immigration Service Centers

BPSOS' Service Center advocates for and assists in the filing of several immigration forms including:

  • PIP, HO, ROVR, U11 and Amerasian cases.
  • Family and fiancee sponsorship.
  • Permanent Resident or U.S. Citizenship application.
  • We can also provide translation or a Notary Public.

    • Our service center staff members have been trained by the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc.


    Tax Services

    Launched in 2000, with funding from the Internal Revenue Service Low Income Tax Clinic (IRS/LITC) program, our tax services program includes tax preparation, tax education, and helping clients with tax disputes. These services encourage Vietnamese Americans fulfill their duties as taxpayers and help some take advantage of benefits such as the Earned Income Tax Credit. Since its start, our tax services have helped some 3,000 low- income families claim almost one million dollars in tax refunds and credits.


    Community Organizing

    Following a long-term strategy to build capacity for small Vietnamese communities, the Neighborhood Empowerment and Support through Teamwork (NEST) program organizes self-help groups who currently face numerous barriers to information and services. These groups include: those formerly placed in re-education camps, seniors, women and Amerasians.

    Our NEST program operated in four locations (Camden, Atlanta, Louisville and Biloxi) has three main objectives: (1) Vietnamese refugees and immigrants will understand their needs, know where to get help and acquire basic life skill; (2) To provide support to group members in mental health, women's issues and youth related issues; and (3) To develop capacity to support the above activities and to sustain them beyond the funding period.


    Financial Literacy Program

    Our homeownership program helps connect Vietnamese Americans with one of the best investments they can make for their family in this country. In conjunction with organizations such as Freddie Mac, VHDA, and Vietnamese-American volunteers from the real estate industry, we offer series of workshop on the various steps of homeownership. We have also worked to increase awareness of tenants' rights among a number of Vietnamese clients in urban areas.

    Our Road to Independence through Savings and Education (RISE), in partnership with other financial institutions, provides financial education to Vietnamese refugees and immigrants around the nation.

    For educational materials on the importance of credit, steps to homeownership, and the homeownership benefits and responsibilities, click on Freddie Mac's CreditSmart Asian logo below.

     

     

     

     

    Schedule of upcoming workshops:

    Saturday, March 17th, 2007 (New Orleans, LA)

    Friday, March 30th, 2007 (Adelphi, MD)

    Sunday, April 22th, 2007 (Houston, TX)

    Saturday, May 19th, 2007 (Falls Church, VA)

    Saturday, June 9th, 2007 (New Orleans, LA)

    Saturday, July 14th, 2007 (Atlanta, GA)

    Sunday, August 19th, 2007 (Houston, TX)