Programs

Our programs, serving some 10,000 individuals a year, include direct services, capacity building, and advocacy. These programs form a web of services to address the intertwining and compounding effects of unmet needs on refugee and immigrant families. Our success in serving the Vietnamese community is due in large part to our collaboration with local and national service providers and grassroots organizations who share our vision.

You may view our programs as they are grouped by department: Community Development, Family Services, Health & Mental Health, or Survivor Services.

Or, see our full list of programs listed alphabetically below.

Programs

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.

These include:

About the Health & Mental Health Department

We strive to address the barriers that prevent access to information about various health issues affecting Vietnamese. These barriers include language, culture, and difficulty navigating the healthcare system. We implement several programs to appropriately raise awareness and encourage healthier behaviors within the community.

Become a Volunteer

Want to work with the coolest kids on the block? The Seniors and Trauma Survivors Empowerment Program (STEP) works with Vietnamese senior citizens and assists them in screening and applying for Medicare benefits, holds classes on well-being and aging, and equips seniors with resources and tools to assist their peers.

Community Against Domestic Violence

The Community Against Domestic Violence (CADV) program provides direct services including legal representation and case management to immigrant victims of domestic violence. The CADV team also conducts outreach and education to the community and local service providers. We Are Always By Your Side

Community Awareness Campaign on Occupational Safety (CACOS)

Community Organizing

Following a long-term strategy to build capacity for small Vietnamese communities, the Neighborhood Empowerment and Support through Teamwork program will organize 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.

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.

ESL and Computer literacy classes

Our community technology centers offer the following services: ESL and vocational ESL, citizenship preparation, and classes on email, Internet, and word processing basics.

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 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.

Health Awareness Program for Immigrants (HAPI)

HIV/AIDS prevention

Under our Community Awareness Project (CAP - HIV/AIDS), we provide a safe and comfortable space for individuals who are living with or affected by HIV/AIDS. Our services are free and confidential, and are regardless of your gender, sexual orientation, immigration status, or religious beliefs.

Humanitarian Resettlement Program

The Humanitarian Resettlement Program assists individuals in processing refugee and Amerasian cases from Vietnam for review under the Humanitarian Operation (HO), Humanitarian Resettlement (HR), Priority One (P1), and Amerasian resettlement programs. Information in Vietnamese can be accessed here.

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.

Importance of Early Screening and Detection

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.

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Marriage and Family Wellness program

Interested in learning more about the Marriage and Family Wellness program? Visit: www.machsongmedia.com for articles and audio files about the Marriage and Family Wellness Program or email: maiamgiadinh@bpsos.org.

Materials

Mental Health Couseling & Information

Mental Health Information/Materials

Mương và Hố Đào (Trenching & Excavation)

Mương và Hố Đào

BPSOS Panelist Addresses Hearing on Legal Services for Low-Income Mississippians

BILOXI, MS May 8, 2008 — Mississippi’s Vietnamese Americans have a great need for linguistically and culturally competent legal services, according to a panelist from Boat People SOS (BPSOS) who spoke Friday at a public hearing organized by the Mississippi Access to Justice Commission.

Boat People SOS-Biloxi Winds Down Role in Katrina Aid Today (KAT) Program

BILOXI, MS April 1, 2008 — After more than two years of helping 800 Mississippi families cope with Hurricane Katrina’s aftermath, the Biloxi office of Boat People SOS (BPSOS) is wrapping up its key role in the Katrina Aid Today (KAT) program.