Vietnamese Social Services Of Minnesota

VIETNAMESE SOCIAL SERVICES IS DEDICATED TO MAINTAINING THE IDENTITY OF THE MINNESOTA'S VIETNAMESE COMMUNITY WHILE ADDRESSING THE BASIC ECONOMIC, EDUCATION, AND HEALTH NEEDS OF REFUGEES AND IMMIGRANTS STATEWIDE.

HEALTH PROGRAM - THE PURPOSE OF THIS PROGRAM IS TO HELP REFUGEES AND IMMIGRANTS OVERCOME LANGUAGE, CULTURAL AND ECONOMIC BARRIERS TO HEALTH AND HEALTHY LIFESTYLES. DUE TO THE PANDEMIC, THESE SERVICES BECAME VIRTUAL, AND EXPANDED. THE ORGANIZATION WAS ABLE TO WORK WITH THE MINNESOTA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TO EXPAND COVID-19 INFORMATION SHARING, PREVENTION, AND TESTING AND THIS CAMPAIGN WAS DONE IN CLIENTS' LANGUAGES. IN ADDITION, THE ORGANIZATION WAS ABLE TO PROVIDE PPE PRODUCTS, COVID19 PREVENTION TRAINING TO HELP STOP THE SPREAD OF COVID-19 TO CLIENTS AND FAMILIES.

EMPLOYMENT PROGRAM - THIS PROGRAM SUPPLEMENT THE ELL PROGRAM AND HELPS REFUGEES AND IMMIGRANTS PREPARE FOR AND OBTAIN THE EMPLOYMENT THEY NEED TO SUSTAIN THEMSELVES AND THEIR FAMILIES. IT INCLUDES VOCATIONAL TRAINING PROGRAMS, JOB PLACEMENT, AND INTENSIVE CASE MANAGEMENT. IN ADDITION, THESE PROGRAMS ARE INFUSED WITH BASIC HUMAN RIGHTS AND LABOR LAW INFORMATION TO ENSURE THAT OUR CLIENTS KNOW THE LAWS, JOB SKILLS, INTERVIEW SKILLS AND LEARN WHAT TO DO WHEN FACED WITH DISCRIMINATION OR UNFAIR TREATMENT DUE TO THEIR STATUS AS NEW AMERICANS. VSS CONTINUES TO HAVE IN PERSON JOB TRAINING IN WITH A NEW PARTNERSHIP, ST. PAUL COLLEGE. ALSO THE JOB SKILLS TRAINING PROGRAM WAS INNOVATED BY THE ADDITION OF SOFT SKILLS SUCH AS "COMMUNICATION NUANCES, ETIQUETTES, AND CULTURAL SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES" IN SOCIETY AND THE WORKPLACE SO THAT THE CLIENT CAN SUCCESSFULLY NAVIGATE IN HIS/HER NEW JOB.

ADULT BASIC EDUCATION (ABE) PROGRAM - ELL/ABE IS THE KEY TO A SUCCESSFUL TRANSITION FOR IMMIGRANTS AND REFUGEES. THROUGH THIS PROGRAM THE ORGANIZATION OFFERS ENGLISH CLASSES FOR STUDENTS WITH VARYING LEVELS OF LANGUAGE SKILL, ACCOMMODATING PERSONS WHO MAY HAVE NEVER BEEN TO SCHOOL AS WELL AS THOSE WHO HAVE SOME OF THE BASICS BUT NEED TO BECOME MORE PROFICIENT. DUE TO THE PANDEMIC, THESE SERVICES BECAME VIRTUAL. THE ORGANIZATION, WITH FUNDING SUPPORT, WERE ABLE TO REFURBISH LAPTOPS FOR STAFF AND ABLE TO PROVIDE QUICK BASIC COMPUTER TRAININGS TO STUDENTS AND PURCHASED DISTANCE LEARNING SOFTWARE FOR STUDENTS TO CONTINUE LEARNING ENGLISH. THE FOCUS OF OUR ELL IS ON DAILY INTERACTION AS WELL AS JOB-SKILLS BASED ENGLISH LEARNING.

ELDERS PROGRAM - THIS PROGRAM SEEKS TO IMPROVE THE WELL-BEING OF REFUGEE ELDERS AND QUALITY OF LIFE BY PROVIDING OPPORTUNITIES TO COME TOGETHER TO SOCIALIZE, HAVE FUN, AND LEARN. THE PROGRAM PROVIDES RECREATIONAL AND SOCIAL OPPORTUNITIES TO DECREASE THE ISOLATION AND DEPRESSION THAT MANY REFUGEE ELDERS EXPERIENCE DUE TO THEIR DIMINISHED SOCIAL STATUS AS NEW AMERICAN WITH ENGLISH. VSS ALSO PROVIDES BI-LINGUAL STAFF MEMBERS TO PROVIDE INTERPRETATION, APPLICATION ASSISTANCE AND OTHER HELP TO ASSIST ELDERS IN CONNECTING WITH RESOURCES THAT CAN IMPROVE THEIR QUALITY OF LIFE. WITH THE SITUATION AROUND THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC CHANGING RAPIDLY, THE ORGANIZATION IS TAKING PROACTIVE STEPS TO MAKE SURE ELDERS STAY INFORMED AND FOLLOW PUBLIC HEALTH GUIDELINES TO PROTECT THEMSELVES AND THOSE AROUND THEM. DUE TO THE PANDEMIC, MANY OF THESE SERVICES BECAME VIRTUAL AND LIMITED IN PERSON SERVICES. ALSO, THE ORGANIZATION HAS EXPANDED FOOD OPERATIONS FROM MOSTLY CANNED GOODS TO FRESH PRODUCE NOW DUE TO THE TREMENDOUS NEEDS OF CLIENTS, ESPECIALLY FROM THE ELDERLY, WOMEN, AND CHILDREN.