CONNECTHolistic Help and Healing for Refugees and Immigrants
Imagine an opportunity where a refugee or immigrant could receive more than just one type of support. What if an appointment to fill out immigration paperwork also addressed concerns about mental health? What if that appointment also offered resources on domestic violence education and assistance? The Armenian Relief Society, in partnership with Safe YOU, aims to do just that - provide a holistic approach to serving immigrants and refugees in Los Angeles County.
What is the primary issue area that your application will impact?
Immigrant and refugee support
In which areas of Los Angeles will you be directly working?
San Fernando Valley San Gabriel Valley
In what stage of innovation is this project, program, or initiative?
Expand existing project, program, or initiative (expanding and continuing ongoing, successful work)
What is your understanding of the issue that you are seeking to address?
Marginalized community members in need of social services are not limited to one experience of inequity or struggle. Requesting assistance for one need often reveals the need for additional help - housing, mental health services, issues with domestic violence - which requires additional paperwork, appointments, and visits to different agencies. The result is a lower likelihood of seeking assistance due to lack of access, lack of safety, and the feeling of never-ending hurdles to overcome. If an agency could provide multiple services at once, these community members would be more inclined to gain trust, seek assistance, and find solutions.
Describe the project, program, or initiative this grant will support to address the issue.
Designed to support a pilot program to launch the Safe YOU app in the city of Glendale, CA, this project will
Describe how Los Angeles County will be different if your work is successful.
Minimizing intake and the need to share information across different platforms, this program will successfully provide more services to more people in need in less time. In streamlining access to additional support systems, LA County residents can receive more assistance in less time, and gain the trust of community-based organizations that aim to serve the public.
Safe YOU is a culture-aware, community-driven, and multilingual platform that empowers marginalized groups by providing access to safety tools and local resources in their own language. By collecting anonymized, aggregated data on violence trends, Safe YOU helps identify community-specific risks, enabling tailored prevention and intervention strategies. These insights close critical knowledge gaps and support more inclusive, trauma-informed emergency responses and long-term safety programs across LA County.
Approximately how many people will be impacted by this project, program, or initiative?
Direct Impact: 350
Indirect Impact: 2,500