Alliance for African Assistance helps refugees to become self sufficient in their new environment. This process can be difficult alone, that is why Alliance is here to help. The program gives them the tools to help themselves in becoming self-sufficient. The goal of this program is to maintain a stable and supportive environment that enables the family to become capable of contributing to their communities. To achieve this, clients undergo norm changes,  get new skills, access community services, and participate in civic duties.

Finding a job when faced with language and cultural barriers while trying to survive in a foreign place can cause an exhaustible amount of stress. Our job is to coordinate and assist with the processes involved in becoming self sufficient. Using culturally sensitive programs that integrate  social  and  therapeutic  services  we  are  able  to stabilize high-risk low to mid income families through various programs which promote healthy relationships  between  parent and  child, thus  strengthening family support systems and helping at-risk children where they  need  help  the most, in the  home.

We use home visits as a tool to discover what is really going on within the family and then help strengthen the family in the areas they need help. Family Self-Sufficiency program include therapeutic and counseling services, parenting  classes,   ESL classes,   reaches  out to and  helps  those families that are struggling and in-crisis become thriving self sufficient families. This program assists the refugees by assessing  their  needs  and developing  a service plan which can meet these needs during specified period of time depending on the severity and urgency of their needs. The refugee, his or her family and case manager work directly with one another, primarily in the home, setting reachable goals to be fulfilled within a reasonable period of time.  

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The Program assists refugees to become stable and self sufficient through education, information, sharing and access to community resources and services. The department also offers a variety of activities for the youth that include mentoring, after school activities, tutoring and job training. The program facilitates workshops for different segments of the host community and relates specific aspects of refugee life experiences and cultures. Another focus of this program is to provide a bridge between the refugee and immigrant communities and the various services that are available to them in their host community.

The program provides wraparound services to all refugees and asylum seekers through various projects and support services. We support clients on various issues including interpretation and translation, mediation in schools and local agencies, transportation, home visits, and referrals to community agencies and resources. The goal is to support the refugees for a short period of time and also teach them the skills to become self sufficient to handle challenges on their own. Our counseling to all the refugees and immigrants students at all levels help them to understand and deal with social, behavioral, personal problems, provide students with the life skills needed to deal with   problems   before they   occur,  and to  enhance  personal, social, and academic growth.

For more information about the programs  and services,  please  contact  Family Self Sufficiency Program office Ms. Vanessa Pridmore by phone at  (619) 286 - 9052, ext. 232 or via     E-Mail  vanessa@alliance-for-africa.org and Babe Hana for east county at babe@alliance-for-africa.org