The Sustainability Services Department provides newly-arriving, low-to-moderate income, limited English proficient AAPI adults and their dependents with linguistically and culturally accessible services across Northeast Ohio.
Our team of bilingual caseworkers can provide culturally appropriate, comprehensive, and professional case management services to our clients so they get on a path to self-sufficiency. Team members are located in Akron and Cleveland. We offer services such as vocational skills training, supportive counseling, job placement, and retention services, and much more.
Asset Building
FINANCIAL COUNSELING
ASIA offers credit building with financial coaching to help support individuals with building a budget, reviewing credit, developing a personalized plan to achieve financial stability and growth.
ASSET BUILDING PROGRAMS
Housing Counseling
Education for Renters and Homeowners
Asian Services In Action is a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development(HUD) participating housing counseling agency, and provides a multitude of pre and post-housing counseling, foreclosure prevention, and rental counseling assistance.
As a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) housing certified agency, ASIA provides HUD-approved counseling services within a culturally and linguistically-appropriate curriculum in order to teach and guide individuals and families to better track their income and expenses, plan budgets, build equity and make responsible purchases.
Our counselors and financial advisors offer both one-on-one consultations and group workshops providing the knowledge and tools needed for clients to make sound decisions, improve the management of their finances and realize their financial goals. We help clients at all stages of financial knowledge: from opening a bank account for the first time to establishing credit and savings to purchasing a first home, from building credit to understanding the costs of homeownership and preventing foreclosure. All these services are offered free of charge.
The following services are offered in Cantonese, Mandarin, Hindi, Hmong, Korean and other Asian languages:
- Fair Housing Pre-Purchase Education Workshops
- Financial Management/Budget Counseling
- Home Improvement and Rehabilitation Counseling
- Non-Delinquency Post Purchase Workshops
- Pre-purchase Counseling
- Pre-purchase Homebuyer Education Workshops
- Rental Housing Counseling
- Rental Housing Workshops
- Foreclosure Prevention Counseling
For more information, please contact Summer Tan at xiayi@asiaohio.org.
Food Pantry
AND EMERGENCY FOOD ASSISTANCE
ASIA’s Emergency Food Assistance and Food Pantry is OPEN. Families or individuals are eligible. If you need food, please call our office.
Akron's food pantry location is open every second and fourth Tuesday of the month from 12PM to 3PM.
For more information, please contact Nadia Abuamsha at 216-881-0330 ext 8822 or nabuamsha@asiaohio.org or Malissa Xiong at 330-535-3263 ext 5313 or mxiong@asiaohio.org.
FOR EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE Contact us today:
ESOL
English for Speakers of Other Languages
CLASSES & RESOURCES
The Asian Services in Action office in Akron is an official site for FREE ESOL classes.
ESOL CLASS INFO & ARCHIVE
HAPI Fresh
Healthy Asian Pacific Islander Fresh Program
ORGANIC FARM & MARKET
The Healthy Asian Pacific Islander Fresh Farmers Market Program (HAPI Fresh) is a seasonal and weekly farmer’s market between July and September each year that provides equitable access to fresh vegetables, including culturally specific produce.Â
The HAPI Fresh Market facilitates local job creation and supports entrepreneurship by offering low barrier opportunities for producers to sell their harvest.
Developed in 2012, HAPI Fresh ensures that urban farmers and food entrepreneurs, especially from the refugee and immigrant community, have a low-barrier opportunity to sell their produce and other food products while gaining practical experience with customer service, marketing, and financing.  Over the years, HAPI Fresh educated our clients on how to transfer their native agrarian skills to the U.S and integrate into Ohio’s agricultural community.  Â
The market is open to the general public and attracts upwards of 900 customers per week. Customers, especially those from ASIA’s refugee client base, can purchase fresh produce native to their homeland that is not readily available in supermarkets or other farmers markets. In order to ensure access for low-income families, the market accepts SNAP, WIC, and Senior Farmers’ Market vouchers. ASIA’s staff are also available to direct them to health and social services. Â
ADDITIONAL MARKET INFORMATION
Newcomers
Family Support Center
Support Services for New Families
The Newcomers Family Support Center is a program that provides newly-arriving low-income Asian Americans adults (including their dependents) with linguistically and culturally accessible employment assistance and family stabilization services in Cuyahoga County and Summit County.
According to the 2000 U.S. Census, more than 35,900 Asian American Pacific Islanders (AAPI) – majority of them immigrants and refugees – reside within Cuyahoga County with the largest Asian American population in Cleveland (12% of the total Cuyahoga County’s Asian American population). In addition, Cuyahoga County has seen a 67% growth rate of Asian Americans compared to the national average of 44%. Among Asian Americans there are over 23 languages and dialects spoken (just within the Chinese communities there are over a dozen dialects, each unique and distinctive). Witin the population over 40% are considered limited English proficient and 2/3 are from low- to moderate- income households.
Due to unique language and cultural barriers, low-income Asian Americans in northeast Ohio have trouble finding jobs, do not make consistent income progression associated with job promotions and new opportunities, lack limited basic work skills and knowledge especially if they are arriving from developing worlds (hygiene, resume writing, etc.), have trouble navigating counties’ social service system to stabilize their families, and know little or nothing about western concept of personal asset building.
The Newcomers Family Support Center strives to assist people to move further along the path of self-sufficiency and financial independence.
CORE PROGRAM COMPONENTS
Public Notary
and IRS Taxpayer Representative
TAX PREPARATION SERVICES THROUGH ASIA
ASIA offers public notary and IRS taxpayer representative services at a nominal cost. Our public notary staff are credentialed by the State of Ohio.
The cost of notarization is $2.00/per document. Document translation is also available. For a price quote, please contact Ching Lo, clo@asiaohio.org
We have an IRS Taxpayer Representative on staff who is able to represent clients at IRS hearings regarding disputes and issues related to the clients federal taxes. This service is offered on a sliding scale.