2008 LFCD Annual Report

Lao FamilyCommunityDevelopment

2008 Annual Report

Welcome Letter

Dear Friends,

On behalf of Lao Family Community Development (Lao Family), welcome to our Annual Report 2008! As you browse through the pages that follow, you will meet several individuals whose lives you have positively impacted and, in many cases, truly transformed.

We are also pleased to share news that we closed escrow on a new building on East 12th Street in Oakland. Lao Family will redevelop this 30,000 sf building into a one-stop neighborhood resource, financial services, non-profit, and small business center as part of a revitalization project.

We would like to express our deepest appreciation to all of you who have con-tinued to support and believe in the work we provide day and night, through ups and downs, during this past year. Your investment of time and resources into our community to assure the economic development and social self-sufficiency of families makes a difference! Let us share some messages from those individuals whose lives you have helped to change.

“Thank you so much for helping my mother. We have been so stressed out over the prospect of her possibly losing her house. Your homeownership staff was amazing. Now my mother can sleep without worrying that she’s going to be kicked out of her own home. I can’t thank Lao Family enough.”—Linda, Multilingual Homeownership Center client.

“I am very grateful to Lao Family for the help I received. Your staff took my calls during the weekends and assisted me to get to my job interview. The skills I learned from the ESL computer class help improve my English and my computer skills and I was able to get a job. The IDA program allowed me to save money I needed to

purchase a used car and now I can take my child to school without getting up at 5:30 a.m. to catch the bus. And last year, we achieved our dream and purchased a four-bedroom house in Oakland. Thank you to Lao Family!”—Rosa, One-Stop Affiliate Career Center and IDA client.

We hear these words and other similar messages every day—from men, women, young and elderly and in as many as 14 languages. We see the gratitude in the eyes of a senior gentleman dressed in traditional Mien clothes as he holds the hand of one of our staff and clutches a brown bag full of groceries donated from the local food bank; in the broad smile of a Vietnamese girl who is the first in her family to attend a four year unive rsity; in the exuberant exclamation of a Mexican family who has just made a down payment on their first house in the U.S.

We invite you to contact Caroline Hong, our Fund Development Manager at (510) 533-8850 or [email protected] to learn more about our programs and find out ways in which you can get involved with us. The more people who act together to support each other, the more effective we are in helping our newly-arrived families integrate into our society and achieve economic independence.

Sincerely,

Chaosarn S. Chao President/CEO/Founder

Frank E-Yoon Lee Honorary Chair of the Board

Kathy C. Rothberg Executive Director

Frank E-Yoon LeeHonorary Chair of the Board

Chaosarn S. ChaoPresident / CEO / Founder

Kathy C. RothbergExecutive Director

2 Lao Family Community Development

Board of Directors & Staff

John K. Chao

ChairmanWest Coast Builders and Development

nai hang Phan

Vice ChairmanCity of Oakland

Seng Lor SaeLee

SecretaryCovance Research Products

Sharon Chao

TreasurerSacramento County Department of Human Assistance

FranK e-Yoon Lee

Board Member (Honorable Chair)The East Bay Center for Performing Arts

Chan Teem Tern

Board MemberMien Community Leader

Fou one Phan

Board MemberSoutheast Asian Assistance Center, Inc.

Strategic Planning Staff Retreat, June 2008

Meet Mariatu SeSay Mariatu Sesay is no stranger to struggle. Raised in both Sierra Leone and the United States, Mariatu adapted to two different worlds. But when she came home pregnant at 20 years old, her father threw her out, and so as a young woman she began raising a child on her own.

Mariatu had dreams for herself and for her daughter. She sought the support of public assistance and also held a job and went to school in the evenings. It was while on public assistance that Mariatu found her calling. She felt she had been treated poorly and had gotten little respect from the social workers. She decided she wanted a career in social work so she could offer compassion and understanding to the people she helped.

In 2004, Mariatu earned her B.A. in Social Work with a minor in Criminal Justice from San Francisco State University. She joined Lao Family in 2006 as a CalWORKs Case Manager and Job Developer, and she has been instrumental in the success of the organization’s Alameda County Social Services Agency Work Experience Program for public assistance recipients.

What motivates her work now? “My clients inspire me. I know there is a better way for them; I want to let them know there is a better way. I was in the same predica-ment as many of my clients—on welfare, a single mom. It’s not a model situation, but I became self-sufficient. I know they can do the same.” n

2008 Annual Report 3

Lao Family Community Development, Inc. (Lao Family) is dedicated to helping diverse immigrant, refugee and low-income, limited English speaking community members adapt to life in the United States and inspiring them to achieve long-term social and economic self-sufficiency by setting goals, utilizing their imaginations, believing in themselves, and becoming active, contributing members of society.

Our services are designed to give those that we serve, who may be struggling to acculturate to life in this country, to gain self-sufficiency and learn about and connect with organizations and services that will enable them to gain productive employment, financial assets, adequate housing, and emotional resilience and self-confidence.

Mission & Purpose

We do this because we believe that strong communities are formed of diverse, self-sufficient groups of people who are integrated and tolerant and who share cultures and customs. We understand the challenges that refugees and immigrants face coming to a new country, and we are dedicated to helping them succeed in their new homeland—in one generation wherever possible.

In order to meet this mission, Lao Family provides services in four key areas: employment, asset development and financial education, youth services, and family support. We serve people from around the globe, including those who are U.S. born. Lao Family serves more than 10,000 clients a year, and our staff speaks 14 languages.

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Meet Kyaw NaiNg, Lae Lae HtuN, aNd tHeir daugHter, PHoo Kyaw “Lao Family has always helped us. I am so glad and so happy,” says Kyaw Naing, a forklift operator with New WinCup in Corte Madera—a job that Lao Family helped him obtain.

Kyaw Naing left Burma in 1992, fleeing persecution from a government opposed to his fight for democracy and independence. He met and married his wife, Lae Lae Htun on the Thailand/Burma border, and she gave birth to their daughter in Bangkok. Kyaw and his family came to Oakland with the support of their International Rescue Committee sponsors in November of 2004.

Welcome Letter

Board of Directors & Staff

Table of ContentsMission & Purpose

Demographics

Accomplishments

Asset Development

Employment Services

Family Support Services

Youth Leadership & Development

San Antonio Neighborhood Resource Center

Statement of Financial Position

Thanks to Our Funders


Demographics

Over 28 years of service delivery, Lao Family has expanded our client base to include US-born populations as well as refugees and immigrants from Mexico, Guatemala, Cameroon, Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Iran, Russia, Romania, Bosnia, and other countries in all corners of the world. We continue to serve a diversity of Asian families including Vietnamese, Chinese, Lao, Mien, Thai, Burmese, Cambodian, and Nepalese. We have a history of effective quality services to aid special population groups such as limited-English-speaking adults, elderly refugees, youths, children, refugee women, recently-arrived families, and families particularly vulnerable to continued welfare dependence. At present, Lao Family reaches over 10,000 clients annually.

Clients Served Program/Department Over 1-Year Period

Employment Department – Universal 6050

Employment Department – Intensive 323

Benefits Access – Foodstamps 65

Multilingual Homeownership Center 757

IDA Program (includes carryover) 235

VITA Program 794

Youth services (includes carryover) 100

Youth Conference 237

Healthy Marriage 697

CCC Asian Family Outreach 98

Hand-to-Hand 25

Even Start (children + parents) 80

Seniors Program 148

OES – Special Victims Assistance 500

Social Adjustment Services 325

Total Clients Served Over 1-Year Period 10,434

immigration Status

Refugee 30%

Immigrant 50%

Asylee 10%

U.S. Born 10%

race/ ethnicity

Asian/ Pacific Islander 48%

African-American 12%

Latino 30%

White 5%

Other 5%

gender

Male 45%

Female 55%

In early 2005, Kyaw Naing came to Lao Family Community Development for help finding a job. An employment counselor helped him secure a job with New WinCup, and in 2007 he was promoted to forklift operator.

Since Lao Family offers services in a comprehensive way, Kyaw and his family were able to use a variety of services as they began to participate in the U.S. financial, educational and civic systems.n Financial Services. Lao Family helped

Kyaw cancel a pre-approved credit card he had accepted, which had a $25 a month fee, and secure a non-predatory card. We also intervened to negotiate a reasonable

payment plan for a medical bill that his family unknowingly incurred before they were approved for MediCal.

n Education. Kyaw and his wife began learning to speak and read English in Lao Family’s Even Start Program. They enrolled their daughter in our Early Childhood Education class to prepare her for kinder-garten, and when it was time, we helped them enroll her into primary school.

n Income Tax Preparation. Each tax season, the family receives free tax preparation services through Lao Family’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program.

n Immigration Documents. Through Lao

Family, Kyaw and his wife secured I-94 employer authorization documents. We are now helping them obtain green cards.

n Asset-Building. Kyaw has also enrolled in the Lao Family Refugee IDA Program and is saving money to start a business to supple- ment his family’s income.

“I am very satisfied,” he says of the services he has received. He also wants to pass on his knowledge to new Burmese arrivals, whom he has introduced to Lao Family. “I see other refugees who come from Thailand and Burma. They can’t speak English, and I worry. They need an agency to help them learn to live here. Lao Family can help.” n


Accomplishments

This year Lao Family is proud to celebrate its 28th year of helping low-income refugee, immigrant and U.S. born families successfully integrate into American society, and obtain housing, education and jobs. Our strong relationships with a wide array of municipal and social service agencies and private and corporate organizations have enabled us to offer an extensive array of supportive services to more than 10,000 clients this year.

While all of our services are essential, we are especially excited about our Asset Development programs. Helping families build, preserve, and grow their assets is one of the surest ways to ensure their successful future, and with the help of our funders, financial services partners, and community based non-profit partners we have been able to help numerous individuals and families save towards purchase of a home, small business, college education or automobile. Through this collaborative program Lao Family provided more than 488 hours in financial education and helped 23 people save for a post-secondary education, 12 families purchase homes and 39 successfully avoid foreclosure.

employment

Total clients placed in jobs 323

Various Program Breakouts:

One-Stop 37

CCC WEX 26

CCC CalWORKs 33

AC CalWORKs Work Experience 30

RESS 47

All others placed 150

workforce investment act (wia) youth

Out of School Youth enrolled/served in 2007 10

Out of School Youth placed in jobs 9

Out of School Youth going on to 1post-secondary education

In-School Youth enrolled/served 35

In-School Youth receiving HS diploma 22

In-School Youth placed in jobs 3

Total ISY going on to post-secondary education 22

Total number youth 15-20 year olds participating 129 in Youth Conference in Oakland

individual development account (ida) Program

Total opening IDA savings accounts in 2007 61

Total saved by participants (excludes match) $67,387.17

Total using savings towards home purchases 16

Total hours of financial education 488

Total using savings towards small business 20

Total using savings towards education 23

Total using savings towards car purchase 2

Vita tax assistance Program

Total families served (Oakland, San Pablo and Sacramento) in January–April 2008 773

Total dollar value of EITC received $439,099

Total dollar value of refunds received $887,547


Multilingual Homeownership Center (MHC)

Total served in 2007 757

Total home purchases 12

Total attending homeownership workshops 416

Total receiving 1:1 homeownership counseling 184

Total receiving foreclosure counseling 101

Total successfully avoided foreclosure 39

Family Literacy/even Start

Total families served 2007 31

Total children served (1-1/2 to 5 years of age) 42

Other All English-learners

Crime Victim assistance

Total crime victims served in 2007 219

Breakout of type of crime victim:

Family/friend homicide 5

Robbery 86

Hit and run 29

Hate crimes 36

Home burglary 8

Domestic violence 18

Stalking 15

Carjacking 12

Battery 10

refugee Healthy Marriage

Total couples/families served in 2007 697

Total workshop hours 464 hours of workshops

Languages served Lao, Hmong, Cambodian, Vietnamese, Russian, Ukrainian

Contra Costa County asian Family outreach (CCC aFo)

Total families served in 2007 98

Other relevant outcomes 160 hours of workshops (20 8-hour workshops)

Languages served Mien, Lao, Khmu, Vietnamese, English


Asset DevelopmentHistorically, low-income individuals and families in communities of color have been marginalized through a lack of knowledge about mainstream finan-cial concepts, products, and services. They have had very limited exposure to financial institutions, financial products, or retirement planning and investment tools such as 401(k)s, stock markets, mutual funds, insurance products, small business loans and products, CDs and other asset-building opportunities. They often fall prey to predatory check-cashing, pay-day, mortgage and high cost car loan and credit card services. With this under-standing, Lao Family has been working to develop an integrated way to deliver asset-building services to working families with low income and no to low assets that will enable them to participate in wealth-building activities that are typically reserved for the middle- and upper-classes.

Affordable Housing

Multilingual Homeownership Center Lao Family’s HUD-certified housing counseling service provides group and

one-on-one affordable rental and first time homeownership counseling to approximately 1,000 clients a year. We work closely with non-profit developers, city and county agencies, and select for-profit developers to help our clients access affordable housing and mortgages and financial products that are appropriate and affordable for low-income individuals and families.

Foreclosure intervention ServicesThis past year and a half has brought a marked increase in demand for foreclo-sure counseling and intervention services. Counselors fielded more than 100 calls a week from homeowners concerned about losing their homes. Our individualized bilingual and culturally appropriate ser-vices ranged from reviewing and revising household budgets to negotiating with lenders to modify or re-structure loans.

Asset Development

Financial CoachingThis year Lao Family launched a new one-on-one financial coaching program that helps low-income individuals learn about and access investment and savings products as a way to increase their assets. Modeled by SF EARN, the program includes a Financial Coach, who connects participants with un-biased organizations and volunteer mentors from financial management companies. These volunteers guide participants through limited invest-ment products, low-level investing and financial planning tools and products.

individual development account (ida) ProgramIndividual Development Accounts enable refugees to establish matched savings accounts and build assets which can be used toward education and training, first-time home ownership, a car purchase, or small business development. In 2008 we launched a new partnership with the City of Oakland to also serve low-income adults.

Financial Counseling and educationLao Family provides financial education through eight-hour financial literacy workshops and through one-on-one financial counseling through the IDA and Multilingual Homeownership Center. Curriculum includes establishing per-sonal budgets, basic, intermediate, and advanced-banking and building or repair-ing credit.

income Support ServicesLao Family Counselors screen clients to determine if they are eligible for income supports such as affordable medical care or childcare and other public benefits. We also operate a Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) site in Oakland, Sacramento and San Pablo during the tax season. Qualified employers who hire low-income clients also receive support filing for relevant tax credits. These services help our clients jump-start their savings plan.


Meet MadeLyN CeNteNo Madelyn Centeno had been out of work for six months when she came to Lao Family Community Development in February of 2008. A single parent of two children, Madelyn had been taking care of her seriously ill parents and working at a large hardware store. She was offered another position, which she accepted, but which subsequently fell through.

“I was at the point where I needed some income,” says Madelyn, “and so I applied for assistance with CalWORKs.” This program, funded by the Workforce Invest-ment Act, was established to transition people from public assistance to gainful employment. They sent Madelyn to Lao Family. The counselor here interviewed her, assessed her skills and then sent her to interview at RichmondWORKS One Stop Career Center. After a 15 minute conver-sation with the director, she was offered a volunteer position there, and three months later she was hired.

“I believe everything happens for a reason,” says Madelyn, “and the reason all this came about is so I can help other people who are in the same position I was. I love this job, and I love what we do here.” In addition to her job and raising her children, Madelyn is pursuing a degree in business management at Contra Costa College. “Lao Family was very helpful to me, and I’m grateful and happy with the way things have turned out.” n

Employment ServicesProductive employment that supports an individual or family is key to success in the United States. We offer a full menu of services that help our clients retain gainful employment that will lead to self-suffi-ciency for themselves and their families.

Our 28 years of experience includes work with: CalWORKs, Welfare-to-Work, WIA Adult Title I, Refugee Cash Assistance and General Assistance recipients as well as other working poor families and at-risk youth—all with the goal of helping them achieve social and economic self-sufficiency.

Lao Family currently operates an Affili-ate One-Stop Career Center in Oakland and in the City of San Pablo, where we provide an extensive range of Workforce Investment Act services for those seeking job placements. The emphasis we place on building and sustaining relationships with local businesses seeking qualified employees is the cornerstone of our work and our success placing clients in jobs.

Job training and Placement Multi-lingual employment counselors provide highly customized support to job-seekers with multiple barriers to employment that may include language/cultural obstacles and limited education

and job skills. This support may include job-readiness skills and coaching and problem solving around job-related issues, family issues, and other barriers to successful job retention.

Job readiness trainingAll clients receive job readiness training. This includes work culture and work ethics, interview techniques, dressing for success, basic computer skills. Clients learn how to look for job openings, develop resumes, fill out applications, present a professional appearance, and interview effectively. They may also be linked to English as a Second Language classes, adult schools and the community college system.

Vocational trainingLao Family also offers job seekers opportunities to learn specialized skills through vocational and on-the-job training. We offer Customer Service and Security Guard training in-house. Partnerships with other agencies enable clients to pursue training as a forklift operator, truck driver, general clerical assistant or child development teaching assistant. After completing a training program, clients get help in obtaining a training-related job placement.

UPS Hiring Event, October 2008


Meet MaNg tHao “My Name is Mang Thao, I am 42 years old with eight children. My husband and I came to the United States on June 13, 1996. We were having a lot of family problems. Our marriage was not doing well because we lacked understanding of the other person. We miscommunicated a lot and we disagree about the children all the time. We also didn’t have enough money to support our family. We fought all the time when we talked about the children and the money issues.

“We didn’t know how to talk and listen to each other. We also didn’t know how to talk to our children. We always told each other what to do, and we told our children what to do. We attacked each other every time we communicated. It seems like we were demanding of each other and not meeting what the other person expected. The chil-dren always felt we were controlling them and never let them have any freedom.

“Since we were introduced to the Healthy Marriage workshop our communication and understanding of each other has improved. Now we listen to each other’s words to get the feel of them and to understand the other person’s meaning. This program saved our marriage. Our relationship is a lot better, and we are getting closer every day. We also pay more attention to our children’s concerns and value their ideas. Our children communicate more openly with us now. We always recommended the Healthy Marriage workshop to people we know.” n

Strong thriving families are the corner-stone of any community. Lao Family is committed to strengthening the emotional, physical, social and economic health of the families, and thus the communities, we serve. We have developed and or part-nered with other agencies to offer special programs that address the unique needs that immigrants and refugees face when entering communities that have new cul-tures, languages, lifestyles and customs.

The struggle to acculturate to life in a new country can cause or exacerbate family stress; it may even threaten the family stability. Issues around family violence—domestic disputes and youth discipline—substance abuse and gang involvement have all become concerns among immigrant families.

Contra Costa County asian Family outreach Project (CCC aFo)CCC AFO is a collaborative project that includes Contra Costa County Children and Family Services, Opportunity West and Asian Pacific Psychological Services. It provides a range of culturally appropri-ate marriage education and counseling services to Asian refugee families, specifi-cally Mien, Cambodian, Vietnamese, and Low-Land Lao communities, which speak limited English, are culturally isolated, and/or are at high risk of entering the child welfare system. The program’s goal is to strengthen the family and help them improve their communication skills and gain self-sufficiency so that they can avoid welfare, and their children can remain at home rather than enter the foster care system.

Hand to Hand First 5 ProgramThis collaborative of Contra Costa County partners include Lao Fam-ily, Aspiranet, Bay Area Community Resources, and Neighborhood House of

North Richmond. Hand to Hand offers a comprehensive home-visit program to help hard to reach and serve Asian and African-American families raise healthy children. Targeting low-income pregnant mothers, families of infants, and teen mothers, the program engages women pre- and post-birth to:n Effect a positive, healthy pregnancy

and birth outcomen Introduce parenting education

through one-on-one peer supportn Help shape nurturing relationships

between parents and childrenn Promote and transmit literacy in the

family’s home, andn Create successful linkages to other

family strengthening services and com-munity referrals

California refugee Healthy Marriages ProjectThis statewide collaborative, led by Lao Family, involves four refugee Mutual Assistance Associations/community-based organizations including the Slavic Assis-tance Center, the Cambodian Association of America, Sacramento Lao Family, Inc., and Vietnamese Community Develop-ment, Inc.

With a goal of promoting and maintain-ing stable marriages and family units, this project delivers linguistically-appropriate and culturally-sensitive enrichment education workshops and activities to refugee and asylee families struggling with the unique challenges of integration and acculturation. Assistance to families includes:n Developing, building, and maintain-

ing strong and satisfying marriagesn Developing effective communication,

anger management, conflict resolution and negotiation skills

n Marriage- and family-strengthening activities

Family Support Services


available for support. They are especially vulnerable to depression and other mental health issues arising from social and cul-tural isolation.

The Southeast Asian Seniors Program promotes the mental, emotional, and physical health of this refugee population and address their needs for social and emo-tional connection to their communities as well as to their increasingly Westernized and modernized families. The program offers a range of supports that include:n Structured activities and local field tripsn Educational workshops such as how to

open a bank account, how to use public transit, crime prevention, or registering to vote

n Special events such as celebrating Lao New Year and other holidays

n Intergenerational activities such as a luncheon with their grandchildren

n Social adjustment and translation/inter-pretation services

n Brown-Bag Program with the partner-ship of the Alameda County Commu-nity Food Bank

n Individual counseling and referral services

n Family financial literacy, management and budgeting, and asset development

n Effective parenting techniques and rais-ing children in a positive environment

asian american Special Crime Victim assistance ProgramRefugees, immigrants and other limited-English speaking people often live in high crime areas. After a crime occurs, they face unique challenges navigating a civil justice system that is unfamiliar to them and in a language they do not understand. These individuals also typically lack awareness of victims’ rights or the impact of crime on their lives and that of their families.

The Asian American Special Crime Victim Assistance Program is dedicated to serving individuals, families and communities impacted by crime by providing them with the information, resources and opportuni-ties to rebuild and empower their lives. The program includes:n Court-related supportn Crisis prevention/interventionn Emergency services for the individual

and his or her children and familyn Translation and interpretationn Assistance securing state compensation

for the victim’s familyn Counseling services for individuals and

their familiesn Criminal justice support and advocacyn Community outreach/crime prevention

educationn Resource referrals

Southeast asian Seniors ProgramThere are at least 450–500 Mien seniors in Oakland who arrived with their families in the early 1980’s as the last wave of refugees post-Vietnam War. All with little or no English speaking skills and struggling with acculturation, these seniors are socially isolated with only their immediate family and other Mien community members

Southeast Asian Seniors Program Peach Picking, July 2008


Youth Leadership and DevelopmentProductive young people are the future of our communities. In refugee and immi-grant communities this is especially true. However, young people in immigrant or refugee families often feel caught between two cultures. Some U.S. born young people are also caught in a cycle of genera-tional poverty that leaves them without the skills to succeed.

With more than 26 years of experience and a successful track record of serving youth in Alameda and Contra Costa, Lao Family helps these young people who are often the first generation in their families to seek post-high school education, build their leadership skills, assess their strengths and articulate them, learn what educa-tional or vocational opportunities may be available, and go through the process of applying for jobs, educational scholar-ships, vocational schools, and colleges or universities.

workforce investment act (wia) youth ProgramLao Family manages a year-round WIA Youth Program in Oakland which deliv-ers highly individualized one-on-one employment and educational services for low-income, at-risk youth 14–21 years old from families who struggle with self-sufficiency, whether they are native born or refugee or immigrant families.Comprehensive youth services include: life skills training, occupational training, academic tutoring and college prepara-tion, and real-world work experiences—all supported by one-on-one counseling and individualized supports. Services are provided with a goal towards:n Increasing the likelihood youth

graduate from high school or obtain their GED

n Encouraging youth to pursue post-secondary education, whether through enrollment at vocational training programs, community colleges or four-year colleges

n Increasing the likelihood for long-term, sustained employment by build-ing job readiness and hard and soft skills

n Building youth competencies includ-ing leadership skills, increased sense of community and civic participation, and increased confidence

n Fostering healthy family relationships by facilitating programs for parents and other caregivers to get them involved in their children’s lives

annual Southeast asian youth Leadership empowerment ConferenceSince 1995, Lao Family’s WIA Youth Program participants and youth staff have coordinated the Annual Southeast Asian Youth Leadership Empowerment Confer-ence, which recently drew more than180 Oakland youth. Attended by at-risk youth of all ethnic and cultural backgrounds, the conference helps participants:n Develop leadership skillsn Identify academic and career goalsn Access resources to direct them

towards successful outcomes after high school

The young people organize the entire conference, with support from Lao Fam-ily staff. Workshop topics include: higher education, financial literacy, the sweat-shop industry, health and nutrition, sex education, racial stereotypes, and crime and violence. The conference also offers an exceptional opportunity for a large, cross-cultural group of youth to partici-pate in open-minded exchanges of different perspectives about issues that impact and empower our youth today.


Meet BoBBy CHaNtaVoNg “I thought I was cool, but I was hanging out with the wrong kids,” says Bobby Chantavong. Born in the U.S., 14 year-old Bobby was strug-gling to fit in. His parents and grandparents were Lao refugees, who had their own issues transitioning to a new life.

“We’d go out late and just walk around. One day we vandalized a school. I could have easily left, but I was a follower, so I just stayed there. The boys were caught and placed on probation, and the school filed a civil suit for damages. “When Bobby came to Lao Family he was suffering from anxiety attacks,” recalls Meuy Yong Saephan. “His family didn’t have any money for a lawyer, didn’t know anything about the legal sys-tem, and they spoke very little English.”

Lao Family intervened with counseling for Bobby and for his grandparents with whom he lived, home visits, independent living-skills building, and research and administra-tive support to help Bobby defend himself in the case. “Lao Family helped me a lot,” says Bobby, now age 19. “I was afraid for my life, and when I saw my grandmother and grandfather crying, I realized I couldn’t do this anymore. The counselors at Lao Family taught me a lot. I learned how to speak dif-ferently, dress differently, talk differently and think differently about myself. I learned you need to stop being what other people want you to be and start being what you should be. My whole career in high school changed after that.” Bobby has now graduated and will start Merritt College in January. He is thinking about becoming a probation officer so he can help other young people stay out of trouble. n

San Antonio Neighborhood Resource Center

Lao Family Community development, inc.’s San antonio Neighborhood resource Center will be a bustling place of opportunities and hope. It will serve small and medium size businesses, financial institutions, and non-profit organizations. With the creation of the Center, Lao Family creates a distinct space for individuals and their relatives to receive integrated services that foster the economic health of the whole family and the San Antonio/Fruitvale community. Counselors will encourage fathers seeking employment to enroll their high school children into the year-round WIA youth leadership and employment program. Those who secure jobs will be introduced to financial literacy and coaching oppor-tunities. Brothers and sisters participating in the Youth Individual Development Account (IDA) asset-building program will persuade their parents to attend home buying workshops, and their grandparents to join the social network of Southeast Asian senior programs.

economic opportunity With more than 30,000 square feet of space, this two-story building located at 2325 East 12th Street will be developed as a commercial revitalization project to serve as a hub for

non-profit and Mutual Assistance Associa-tion services, commercial, retail, and microenterprise business development, and community meeting and gathering space. The Center will create new jobs and encourage business investment in the Lower San Antonio neighborhood’s East 12th and 23rd Avenue commercial corridor and supplant an urban blight by transforming it into an attractive, income generating, high foot-traffic development.

Project Cost and Financing The rede- velopment project will cost approxi-mately $8 million dollars, which includes acquisition and substantial rehabilitation and on site parking. Finance commit-ments to date include: OneCalifornia Bank, Northern California Community Loan Fund, and the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services – Administration of Children and Families/Office of Com-munity Services (OCS). Other financing to include a combination of New Markets Tax Credits, loans, foundation/corporate/public grants, and individual donations. We need your help. Please donate to our Capital Campaign by contacting Caroline Hong, Fund Development Manager, at (510) 533-8850 or [email protected].

Future site of the San Antonio Neighborhood Resource Center in Oakland, CA


Statement of Financial Position

December 31, 2007

Assets

Cash and Cash Equivalents $667,439

Grants Receivable 528,580

Prepaid and Deposits 33,406

Land, Building and Equipment 1,483,449

Total Assets $2,712,874

Liabilities and Net Assets

Liabilities:

Accounts Payable $116,419

Accrued Vacation 42,397

Deferred Income 21,474

Notes Payable 150,000

Total Liabilities $330,290

Net Assets:

Unrestricted $2,346,992

Temporarily Restricted 35,592

Total Net Assets $2,382,584

Total Liabilities and Net Assets $2,712,874

Income

Government $1,745,043

Corporate and Foundation $560,901

Other: Rental Income, Interest, In-Kind $124,238

Statement of Activities

Revenue, Gain, and Other Support

Government Grants and Contracts $1,745,043

Private Foundations 259,117

Donation 301,784

Other Income:

Rental Income 48,605

Interest Income 3,824

Miscellaneous Income 21,457

In-kind Income 50,352

Total Revenue, Gain and Other Support $2,430,182

Expenditures

Program Expenses $2,034,582

Management and General 312,755

Total Expenditures $2,347,337

Change in Net Assets $82,845

Net Assets at Beginning of Year 2,283,351

Capital acquisition 16,388

Net Assets at End of Year $2,382,584

Expenses

Program $2,034,582

Management and General Administration $312,755

For information regarding our completed annual audit and Form 990, please contact Lao Family’s Executive Director.

Government72%

Other: Rental Income,

Interest, In-Kind5%

Corporate and Foundation

23%Management and General

Administration13%

Program87%


Thanks to Our Funders

Alameda County Social Services Agency

Alba Witkin Trust Funds

Annie E. Casey Foundation – Making Connections Oakland

Bay Area Local Initiatives Support Corporation

California Department of Education

California Employment Development Department

California Reinvestment Coalition

California School-Age Consortium

CitiGroup Foundation

City of Oakland Community Economic Development Agency

City of Oakland Department of Human Services

City of Richmond Community and Economic Development Department

Consumer Action

Contra Costa County CDBG

Contra Costa County Employment and Human Services

East Bay Asian Local Development Corp.

First Five – Contra Costa County

Friedman Family Foundation

Governor’s Office of Emergency Services

National Community Development Institute

National Realtors Association

Oakland Fund for Children and Youth

Oakland Housing Authority

Oakland Private Industrial Council

State Street Foundation

Thomas J. Long Foundation

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services –

Office of Refugee and Resettlement

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development –

Santa Ana Home Ownership Center

United Way of the Bay Area

Walter and Elise Haas Fund

Washington Mutual Foundation

Wells Fargo Foundation

i believe in Lao Family’s work serving residents, clients and our neighborhoods and in their ability to exceed measurable outcomes. our investment in the organization offers much in return to the well-being of the Lower San antonio community and its families. —Deborah Montesinos, Site Director for Making Connection Oakland, an Initiative of the Annie E. Casey Foundation and National Community Development Institute.


Asset Development n Home Ownership n Financial Education, Coaching and Mentorship n Refugee/AFI Individual Development Account (IDA) n VITA/EITC Tax Assistance Service

Employment Services n EAST Bay Works Affiliate One-Stop Career Center n Refugee Employment Services/VESL n CalWORKs/Welfare-to-Work Employment Services

Youth Services n Youth Employment (ages 19–21) n After School Leadership Development (ages 14–18) n After School Tutoring/Mentoring

Family Support Services n Contra Costa County Asian Family Outreach n Social Adjustment Services n Citizenship Assistance n Refugee Healthy Marriage n Elderly Support Services n Asian American Special Crime Victim Assistance n Information, Referral, Transportation, and Translations n Community Economic Development n Hand to Hand Project n Low Income Housing Development

Lao Family Community Development, Inc.www.laofamilynet.org

Oakland Main Office1551 23rd AvenueOakland, CA 94606Tel. (510) 533-8850 | Fax (510) 533-1516

San Pablo Office1865 Rumrill Blvd. – Suite CSan Pablo, CA 94806Tel. (510) 215-1220 | Fax (510) 215-1216

Sacramento Office6901 Stockton Blvd. – Suite 340Sacramento, CA 95823Tel. (916) 393-7501 | Fax (916) 393-7574

Office HoursMonday–Friday, 8:30am–5:00pmClosed for lunch from 12:00pm–1:00pm

LanguagesMandarin, Cantonese, Lao, Mien, Spanish, Burmese, Vietnamese, Thai, Arabic, Nepali, Hindi, Fiji, Krio, Tagalog

Lao Family Community Development, Inc.1551 23rd AvenueOakland, CA 94606

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