Boat People SOS: Atlanta
Boat People SOS (BPSOS) Atlanta is a local affiliate of an international Vietnamese American non-profit organization who provides social services and assistance whose purpose is to empower, organize, and equip individuals in their pursuit of liberty and dignity. BPSOS Atlanta was found in early 2000 to provides education and direct assistance to immigrant families and low-income families in GA and surrounding states.
BPSOS Atlanta has programs and services that range from health awareness and promotion, social services, domestic violence victim assistance, immigration services, income tax assistance, occupational health training, senior service programs, civic engagement, and youth education assistance programs.
Programs
We offer the below programs and services to support our community members with their needs and empower them in their everyday life.
.jpg)
HAPP Community Clinic
Our community clinic provides medical services, referrals, and consultations through our network of volunteer healthcare providers at low or no cost to those with low income and no health insurance. Through this clinic, our patients can manage chronic diseases and seek healthcare that they may not be able to afford otherwise. Because many of our patients work on weekdays, our clinic has been able to offer appointments every Saturday from 9 AM to 2 PM. The clinic also offers telehealth visits to established patients on the weekdays that is subject to our volunteer provider availability.
HAPP Breast Cancer Awareness
Our breast cancer awareness seeks to improve access to breast healthcare and preventative and screening services for Asian American and Hispanic women living in our local community. Through this program, we provide free clinical breast exams and mammogram referrals for qualified women. Women with abnormal exams or who are diagnosed with breast cancer are provided assistance through this program to navigate the continuum of care with the help of our trained and experienced staff.
HAPP Healthcare Marketplace Navigation
Our Healthcare Marketplace Navigation team assists families and individuals enroll in healthcare insurance plans through the healthcare marketplace. Our certified navigators assist the community select the proper plan depending on each family’s or individual’s unique circumstances. Our navigators are also able to assist community members and determine if they are eligible for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), Medicaid or Medicare programs.
HAPP Community Awareness Campaign on Occupational Safety (CACOS)
The CACOS program was established in 2000 and has assisted and trained thousands of local Vietnamese American salon workers on OSHA issues. Our CACOS program has developed Vietnamese-language materials and provided this material as well as training to nail salon workers and employers on best practices to promote safety in the workplace. The current project is focused on safety and health of nail salon workers by identifying chemical hazards, preventing workplace accidents, infectious disease mitigation measures, personal protective equipment, and worker and employer rights.
Community against Domestic Violence Program (CADV)
The CADV program aims to raise awareness on domestic violence and provide services to domestic violence victims and survivors. CADV offers a full range of culturally-sensitive and linguistically-appropriate services such as crisis counseling, safety planning, emotional support, translation assistance, public benefits assistance, connections to counseling, shelter/relocation assistance, temporary financial assistance, accompaniments, and other services. Through this program we aim to educate the community on domestic violence prevention and aim to end the stigma in our community on domestic violence.
Senior Services
Our senior services program provides a full range of services to the elderly Vietnamese population who face barriers in their access to information. We provide cultural and linguistic appropriate services such as healthcare insurance coverage including Medicare, Medicaid, and Healthcare Marketplace assistance, SNAP assistance, SSI assistance, and translation services.
Immigration Services
Our immigration service provides low-income families and individuals with immigration assistance and family reunification needs through application and translation assistance. We also provide citizenship classes to immigrants to assist those who are seeking citizenship the United States. Through our immigration services, we are able to provide a culturally and linguistically appropriate curriculum to adults to prepare for their U.S. Citizenship and Naturalization examination.
Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program (VITA)
Our VITA program provides free tax assistance to low- and moderate- income families and individuals. This program aims to help simplify the complex process of filing yearly taxes. Our certified and trained volunteers help prepare and file taxes and their tax returns. This program is only available from February to April of each year during the tax season.
Social Services Program
The social services program assists those who seek assistance with social services applications such as SNAP benefits and Medicaid. Eligible families and individuals are provided case specific services that aim to reduce their financial burden while they are struggling economically.
Impact
For the last 5 years, BPSOS-Atlanta has been able to provide services to:
1,000+
families re-united through immigration services
1,500+
immigrants and refugees were naturalized
5,000+
individuals empowered through community education awareness and prevention.
2,000+
nail salon workers were trained to prevent chemical hazardous infection
5,000+
low-income families were assisted to file their income tax on time and to claim low-income tax credit, and child tax credit.
250+
under-served youth graduated from High School or GED
Events & Updates
Community Health Fair 2023
Norcross location:
Sept 16, 2023
5495 Jimmy Carter Blvd
Norcross, GA 30093
Community Health Fair 2023
Morrow location:
Oct 14, 2023
1500 Morrow Rd
Morrow, GA 30260
Check out our newsletter
Link
Branch Supporters
BPSOS Atlanta
- Emory University
- Mercer University
- PCOM Georgia
- UnivNell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing
- Saigon Pharmacare
- CDC Foundation
- Healthcare GA Foundation
- United Way
- Unity Health Clinic
- Criminal Justice Coordinating Council
- It’s the Journey
- Dekalb County Board of Health
- GA Charitable Care Network
- National Charitable
- Morrow City
- Direct Relief
- Dekalb County Board of Health
- Clayton County Community Health
- Gwinnett County Community Health
- Latino Community Fund of Georgia
- VSAM1040
- VN Pharmacy
- OSHA
- National Coalition for Asian Pacific American Community Development
- Northside Hospital Cancer Institute
- MDC Healthcare
Staff
BPSOS Atlanta
Trinh Pham
Executive Director
Huy Vu
National Program Manager
Thu Thao Nguyen
CADV Program Manager
Thanh Huong Nguyen
Program Coordinator
Diem Le
Program Coordinator
Hoa To
Program Coordinator
Hoa Nguyen
AmeriCorps Community Health Worker
Crystal Ho
Clinic Coordinator
Helen Vo
Program Coordinator
