Resolution urging the Mayor, the Board of Supervisors and the Department of Human Services to maintain existing funding levels for Asian Pacific Islander programs, such as the In Home Visitation program, which provide culturally relevant and sensitive services to the City's immigrant population.
WHEREAS, Asians and Pacific Islanders comprise 34% of San Francisco's population with 29% living below the poverty level; and,
WHEREAS, The Asian Perinatal Advocates' In Home Visitation Program, started in 1987, is the primary child abuse prevention program for Asian and Pacific Islander families in San Francisco and is the only hospital based in-home support program in California specifically serving high-risk Asian and Pacific Islander immigrants in transition; and,
WHEREAS, The In Home Visitation Program's early intervention and prevention model has demonstrated that tremendous dividends are gained in promoting a healthy start, improving infant-parent bonding and preventing child abuse and neglect in the under-served Asian and Pacific Islander communities in San Francisco; and,
WHEREAS, Families in the In Home Visitation Program come from all neighborhoods in the City with the highest number of families residing in the Chinatown/North Beach, Excelsior/Crocker Amazon/OMI /Ingleside, Bayview Hunter's Point/Visitacion Valley, Richmond/Sunset, North of Market/Tenderloin, and Mission/Outer Mission communities; and,
WHEREAS, The In Home Visitation Program provides in home counseling addressing problems spanning from social isolation, neglect, cultural adjustment, substance abuse, behavioral/emotional health problems, single parenthood, criminal involvement, housing, and under-employment; and,
WHEREAS, Additional issues faced by recent immigrants include language barriers, social and cultural isolation, depression, the lack of access to public resources and the absence of extended family members that traditionally provided the emotional and social support and guidance in becoming parents; and,
WHEREAS, The family visitors provide biweekly/monthly visits to at risk families for up to two years to focus on teaching proper infant care knowledge, nutrition, and parenting skills, and child development; and,
WHEREAS, The family visitors become the only link between the Asian and Pacific Islander families and western society and its resources and the non-threatening in home support approach has been instrumental in detecting aberrant behavior, dysfunctional parent-child relationships, and explosive marital problems; and,
WHEREAS, Thirty-four percent of cases are Child Protective Service-related, 25% have domestic violence issues (44% in the Filipino community) and almost 20% experience mental health problems; and,
WHEREAS, The significant budget shortfall will cause a significant cut back in the funding for program such as In Home Visitation Program and will be detrimental to the growing Asian and Pacific Islander population; and,
WHEREAS, The current City funding level of $75,000 for the In Home Visitation program constitutes 20% of the program's funding which provides services to over 200 Asian and Pacific Island families in need of specialized intensive services; and,
WHEREAS, The Asian Perinatal Advocates is requesting the Board of Supervisors to restore funding for In Home Visitation Program to the current level through the add-back process; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the Immigrant Rights Commission of the City and County of San Francisco strongly supports the restoration of the $75,000 add-back from the Board of Supervisors to continue to fund the Asian Perinatal Advocates - In Home Visitation program at its current levels for fiscal year 2003; and, be it
FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Immigrant Rights Commission urges the Mayor, the Board of Supervisors and the Department of Human Services to continue its commitment to maintain existing level of programs that provide culturally relevant and sensitive services to some of the City's most vulnerable immigrant population.
