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The Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services (ACCESS) is a human services organization committed to the development of the Arab American community. ACCESS helps low-income families, as well as newly arrived immigrants adapt to life in the United States. Its goal is to foster a greater understanding of Arab culture in the U.S. and in the Arab world. ACCESS provides social, mental health, educational, artistic, employment, legal, and medical services.
ACCESS began operating out of a storefront at Dearborn’s South End in 1971. Staffed by volunteers, ACCESS’ first board president was George Khoury, accompanied by Hajjah Aliya Hassan as the first volunteer director.
Without the help of The Association of Arab-American University Graduates (AAUG), and its donation of the first months rent, the opening of ACCESS on Vernor Highway would not have been possible. In subsequent years, ACCESS moved to Hashemite Hall until it burned down. In 1973, the building on Saulino Court was purchased by the Yemeni Benevolent Association, and offered to ACCESS free of charge, where the administrative offices still reside today.
The expansion of ACCESS has grown to five locations, including the Arab American National Museum (AANM), which was founded on May 5, 2005.
With two walk-in offices in Dearborn and one outreach office in Hamtramck, Social Services continues to assist the community. Services include finding jobs, immigration needs, and health services.
ACCESS partners with companies in Michigan to provide services.
The Employment and Training Department at ACCESS is a Certified Michigan Works One-Stop Employment Services Center. Each year the Employment and Training department holds six job fairs servicing 100 employers and drawing thousands of job seekers.
Key programs and services:
(basic skills, GED, ESL, office skills) And Computer Application training.
The Youth and Education Department provides learning and activities for youth of all ages. Summer programs include a stronger academic preparedness component. Each year through an Adult Literacy program ACCESS provides hundreds of predominantly non-native English speakers with courses in English as a Second Language (ESL).
Educational and recreational services are offered through the following programs:
The National Outreach Department houses the National Network for Arab-American Communities (NNAAC), which is a network of independent Arab-American community-based organizations. Launched in 2004, the network has 16 members in nine states. The network has two annual events and four standing programs: Advocacy; the Arab-American Resource Corps; the Center for Arab-American Philanthropy.
The network's advocacy program focuses on immigration policy, civil rights and civil liberties, civic engagement and increased funding and support for human services.
The Arab-American Resource Corps (ARC), a national AmeriCorps program, engages individuals in service in Arab-American communities. AmeriCorps is a federally funded national service program in which individuals commit to one year of service in their communities.
The Center for Arab-American Philanthropy promotes philanthropy. The program strives to support Arab-American giving, whether specifically to Arab-American community organizations or other issues of concern to Arab-American donors. [1]
The Organizational Development program supports the sustainability and growth of Arab-American community-based organizations. By providing technical assistance to strengthen organizations, the network ensures their long-term sustainability.
National Arab-American Service Day is an annual community service project spearheaded by the Arab-American Resource Corp which takes place in 15 cities throughout the country. Its mission is to encourage volunteerism and service among communities; to connect people through the common experience of service; and highlight Arab-Americans’ commitment to serving their communities.
The Annual Conference provides a forum where NNAAC member organizations meet and work with experts, advocates from partner coalitions, the funding community and Arab-American leaders. The conference brings together a group of participants in order to discuss issues facing local communities.
The Jewish Agency for Israel, formerly known as the Jewish Agency for Palestine, is the largest Jewish non-profit organization in the world. It was established in 1929 as the operative branch of the World Zionist Organization (WZO).
The Arab American National Museum is a museum in Dearborn, Michigan, highlighting the history, experiences, and contributions of Arab Americans. Established in 2005, it is the first, and largest, museum in the world devoted to Arab American history and culture. It is a division of the Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services (ACCESS), and a Smithsonian Affiliate.
Service and supports for people with disabilities are those government or other institutional services and supports specifically provided to enable people who have disabilities to participate in society and community life. Some such services and supports are mandated or required by law, some are assisted by technologies that have made it easier to provide the service or support while others are commercially available not only to persons with disabilities, but to everyone who might make use of them.
Rehabilitation counseling is focused on helping people who have disabilities achieve their personal, career, and independent living goals through a counseling process.
AmeriCorps Seniors is a United States government program run by the Corporation for National and Community Service. The program engages volunteers aged 55 and older to serve their communities. There are over 200,000 volunteers nationwide.
Citizen Corps is a program under the Department of Homeland Security that provides training for the population of the United States to assist in the recovery after a disaster or terrorist attack. Each local Citizen Corps Council partners with organizations, volunteers and businesses to organize responders, volunteers and professional first responders for an efficient response so efforts are not wasted by being duplicated. By training in Incident Command, volunteers know whom to report to and how the incident is organized. This prevents sites from being inundated by untrained and unprepared personnel preventing operation. Citizen Corps also works in conjunction with the Corporation for National and Community Service in promoting national service opportunities for promoting homeland security needs.
Established in 1985, the Florida Literacy Coalition (FLC) is a nonprofit organization that promotes, supports and advocates for the effective delivery of quality adult and family literacy services in the state of Florida.
Equal Justice Works is a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit organization that focuses on careers in public service for lawyers. Equal Justice Works' stated mission is "to create a just society by mobilizing the next generation of lawyers committed to equal justice."
The Arab American Action Network (AAAN) is a Chicago-based community center founded in 1995 to strengthen the Arab immigrant and Arab American communities in the Chicago area by building their capacity to be active agents for positive social change. As a grassroots nonprofit, its strategies include community organizing, advocacy, education, providing social services, leadership development, cultural outreach, and forging productive relationships with other communities.
The City Bar Justice Center provides pro bono legal services to low-income clients throughout New York City. It is part of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York Fund, Inc., a 501(c)(3) corporation.
Ismael N. Ahmed is an American government official and labor leader who is the designate to be a member of the National Endowment of the Arts in the Biden administration. Ahmed previously served as the director of the Michigan Department of Human Services from September 2007 to January 3, 2011. He was appointed by Governor Jennifer Granholm in September 2007. As director of the state’s second-largest agency, Ahmed oversaw 10,000 employees and managed a $4 billion-plus budget serving 1.5 million medical assistance cases and 1.2 million cash and food assistance cases.
The Office of Social Innovation and Civic Participation was an office new to the Obama Administration, created within the White House, to catalyze new and innovative ways of encouraging government to do business differently. Its first director was the economist Sonal Shah. The final director was David Wilkinson.
Association of Americans and Canadians in Israel (AACI) is a non-profit organization of American and Canadian Jews who have made Aliyah to Israel. AACI is a resource center for Israel's English-speaking population. AACI assists its members with all facets of Aliyah and absorption into Israeli society. AACI has 5 branches throughout the country that offer absorption counseling services and social and cultural programs. AACI is funded mainly by program and membership fees along with donations.
The Human Resources Administration or Department of Social Services (HRA/DSS) is the department of the government of New York City in charge of the majority of the city's social services programs. HRA helps New Yorkers in need through a variety of services that promote employment and personal responsibility while providing temporary assistance and work supports. Its regulations are compiled in title 68 of the New York City Rules. The current Commissioner of HRA is Molly Wasow Park, who was appointed to the position by Mayor Eric Adams. HRA is the largest city social services agency in the United States. It has a budget of $9.7 billion, employs over 14,000 people, and serves over 3 million New Yorkers.
The New York City Coalition Against Hunger (NYCCAH) is a nonprofit organization, which aims to “enact innovative solutions to help society move ‘beyond the soup kitchen’ to ensure economic and food self-sufficiency for all Americans”. NYCCAH works collaboratively with local, state, and national legislatures as well as New York residents and community associations. In contrast to other organizations, NYCCAH generally does not distribute food but rather concerns itself with providing technical assistance to groups which do while simultaneously affecting hunger policy at a more macro-urban scale.
The Refugee Immigration Ministry is an interfaith, community-based organization that was founded in 1986. It is a 501(c)(3) non-profit based in Malden, MA that serves asylum seekers, asylees, and refugees. RIM is part of a national and local network. RIM's volunteers, many who are organized in community Clusters, help integrate clients into their communities through job preparation programs, chaplaincy services to immigrant detainees, and other forms of assistance.
The Program for Torture Victims (PTV) is a non-profit organization that provides medical, psychological, case management and legal services to torture survivors. PTV serves more than 300 victims of state-sponsored torture from over 65 countries annually.
Founded in 1965, the Chinese-American Planning Council, Inc. (CPC) is one of the largest non-profit providers of educational, social, and community services for Asian-Americans in the United States. It now services over 8,000 people daily through some 50+ programs at over 30 locations citywide. It administers early childhood, school-age child care, youth, community, workforce development, and senior services. Its mission is to serve the Chinese-American, immigrant, and low-income communities in New York City by providing services, skills, and resources towards economic self-sufficiency.
The Hispanic Federation (HF) is a U.S based non-governmental organization focused on supporting Hispanic communities through local, state, and national advocacy. The Federation was founded in New York City in 1990 by a small group of Latino leaders, establishing initiatives to advocate for the interests of the Hispanic community and has expanded to establish programs, and policies in 16 states. The organization's objective is to empower and advance the Hispanic community primarily through service pillars, membership services, advocacy, and community programs. The Federation has formed relationships with a network of 100 Latino grassroots nonprofits, as well as collaborating with organizations, government officials, and private sector partners to enact systemic change related to a variety of socioeconomic issues for Hispanic communities. The Federation has gained national recognition for its work in areas of education, health, immigration, economic empowerment, civic engagement, environment, and organizational development to strengthening Latino institutions to ultimately increase the quality of life within Hispanic communities.
Fayrouz Saad is an American public official and politician. She is the Executive Director of the Office of Global Michigan, and was the first Director of Detroit's Office of Immigrant affairs under Mayor Mike Duggan.