Community-Led Response

Provides comprehensive case management services including individualized assessments, advocacy, communication, referrals, and direct assistance with housing, healthcare, benefits, and legal needs for refugees and immigrants regardless of immigration status.

Offers three levels of English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) instruction taught by certified teachers, including to Asian-American clients and through volunteer-supported classes.

Administers the Eviction Prevention Pilot Initiative in Rochester and Monroe County, assisting refugee and immigrant clients with rental assistance applications, eligibility screening, and direct payments to landlords for up to twelve months of back rent.

Engages volunteers who provide at least 10 hours of service each to support community members through ESOL classes and anti-poverty services, reaching at least 60 individuals.

Operates a Workforce Development Program offering job readiness training, resume preparation, interview coaching, and job placement assistance to refugees and immigrants, including out-of-school youth served in partnership with RochesterWorks through New York State-funded services.

Has led an ongoing advocacy campaign since 2005 to raise awareness about the impact of Agent Orange, including organizing photo exhibits, funding magazine advertisements, supporting documentaries, securing celebrity involvement, and generating media coverage in outlets such as the New York Times and Vanity Fair.

Challenged Dow Chemical through a public campaign that included promoting a "Sue me" video clip and encouraging public dissemination to raise awareness about corporate responsibility for Agent Orange.

Facilitated private financial contributions to charities supporting Agent Orange victims and supported the development of educational websites and resources related to Agent Orange.

Hosted public events including a 2024 presentation at Fulbright University in Saigon featuring Agent Orange survivors, a 2012 benefit event in Pittsburgh, and gatherings to honor long-term support for healing the wounds of the Vietnam War.

Conducted a six-year advocacy campaign from 1990 to 1996 that led to the release of two former Shoeshine Boys Project colleagues, Doan Thanh Liem and Do Ngoc Long, who were detained as political prisoners in Vietnam.

Hosts and makes available essays and book reviews by Dr. Brandon Reines on Agent Orange and related topics through its website to support public education.

Operated eight homes, two farms, and a technical-training center in Saigon and DaNang between 1968 and 1976, providing care for approximately 2,500 homeless street children, including through the Shoeshine Boys Project and a hostel established at Pham Ngu Lao Street in 1968.

Submitted essays to major media outlets and supported publications to raise public awareness about cumulative genetic degradation from environmental pollution, including Agent Orange and broader chemical exposure issues.

Conducted statistical research to identify genetic and reproductive health impacts from environmental exposures, including providing formal proof of genetic damage at Love Canal and re-analyzing data from Hiroshima and Nagasaki survivors to show excess reproductive wastage from low-dose radiation exposure.

Conducted postwar trips to Vietnam in 2001 and 2007 to locate and reunite with former homeless children ("bui doi") and their families, and hosted a reunion for former Shoeshine Boys Project staff in 2024 to reflect on their work and create a memory scrapbook.

Provides a supported employment program with career coaching, job readiness training, placement support, and childcare assistance to help underemployed and unemployed individuals achieve economic independence and employment stability.

Offers culturally responsive services, programming, and weekly Tea Time events for New American neighbors to support integration, economic self-sufficiency, civic engagement, and access to community resources.

Provides digital empowerment services including technology training, technical assistance, and connections to subsidies and devices for residents across Syracuse to improve digital access and literacy.