Topline:
A new online tool connects victims of anti-Asian incidents to culturally-specific, in-language help. The Asian Resource Hub offers search filters so users can search for exactly what they need — be it crime victim services, counseling or legal aid.
Why it matters: Anti-Asian incidents, some of which rose to the severity of hate crimes, surged during the height of the pandemic. Between 2020 and 2021, anti-Asian crimes increased by 339%. Advocates say that’s an undercount because many victims did not report the incidents.
The backstory: Advocates at Asian Americans Advancing Justice said it became apparent more needed to be done to connect community members with services after conducting a 2021 survey of Asian American residents in the San Gabriel Valley, which indicated that many were not aware of or did not know how to connect to community services.
What’s next: The site is currently available in Korean, Vietnamese and traditional and simplified Chinese. There are plans to expand the languages to Tagalog and Khmer.
Go deeper: ‘We’re Not Really Safe Anywhere’: Survey Reveals Asian Residents In The San Gabriel Valley Are Shaken By Racism
It became glaringly clear to Connie Chung Joe that targets of anti-Asian racism needed more help after surveying Asian American residents of the San Gabriel Valley in 2021 during a surge in attacks.
In-language counseling, legal aid and senior support services are available, Joe said, but not enough people knew how to find them.
Joe’s organization co-created a new website called the Asian Resource Hub so victims could easily connect with more than 100 organizations across the country that offer free or low-cost services. Search filters let users find the exact services they need in the language they prefer.
“We knew we could not wait for the next tragedy to occur without addressing this gap,” Joe said, noting that mass shootings in Monterey Park and Half-Moon Bay have…
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