Sakhi for South Asian Women

Economic empowerment program (ee): the ee program seeks to provide financial stability and economic security to survivors of domestic violence from the South Asian diaspora. Sakhi recognized early on the close links between domestic violence and economic control as well as self-sufficiency and the ability to make choices that enable safety for Women and their families. Realizing the need for services aimed at improving survivors' economic opportunities, Sakhi has provided skills-enhancement activities since the mid-1990s under the banner of the economic justice project. In 2001, our efforts were formalized under the economic empowerment program. We currently provide case management, workshops and trainings, and scholarships to Women so that they can access public benefits, jobs, credit, banking, and other forms of support so that they can reach their goals of self-sufficiency and safety.

Housing program: Sakhi's housing program helps South Asian survivors of gender-based violence relocate to or remain in safe and stable housing through the following programs: housing counseling and advocacy: Sakhi's housing program provides survivors highly personalized culturally and linguistically appropriate housing assistance. Sakhi's housing program manager and staff of multilingual economic empowerment advocates provide clients 1:1 counseling helping clients: find temporary shelter, apply for housing subsidies, find affordable housing programs, and access financial assistance for rent, utilities, security deposits, and moving costs. Emergency short-term housing: Sakhi provides short-term emergency rental assistance (1-3 months) to help survivors in danger relocate immediately or to prevent eviction. Transitional housing :partially funded by major grants from the department of justice and housing and urban development, Sakhi offers survivors (and dependents) up to 24 months of rental assistance in a fair-market apartment of their choice. In addition, Sakhi provides help with relocation, safety measures, security deposit payments, and initial utility payments.

Anti-violence program: Sakhi creates a safe place for South Asian survivors who have experienced abuse. We affirmatively support all survivors of all genders, races, ethnicities, religions, sexualities, castes, or any other identity markers. We offer a full range of culturally-sensitive, linguistically-appropriate services including: crisis response, safety-planning, and ongoing emotional support; accompaniments, translation assistance and advocacy in court, during healthcare visits, and at public benefits and welfare agencies; weekly support groups; connections to counseling, low-cost or free health consultations and exams, public benefits, and shelter and/or housing. Each year, Sakhi's advocates support over 450 South Asian survivors of gender-based violence and their families with intensive one-on-one support and field more than 2,000 calls on our helpline.

Community outreach program: Sakhi aims to be an engaged, accountable, and visible presence in the South Asian diaspora and the movement to end gender-based violence. We conduct grassroots outreach to: inform survivors about their rights and Sakhi's services, raise awareness of violence within the South Asian community, and conduct trainings on gender-based, sexual, and intimate partner violence through a South Asian lens.as the majority of the survivors we work with hear about Sakhi through word of mouth, we participate in community events, and work with community-based organizations (cbos), religious institutions, and universities, by presenting in their spaces. We also seek to increase awareness of gender-based and sexual violence as well as the resources available to the greater South Asian community in new york city. Through these engagements, we strive to educate on topics such as bystander intervention, trauma-informed care, Sakhi's services and history, and culturally and linguistically specific programming. In addition to these workshops and trainings, Sakhi has a robust calendar of community engagement events.youth empowerment program (yep): in 2016, Sakhi developed our yep as a way to support the healing of young survivors. We recognize that people of all genders and ages are affected by interpersonal and gender-based violence. In addition to supportive services for youth between the ages of 6-24, our program provides a safe space to freely explore issues around identity, family, relationships, and positive sexuality and gender. Sakhi seeks to support young people as they break cycles of interpersonal and gender-based violence. We also host after-school peer support groups for teens and young adults to help them navigate survivorship, relationships with family, friends, and intimate partners, academic and career choices, physical and mental health challenges, and more. Youth support groups often feature guest speakers and South Asian leaders from a variety of fields and agencies. All support groups aim to strengthen communication, leadership, critical thinking, and conflict resolution skills among our young people and are co-facilitated by our youth interns, who receive extensive training from Sakhi staff.sexual violence program: the sexual violence program aims to provide trauma informed, culturally and linguistically appropriate supportive services, including crisis intervention, access to mental health and health care providers, and ongoing emotional support to nurture the healing process of survivors of sexual assault. Services include trauma informed care, referrals to legal consultations and representations, referrals to short and long term counseling, crisis intervention, safety planning, emotional support, accompaniments, and access to medical care.food justice program (fjp): Sakhi's fjp provides culturally familiar and nutritionally balanced foods to survivors of gender-based violence experiencing food insecurity. Fjp offers in-person food pantries at two confidential locations, direct food delivery, and cash grocery cards.counseling / mental health awareness program: Sakhi's counseling program helps survivors of gender-based violence (1) process their experiences; (2) develop coping mechanisms and (3) encourage the healing process through culturally specific multilingual counseling and peer support groups. Sakhi's licensed mental health counselors conduct individual and group counseling sessions in multiple South Asian languages through a trauma-informed and culturally specific lens. In Sakhi's counseling program, evidence-based practices are uniquely honed to include South Asian perspectives. for example, cultural/social stigma, such as shame around sexual needs and the body is taken into account when processing the bodily trauma of sexual violence. Counseling services include mental health assessments, individual counseling sessions, and referrals and follow up with outside providers if possible.in addition to one-on-one sessions, Sakhi's counselors facilitate "chai and chat" psychosocial support group sessions open both to clients moving out of one-on-one counseling and clients who prefer a group setting.