Sakhi for South Asian Survivors

Sakhi's ee program is a pioneering model of linguistically-specific and culturally-sensitive services that exists to ensure the financial stability and economic security of Survivors of gender-based violence. Sakhi recognizes that economic control is a common form of domestic violence. Between 94-99% of Survivors of domestic violence have experienced financial abuse. Furthermore, between 21-60% of Survivors of intimate partner violence lost their jobs due to reasons that stem from the abuse. We believe that self-determination and self-accessthe ability to make decisions for one's self and access a pathway to one's own goalsis key to an individual's long-term safety and security.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 support Survivors in navigating the public benefit system, co-create individual career plans, and offer further case management services, such as legal financial referrals for identity theft issues, debt consolidation, tax consultancy, and more.

Housing program: the overarching goal of Sakhi's housing program is to provide assistance, resources, and support to individuals who are homeless or at imminent risk of homelessness, simultaneously building up their financial capacity and ability to provide for themselves and their families through the following programs: housing counseling and advocacy: Sakhi's housing program provides Survivors highly personalized culturally and linguistically appropriate housing assistance.to help 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. Sakhi's anti-violence program offers an array of culturally-sensitive, linguistically-appropriate services, including crisis intervention, safety-planning, and ongoing emotional support.in 2022, Sakhi's anti-violence program (avp) advocates supported over 600 South Asian Survivors of gender-based violence and their families with intensive one-on-one support and fielded thousands of calls on our helpline. Once a survivor accesses our helpline, the avp advocate will do a needs assessment, where appropriate, make referrals to our internal programs such as our mental health counseling, economic empowerment, youth empowerment and housing programs.

Community engagement program: systemic violence does not occur in a vacuum and it is not limited to the home. In the face of a culture that seeks to relegate gender-based violence to an obscure "private life," we seek to make violence a public issue. As a gender justice organization, Sakhi not only works one-on-one with Survivors to address their individual needs and long-term safety, but also offers knowledge and tools for ending the cycle of violence awareness through our community engagement 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:1. Inform Survivors about their rights and Sakhi's services, 2. Raise awareness of violence within the South Asian community, and 3. Conduct trainings on gender-based 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. Sakhi organizes and co-sponsors forums, meetings, conferences, marches, panels, and other outreach/education events. We also work with community-based partners, the South Asian and mainstream media, schools, universities, religious institutions, and community and cultural centers to raise awareness about the issue of gender-based violence.we seek to increase awareness of gender-based violence and how we can combat it. We share tools and resources that seek to equip community members to address violence and trauma in their own lives. 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-responsive 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 through the following programs: individual youth mental health counseling: children who witness violence often show the same if not more severe symptoms of ptsd as a family member who experiences violence themselves. To support the needs of young Survivors, we offer individual mental health counseling for youth between the ages of 6-24 who have experienced interpersonal, domestic, or gender-based violence. These one-on-one, 45 minute sessions are typically held on a weekly or bi-weekly basis, depending on availability. Referrals & case management: for youth Survivors of interpersonal, domestic, and gender-based violence we provide advocacy in the form of: case management and referrals to housing, legal, and academic tutoring support services. Youth programs: Sakhi hosts a variety of programs for families who have experienced gender-based violence. Depending on the varying needs of youth Survivors we host support groups for caregivers and youth to provide psychoeducation, strengthen communication, leadership, critical thinking, and conflict resolution skills among young people, build relationships, and support folks in healing from trauma. 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. In the past our programming has included arts workshops, yoga workshops, summer programs, wellness programs, field trips, and ongoing support.sexual assault program: the sexual assault 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 food justice program seeks to make more nutritious, shelf-stable, easy-to-prepare, and culturally familiar food available to Survivors who face housing, food, and income instability.this program was born out of our understanding of how destabilizing it is to be without basic necessities, particularly while recovering from trauma. This program represents a crucial element of our trauma-informed programming.as food offers a piece of home, we seek to ensure that Survivors have access to the foods that they find nourishing and comforting.addressing the food insecurity of the pandemic, we began distributing food to clients at their home, increasing the food quantities for the delivery of each order, and creating a rotation so clients could receive food regularly and safely. Eventually, as restrictions eased, we began to offer food subsidies that enabled Survivors to purchase their own groceries.in 2023, the fjp provided 328 instances of food assistance for 94 families through our two pantries, grocery deliveries, and food cards.mental health counseling program: gender-based violence is a public health issue that affects all communities. Gender, patriarchy, and culture interact in complex ways that influence our physical and mental health. As a result of their experiences as immigrants and people of color, South Asian Survivors often suffer from unaddressed complex trauma. Additionally, in many communities, addressing mental health, like addressing gender-based violence, can attract stigma, rejection and further isolation.sakhi has long been a part of the movement to open a dialogue around mental health, especially as it relates to gender-based violence. As trauma-informed service providers, we understand the importance of having mental health services be available to the community. Mental health services are neither affordable nor accessible for most u.s. Residents. Furthermore, those services that are available are rarely culturally- or linguistically-specific. Therefore Sakhi's mental health program offers: individual counseling: in Sakhi's counseling program, evidence-based practices (ebp) are uniquely honed to include South Asian perspectives. Counseling services include mental health assessments, individual one-on-one counseling sessions, and referrals and follow up with outside providers if possible. Peer support groups: Sakhi counselors and program advocates facilitate "chai and chat" support group sessions open both to clients moving out of one-on-one counseling and clients who prefer a group setting. Some examples of the topics raised by participants/clients in session can include: loss of identity, sexuality and consensual interactions, emotional regulation, internalized shame, psycho-education and redefining boundariessakhi started providing in-house mental health supportive counseling in 2017, and hired a full-time mental health counselor in 2019. With a dedicated and growing team of trauma-informed mental health service providers, we currently provide mental health services in english, hindi, urdu, bengali, punjabi, and gujarati.