Alliance
Mission:
To provide
a comprehensive mix of social and community development services to refugees,
immigrants and low-income residents of Harris County to become self-sufficient
and improve their quality of life.
All services are offered with cultural competency and are designed to empower
individuals, families, and the communities to succeed.
Historical Highlights
o Founded: July 1985 by the Association of Cambodian, Ethiopian, Laotian and
Vietnamese Refugee Community Organization
o Incorporated: January 1986 as a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation under the
name of Refugee Services Alliance
o Services:
- January 1986: Started Adjustment Counseling Services to refugees in Harris
County
- October 1, 1986: Began offering employment & self- sufficiency services
- October 1, 1991: Alliance became a Resettlement Agency affiliated with ECDC
(Ethiopian Community Development Council) which has a cooperative agreement
with the Department of State.
o Funding: Startup funding: $182,500;
o Current ( 2007) agency revenue: $5.1 million
o Name Change: April 1999, changed its name from Refugee Services Alliance
(RSA) to Alliance for Multicultural Community Services (AMCS)
o Current Program Services: 27 programs are offered
o Languages: Staff of the Agency speaks 19 languages and dialects; our Interpreter
Program has 45 languages capabilities
Capacity Statement
Alliance for Multicultural Community Services (the Alliance), formerly
Refugee Services Alliance (RSA) was incorporated as a Texas non-profit corporation
in 1986. Representatives of the Vietnamese, Cambodian, Laotian and Ethiopian
communities in Houston created the Alliance to serve as a mutual assistance
association. Since 1986, the Alliance has grown to serve individuals of all
ethnicities and now assists approximately 5,000 individuals annually.
The Alliance
is a United Way agency and is the largest refugee services provider in the
state of Texas in terms of the range of services delivered.
In fact, the Alliance has grown from a single service provider to a multi-service
agency that has provided service to more than 90,000 individuals. In 2004
the Alliance was recognized as one of the top 25 non-profits in Houston by
the Houston Business Journal and is a member in good standing with the Better
Business Bureau. The mission of the Alliance is to help refugees, immigrants,
and low-income residents of Harris County become self-sufficient and improve
their quality of life.
To this end, the Alliance provides comprehensive community development and
social services to individuals and families, including refugee resettlement,
job counseling and placement, skills development services such as Drivers'
Education and Pharmacy Technician Training, youth empowerment services, healthcare
advocacy and access, interpreter services, driver's education training, English-as-a-Second
Language classes, and a variety of asset-building programs.
In addition, the Alliance was proud to serve more than 7,000 Hurricane Katrina
and Rita evacuees between September and December 2005 and continues to provide
services to hurricane survivors through a number of assistance programs. All
services are offered with cultural competency and are designed to empower
individuals, families and communities to succeed. The Alliance is now a Community
Development Corporation (CDC), a Community Development Entity (CDE) and A
Volunteer Income Tax Assistance site (VITA site). .