SIPA’s youth, health, and mental health services are essential to a thriving community with new wellness center opening this Spring
Public Health and Wellness Initiatives Serve Over 400 community members in Historic Filipinotown
Los Angeles, CA - February 7, 2024 - Filipino American nonprofit organization Search to Involve Pilipino Americans (SIPA) supported over 2400 community members in Historic Filipinotown (HiFi) through their youth, wellness, and mental health services in 2023 — serving over 400 individuals through their health and wellness services alone. SIPA will unveil a new wellness center in the spring and expand their programming in LA County throughout 2024.
“The health and well-being of residents of Historic Filipinotown will always be important to SIPA. Our ability to support our community in improving health outcomes increases greatly with the opening of our second center—the HiFi Well-Being Center. Having a presence at both ends of Historic Filipinotown signals to residents that we are here for them and that we’re prepared to support them however we can.”
Lucena on Court, site of SIPA’s new HiFi Well-Being Center and affordable housing development (photo from SIPA)
2024: Growing Community Impact
SIPA’s mission is intergenerational and inclusive, enriching and empowering Pilipino Americans and others by providing health and human services, community economic development, arts and culture, and a place where people of all backgrounds come together to strengthen the community.
Expanding upon their mission in Historic Filipinotown and LA County, SIPA is opening a new wellness center in the spring. SIPA's HiFi Well-Being Center will open as part of Lucena on Court, a 45-unit family affordable housing development by Meta Housing and Foundation for Affordable Housing, located at 1921 W Court St. in Historic Filipinotown. SIPA will provide resident services and will offer services to the greater community through the HiFi Well-Being Center. These include mental health programs, wellness offerings, a community clinic, food distribution and referrals for other health and basic needs.
Further amplifying their impact, SIPA will expand their activations with community partners including:
Comprehensive Community Health Centers for their mobile clinic
Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California (AJSOCAL) for health insurance, and legal support on immigration, housing, domestic violence and anti-Asian violence
Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles for legal services
PATH, The People Concern and The Center for housing
Asian Pacific Islander (API) Forward Movement for grocery and food distribution
from a LAFLA workshop at SIPA (photo from SIPA)
2023: Resourcing Our Communities
In 2023, SIPA’s programming reached several different groups within HiFi:
Youth programming
After School Program and Filipino Summer Program
Hockey clinics with the LA Kings and other sports
Cultural programming including modern and traditional filipino dance, and Eskwela Kultura in partnership with FilAm Arts, made possible in part by the California Arts Council
Youth Leadership Internship and AAPI Solidarity Conference to address anti-Asian violence
Mental health programs Walang Hiya: Without Shame
Number of youth served: 1703 individuals
“Public health is so important because it is the basis for helping community members, ensuring that they’re healthy and have the resources that they need. Public health ensures quality of life and helps bring together community members to break down health disparities.”
LA Kings Hockey Clinic with SIPA youth (photo from SIPA)
Health and Wellness Department debuts
Offered life skills workshops and food distribution events to address community needs in realm of public health
Number of clients served
Food distribution: 315 families
Case navigation and referrals: 460 individuals
Health education: 14 workshops
Outreach: 1,335 individuals
Mental Health Department
Provided free counseling to youth families LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC community members all year
Team of licensed therapists provided specialized sessions to dismantle cultural stigmas surrounding mental health
Provided in-language services for Tagalog, Spanish, and Chinese speakers
Number of clients served: 295 individuals
Follow SIPA on Instagram and Facebook for more information on the HiFi Well-Being Center’s grand opening and other events. Learn more about SIPA at sipacares.org.
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About Search to Involve Pilipino Americans (SIPA): SIPA enriches and empowers generations of Pilipino Americans and others by providing health and human services, community economic development, arts and culture, and a place where people of all backgrounds come together to strengthen the community.