Asian Journal- The Filipino-American Community Newspaper

More than 40 years ago, a group of Filipino Americans living in the greater Los Angeles area saw the dire need to provide social, economic, cultural and health services to the large Fil-Am community residing in LA.

For almost a century, generations of Filipino migrants have chosen Los Angeles as the place to start their new lives in America. They have sought refuge in Historic Filipinotown where many Filipinos reside. However, the struggle to attain the American Dream in the lower middle-class community has been made more difficult by problems in the area like inadequate housing, insufficient childcare and substandard schools.

To address the problem, a diverse group of Fil-Ams met for a two-day conference at Camp Oak Grove in San Bernardino nearly 40 years ago. They tackled the issues that faced the substantial Filipino-American community in America, specifically those living in the LA County. They agreed that the solution cannot be done by just one group; they needed the cooperation of as many Pinoys as possible to become more involved for the greater good. Thus, the Search to Involve Pilipino Americans or SIPA was born.

"A diverse cross section of groups and individuals founded SIPA," shared current SIPA Executive Director, Joel Jacinto. In addition, the Filipino Christian Church was instrumental to the birth of SIPA, as well as "Uncle" Roy Morales, Al Mendoza, activists, scholars, university professors, parents and the youth themselves.

The vision of SIPA is to empower the Fil-Am community to enable them to achieve an excellent quality of life in America. Their mission of service for the Fil-Am comunity involves providing innovative programs that will inspire and empower the Filipino youth in the US to make smart choices, bring families together, and revitalize the community. SIPA promotes education, leadership and cultural and financial self-reliance in order to make an active, vibrant community with empowered individuals as its members.

Through the past decades, SIPA has taken the mission of service to heart, unselfishly providing for the diverse, multi-ethnic youth and families residing in the area, as well as Filipino- Americans all over the Los Angeles County. The services they offer fall under two categories: Health & Human Services and Community Economic Development. Within each group, SIPA provides a comprehensive array of programs designed to meet the needs of youth, families and individuals. The goal is to provide innovative programs that will inspire and empower youth to make smart choices, bring families together, and ultimately, revitalize the community.

Today, SIPA is recognized as the leading provider of social and economic services for the youth and families in Historic Filipinotown. It plays a vital role in the community as it champions cultural preservation and empowerment for the now diverse, multi-ethnic youth and families residing in the area, as well as Filipino-Americans all over Los Angeles County.

The health and human services aspect of SIPA focus on the personal well-being of the Filipino-American. They have counseling for individuals, families and groups, case management, community education and after-school enrichment activities for the children. All these services contribute to a realizing a capable self within each and every person, enabling them to take charge of the good future they aspire to.

The Economic Development services address the more practical needs of the struggling Filipino-American. "We’ve ventured more into the types of services that deal with economic self-sufficiency," revealed Mr. Jacinto. SIPA’s economic projects include affordable family housing projects and small business development programs. Three SIPA housing projects have already provided 138 units of affordable housing.