What We Do

Typically, Immigrants and refugees (or cultural minorities in similar settings) are marked by a number of vulnerabilities that affect trust level, and which encourage self-protection. These vulnerabilities may include the danger of deportation, social isolation, risk of suicide, risk of crime or arrest, susceptibility to drugs and alcohol, and sometimes-physical danger from their current surroundings, or from their original home environment. Many immigrants found that the stress of day-to-day living have negative consequences for their biological, social and mental health wellbeing.

The African Coalition team develops and implements the mental health education projects for African Communities locally, which became a model to other counties and states for African mental health community engagement. Some of the volunteer board members and consultants are Psychiatric social workers and mental health clinician; provide intense direct clinical and case management at a community setting specifically for African and Caribbean immigrants. As an immigrant-based organization, we advocate on behalf of the African consumers, coordinate and assist community members in receiving culturally and linguistically appropriate mental health services.

ACPHC partners with communities and other public service agencies, to anticipate community’s problems, with the goal, of preventions, or promoting safety, stability, health and well-being. These initiatives focus on a number of groups including New arrived refugees, the elderly, youth in the risk situations, and children.
Our collaborative public agencies, community-based and faith-based collaborative organizations provide the Coalition with strong support from the community that the African coalition serves.

Acknowledging the gap between African immigrants and “traditional” physical and mental health services, the African Coalition promotes an African-centered approach to mental health care, service delivery and theoretical understanding of all mental health programs.

As opposed to most programs that offer a one-dimensional plan at treating issues faced by at-risk individuals, the African Coalition takes on a comprehensive multi-dimensional approach to treating the mental and physical health of hard to reach, African communities.

Empowering the Community Leaders – Through the Village Healing Ways (VHW), African Coalition provides culturally competent training to trusted and selected volunteer community members, in order for them to become ‘lay-experts’ on mental health issues, and immigration.

The African Coalition provides education workshops to increase awareness and the utilization of health and other community services. case management through our case management services, we provide community members with referrals and coordination of services, to meet their health, immigration, and other social service needs.