Our Mission

The core mission of the Center for Southeast Asians is to promote the prosperity, heritage, and leadership of Southeast Asians in Rhode Island. Over the years, the organization has expanded its programs to also serve other ethnic minority communities, including a sizable Latino community as well as new refugees and immigrants from other regions.

In addition to providing 6,900+ individuals each year with a wide range of direct services, which include job training and adult literacy programs, small business development, assistance to victims of crime, case management, public health outreach, ESL and citizenship classes, a nutrition program for seniors, free tax preparation services, food stamps outreach and enrollment, transitional housing, and health insurance navigation and enrollment, CSEA is engaged in advocacy and research to affect system change and inform public policy development.

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Our History

The Center for Southeast Asians (CSEA) is a community-based 501(c)3 nonprofit organization headquartered in the Elmwood neighborhood of Providence, Rhode Island. It is the product of a 1987 merger of four local mutual assistance associations (MAAs), which was undertaken to better serve the Southeast Asian community during the height of Rhode Island’s refugee resettlement period.

Since its founding in 1987, the Center for Southeast Asians has worked to help Rhode Island achieve racial justice and to overcome linguistic, cultural, and socioeconomic barriers faced by Southeast Asian refugees. We do this through a wide range of targeted community-based programs, from case management and job training to small business support and development.

Most CSEA staff and 100% of our board of directors are ethnic minorities and members of the community we serve. Most speak more than one language. While the Center’s services are available to all individuals and families who need its help regardless of their background or identity, the vast majority of people served by the Center are low-income ethnic minorities and people of color.