Programs and Services

Advocacy

CSEA is engaged in policy development, advocacy, and research to affect system change and inform policy development at the local, state, and federal levels. Because of this work, CSEA is widely recognized as not only the central hub of the Southeast Asian community in Rhode Island, but also a valuable and trusted resource for other communities and an indispensable partner to service providers and government agencies.

Contact:
Channavy Chhay, Executive Director | [email protected] | (401) 274-8811 x220

Case Management Services

CSEA’s case management program assists clients in accessing the services they need. These services include translation and interpretation, adult education and job training, various benefits assistance programs (including SNAP, health insurance, and Social Security benefits), as well as family and individual support.

Contact:

Lisa DaPonte, Program Director | [email protected] | (401) 274-8811 x248

Community Outreach

CSEA outreach staff regularly visit temples, ethnic food markets, and other places where CSEA is well known and trusted, and work with community leaders to identify individuals and families who are in need of our services. We also help our local, state, and national partners to reach the Southeast Asian community as part of their public health campaigns and other efforts designed to improve the health and wellbeing of Rhode Islanders.

Contact:
Kannyka Pouk, Program Director | [email protected] | (401) 274-8811 x229

Food Pantry

CSEA’s Food Pantry provides emergency food assistance to individuals and families who to the Center for help. Anyone in need of food assistance is eligible and encouraged to pay us a visit.

Contact:
Lisa DaPonte, Director of Programs | [email protected] | (401) 274-8811 x248
Molyneat Kosal | [email protected] | (401) 274-8811 x230

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Outreach

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is a federally funded program that provides nutrition benefits to low-income households to supplement their food budgets. The funds are placed on an Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) Card once a month. The card can be used like a debit card to pay for food at participating supermarkets, convenience stores, and farmers’ markets.

Nondiscrimination Statement
In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), religious creed, disability, age, political beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.

Program information may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact the agency (state or local) where they applied for benefits. Individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing or have speech disabilities may contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.

To file a program discrimination complaint, a Complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form which can be obtained online at: https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/ad-3027.pdf, from any USDA office, by calling (833) 620-1071, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the complainant’s name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to:

mail:
Food and Nutrition Service, USDA
1320 Braddock Place, Room 334
Alexandria, VA 22314;

fax:
(833) 256-1665 or (202) 690-7442;

email:
[email protected]

This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

Contact:
Lisa DaPonte, MSW, LICSW, Director of Programs | [email protected] | (401) 274-8811 x248
Program Staff: Linda Men, Molyneat Kosal, Mayra Garcia.

SNAP Outreach Toolkit for Providers

Meals on Wheels

CSEA’s Meals on Wheels program (MOW), in partnership with RI Meals on Wheels, serves hot prepared meals to low-income individuals 60 years old or older. The program currently delivers meals 5 days a week from Monday to Friday. In addition to providing healthy nutrition, the program serves as a social visit for many of our community’s elderly. Around 150 people are served through this program each year.

Contact:
Lisa DaPonte, Director of Programs | [email protected] | (401) 274-8811 x248
Linda Men, Program Manager | [email protected] | (401) 274-8811 x228

Transitional Housing

In partnership with Papitto Opportunity Connections, CSEA provides emergency shelter to members of the Southeast Asian community who are unable to access other resources for housing-insecure individuals and families. Eligibility for this program is determined by a CSEA case manager.

Contact:
Lisa DaPonte, Director of Programs | [email protected] | (401) 274-8811 x248
Fanta Phannavong, Program Manager | ​[email protected] | (401) 274-8811 x233

Job Training

CSEA offers a variety of Workforce Development programs.

We currently provide the following training programs:

  • Home Care/Homemaker
  • Servsafe Food Manager Certification
  • Nail Technician Certification

These Workforce Development programs are funded through the Rhode Island Department of Labor & Training and the US Department of Labor. The Servsafe Food Manager Certification program is offered by CSEA in collaboration with our partners at Hope & Main.

Our job training programs are open for Spring, Summer, and Fall sessions. After completing a training program, participants receive a certificate and assistance with securing a job.

Contact:
Mei Mei Long, Program Manager | [email protected] | (401) 274-8811

Southeast Asian Elder Advancement Program

CSEA’s Southeast Asian Elder Advancement Program, in partnership with the Rhode Island Office of Healthy Aging (OHA), provides our elders with family engagement support, healthy nutrition, language support, and physical activities and exercise to promote independence, community connection, and healthy living. Individuals aged 50+ are eligible. Currently, over 200 elders are enrolled in the program.

Free services include the following:

  • Financial counseling and planning for post-retirement needs
  • Assistance in applying for SNAP benefits, Medicaid, utility assistance, and other income-based assistance
  • Free tax return preparation
  • Educational and healthy living workshops
  • Healthy meals and ethnically appropriate food staples from CSEA’s food pantry
  • Recreational activities and cultural activities such as sewing, cooking, music, art, English as a Second Language (ESL) classes, and skill training

Contact:
Lisa DaPonte, Director of Programs | [email protected] | (401) 274-8811 x248

Program Staff: Linda Men and Phousday Phithayaphone, Program Managers

Victim Assistance Program

CSEA has been addressing the unique needs of victims of child abuse, sexual assault, and domestic violence for more than thirty years. Comprehensive, culturally-appropriate direct services are available to meet the clients’ immediate needs. Our key partners include the Office of Justice Programs and Office for Victims of Crime at the U.S Department of Justice.

Contact:
Lisa DaPonte, Director of Programs | [email protected] | (401) 274-8811 x248
Fanta Phannavong, Program Manager | [email protected] | (401) 274-8811 x233

English as a Second Language Program

CSEA’s English classes, funded in part by the Rhode Island Department of Education, meet twice a week during the day or in the evening. Whether you are a beginner or looking to improve your English language skills, CSEA has a class for you. We start new sessions in the Fall, Winter, Spring, and Summer. To learn more about our program, please come to the Center, fill out an application, and talk with Peter or Emily. You can also call or email them.

Contact:
Peter Kerr Jarret, Instructor | [email protected] | ​(401) 274-8811 x226
Emily Lewis, Instructor | [email protected] | ​​(401) 274-8811 x236

Health Insurance Navigation and Enrollment

In partnership with the Rhode Island Health Center Association (RIHCA), CSEA operates a program through which five certified Navigators provide free in-person assistance to Rhode Islanders as they compare options and enroll in health insurance through HealthSource RI. Any Rhode Island resident is eligible to receive navigation and enrollment assistance.

Open enrollment is usually open from October 1 to December 31 of each year. Special Enrollment during other months is allowed under these circumstances:

  • Lost coverage (losing existing coverage; losing eligibility for Medicare, Medicaid, or CHIP; turning 26 and losing coverage through one’s parents)
  • Changes in household (getting married or divorced, having a baby or adopting a child, death in the family)
  • Changes in residence (for example, moving to Rhode Island from another state)

Contact:
Linda Men, Program Manager | [email protected] | (401) 274-8811 x228

Small Business Support Program

The Small Business Program at the Center for Southeast Asians provides business owners with technical assistance with grant applications, microloans, business licensing, personnel administration, and marketing. CSEA also assists start-ups and existing businesses with counseling and training.

Key partners/funders include:

  • Papitto Opportunity Connection (POC)
  • Small Business Administration (SBA)
  • Rhode Island Commerce
  • Rhode Island Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (RIHCC)
  • Rhode Island Black Business Association (RIBBA)
  • Hope and Main
  • Multicultural Innovation Center
  • Social Enterprise Greenhouse (SEG)
  • Small Business Development Center (SBDC)
  • Biz Bodega

Client Intake Form

With the assistance and funding from the Papitto Opportunities Connection (POC), CSEA also offers a low-interest (1%) micro-loan program to help entrepreneurs and small businesses who may have difficulty securing funding from traditional lenders.

CSEA’s small business support program currently serves 116 businesses per year and continues to grow rapidly. The resources that we provide are vital to many small businesses owned and operated by Southeast Asians and other ethnic and racial minorities.

If you are an entrepreneur or own a small business in Rhode Island and think that we may be able to help you, please fill out our client intake form to get started. The form is available in English and Spanish.

You may also contact us to learn more or to schedule an appointment to speak with our program manager.

Contact:
Upine (Pin) Minyvong, Program Manager | [email protected] | (401) 274-8811 x260

Free Tax Return Preparation and Filing (VITA – Volunteer Income Tax Assistance)

The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program is an IRS initiative designed to help low- to moderate-income individuals, persons with disabilities, the elderly, and people who speak limited English to prepare and file their taxes returns. Thanks to funding from United Way of Rhode Island, CSEA is able to provide this free income tax preparation service to individuals and families making under $60,000 per year who do not have rental income.

CSEA’s VITA program is now available for tax preparation and filing year-round by appointment only.

Contact:
Maria Da Rosa, Program Manager | [email protected] | (401) 274-8811

International Language Bank

All of our social programs and services are available at no cost to our clients. To help fund this work, CSEA operates a fee-for-service translation and interpretation service, International Language Bank (ILB). All revenues generated by ILB are used to fund CSEA’s free programs. By choosing ILB to fulfill your interpretation and translation needs, you are helping low-income community members to obtain critical services, which include job training, protection from domestic violence, and food delivery to elders.

The International Language Bank provides in-person interpretation, document translation, over-the-phone, video calls and 24-hour emergency services from qualified experts in over 10 languages.

The Language Bank is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week: