HMONG CULTURAL CENTER WORKS TO STRENGTHEN COMMUNITY
OROVILLE » Over two years after the start of a global pandemic, the Hmong Cultural Center continues to work with the Hmong community of Northern California to rebuild connections and meet the needs of people who live with barriers such as lack of translators, transportation and more.
The nonprofit collaborates with Butte County to improve lives through cultural education, support, and services. For resources such as the Zoosiab Program, which combines traditional Hmong and western practices to serve Hmong elders in Butte County, the county continues to renew resources with the center with funding from the Mental Health Services Act.
Funding
Funding for the agreement is sourced from the 2004 California Proposition 63, which produced the Mental Health Services
Act, a 1% tax on any California resident making more than $1 million that would go towards mental health services said Butte County Behavioral Health Mental Health Services Act Coordinator Holli Drobny.
“The funding stream is driven by community and stakeholders,” said Drobny. “Our community says that these are the underserved communities that need funding.”
Agreements like the Hmong agreement are contracts that are reestablished annually as long as stakeholders and community members continue to renew.
All plans and proposals are posted for a 30-day public comment period before being presented at a public hearing.
Assisting
The Zoosiab program, which translates to “Happy Program” provides a hub for elderly Hmong to provide recreation and remove barriers.
“The elderly pretty much stay home and don’t have a
place to go to or share,” said Director Seng Yang. “The isolation causes stress so to be able to support them we need a place that is culturally-appropriate to support their wellbeing.”
The group serves more than 80 people a year for the Zoosiab program alone and over 5,000 people across multiple counties, said Yang.
“We provided traditional practices such as seeking a shaman for healing practices for a person if it needs
to be done but we also help lower barriers for western treatments such as visiting a doctor or taking medication and we help them with translation and transportation,” said Program Coordinator Charlie Xiong. “We have a few elders who live by themselves.”
Outside of the center, a garden holding corn, lettuce, cucumbers and more is available for people to cope with their mental health, said Xiong.
“A lot of times they say that the garden reminds them of their homeland,” said Xiong.
Outside of the elder program, the center provides youth resources, family planning and cultural education.
“During the pandemic we pushed everything to Facebook,” said family specialist Pahoua Yang. “Just these last two months we’ve moved back into inperson events and we’re
trying to continue doing engagement. It’s really great to help families. There are days where we’re really busy and some where we just get really slow. We just go through the day.”
Supervisors
The Butte County Board of Supervisors will meet today. In part of the consent agenda, the board will decide whether to approve a renewal agreement for outreach services to the Hmong elder community for another term lasting from July 1, 2022 through June 30, 2023.