Our name is Lao Family Community Development because we were founded by newly arrived refugees from Laos, some 40+ years ago—however, “Our Community” has grown much, much larger than any one ethnic group.

While we still work with, and are active in, the Lao, Mien and Hmong communities—we actually have more Vietnamese and Spanish-speakers on staff than any other non-English language. Our staff speaks 35 different languages and serves clients from around the globe—well over 40 countries. Our services are open to anyone who needs them, including people who were born and raised here in the US.

Even though our leadership, staff, and clients are extremely diverse, the people we serve share certain challenges in common, which is why they come to us. Some of these challenges include:

Poverty and High Unemployment
Housing Insecurity and Homelessness
Limited-English Proficiency
Food Insecurity
Lack of Job Experience and Marketable Job Skills
Live in Low-Income, High-Crime Neighborhoods
Lack of Financial Literacy, Credit and Savings
Health and Mental Health Issues
Lack of Personal Transportation
Domestic Violence
Lack of Access to Affordable Childcare
Justice-Involved History

Even with all these barriers in their path, we see resilience and determination that, with assistance, ultimately can lead to real and tangible successes.

We’ve put together some pages to help you get to know our community, including the challenges they face and the successes they’ve accomplished. We also have included a blog and our newsletters so you can keep up to date about what’s going on here, and elsewhere in our community. We hope you enjoy.”