PACIFIC ASIAN CONSORTIUM IN EMPLOYMENT

PACE aims to reduce barriers, increase opportunities and meet the essential needs of all low-income, ethnic minority individuals across Los Angeles County. We do this by providing comprehensive programs, resources and assistance in the areas of Employment, Business Development, Affordable Housing, Early Childhood Education, and Energy and Environmental Services. All of our programs are designed to help individuals and families move out of poverty and achieve economic self-sufficiency.

PACE recognizes that no one organization or program can meet all of the needs of the community. In order to improve our efficacy, impact and sustainability, PACE works hundreds of public and private agencies across the county. Our partnerships are first and foremost designed to broaden the available services and resources available to our clients so that we can provide comprehensive programming to better meet their needs.

PACE is also a firm believer in client & constituent engagement as a means of developing & delivering more effective programs. PACE strives to integrate client/constituent engagement into various aspects of our work including program design/delivery, measurement/assessment, & organizational design. Clients and constituents are involved at PACE through our Board of Directors, Advisory Councils, Surveys, Social Media, and Volunteer Programs.

Additionally, PACE prides itself on our distinctly diverse & multicultural staff & actively recruits employees who reflect the diversity of our clients. Many of our staff share a similar history/background to our clients (i.e. immigrant, refugee, asylee, etc), more than 50% are bilingual & 40% are multilingual. Collectively, PACE staff speak more than 40 languages & dialects! PACE regularly offers programs & resources in several languages including English, Spanish, Cambodian, Vietnamese, Korean, Mandarin, Cantonese, Armenian, Russian & Tagalog to name a few. PACE is known & recognized for being able to outreach to & recruit the “hardest-to-reach” populations, many of whom live in linguistically isolated communities & are new to the United States. The key to our success is our culturally & linguistically diverse staff who are able to gain the trust of our target populations through shared language, similar backgrounds & an understanding of their culture.
A large number of programs for which PACE is funded are specifically designed to serve Los Angeles’ hard-to-reach or monolingual clients. We are proud to be selected the provider of choice year after year.

EXPERIENCE = PACE brings more than 4 decades of experience to the community. We have provided: comprehensive Employment Services for 44 years; Early Childhood Education for 40 years; Energy & Environmental Services for 39 years; Affordable Housing for 36 years; & Business Development Services for 28 years. Our longevity in each of these areas is a testament to our track record, impact and reputation as a trusted community provider.

STAFF = PACE believes that the key to our many accomplishments is our staff who reflect the ethnicities of the clients we serve. Many of our staff share similar backgrounds - as immigrants, refugees, asylees, low-income, underserved – as the clients we work with. Staff’s focused and culturally appropriate outreach and engagement has proven critical in assisting our clients overcome barriers to success. Collectively, PACE staff speak more than 40 languages and dialects! More than 50% of our staff are bilingual and 40% are multi-lingual. Staff not only work, but live in the communities where our clients reside – this provides a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by our clients as well as the local resources available to them. PACE staff are particularly known for “going the extra mile” to connect clients with resources that are critical to achieving their goals. PACE staff regularly leverage the hundreds of partnerships we have with local nonprofits, community organizations, religious institutions and government partners to better serve the clients who come through our doors. Demographically, PACE staff reflect the diversity of people we serve.

LEADERSHIP = PACE’s founder, President and CEO Kerry Doi brings a wealth of knowledge in matters of community economic development. He is involved in leadership roles in numerous local, state and national community development organizations including National Coalition for Asian Pacific American Community Development, Los Angeles Housing Partnership, JP Morgan Chase’s Community Development Advisory Board and CA Community Economic Development Association. He has served as a member of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s National Environmental Justice Advisory Council (NEJAC), was appointed by President Barack Obama to serve on the President’s Advisory Council on Financial Capability for Young Americans and recently served on the Federal Reserve Board of Governors Consumer Advisory Council.

PACE’s Board of Directors also contribute diverse knowledge and experience in various fields including Education, Real Estate, Legal, Nonprofit Board Management, Community Development, Social and Environmental Justice, Advocacy and Organizing and City, Regional and State Policy.

Since our founding in 1976, PACE has served more than 1.4 MILLION low-income, ethnic minority individuals. Cumulative impact includes:
• 220,991 workers trained or placed
• 17,625 small businesses assisted
• 74,859 children enrolled in early education
• 10 million meals prepared & served to PACE Head Start Children
• 985,339 residents assisted by PACE Energy
• $68.2 million in wages earned by paid work experience participants
Despite an upturn in the economy and decrease in unemployment, PACE continues to serve a record number of clients each year. In future years, PACE will continue to innovate and expand the breadth and scope of our services in order to meet the needs of Los Angeles’ under-served, ethnic minority communities.