Our Mission
Pacific Asian Counseling Services (PACS) is a 501(c) 3 non-profit community organization.
Our mission is to enrich the lives of children and families through counseling and caring. We provide culturally sensitive and language specific services with expertise in the immigrant Asian Pacific Islander populations.
As of July 2004, there were over 10 million inhabitants in the County of Los Angeles. APIs are about 13% of the total and are reported as the fastest growing ethnic population.
Many of our clients are refugees or immigrants who have suffered greatly to reach this country
Our History and Vision
Pacific Asian Counseling Services (PACS), formerly known as “WRAP Family Services,” was founded in 1981 by the Assistance League of Southern California based on the documented lack of social services for APIs in LA. The pilot project to assess the needs of APIs in the Western region was funded by United Way.
The decision to start this agency was rooted in an UCLA study directed by Dr. Harry Kitano, which provided evidence of a growing minority population outpacing the development of local, culturally and linguistically sensitive social services.
The study asserted that the lack of services directed towards APIAs was based on the public perception that Asian Americans have a strong family and community system, which effectively solves any problems that might arise. For this reason, many public and private social service agencies felt no need to develop culturally and linguistically sensitive programs for Asian Americans. Compounding this dilemma was the low turnout of Asian Americans for existing services, which was often sighted as additional proof of a lack of need.
Although Asian Americans may have a strong family and community system, it is inaccurate to say that all problems are solved effectively. For example, an individual's family generally hides the mental health problems of an Asian individual from the community. In Asian communities, mental health problems are perceived as a stigma bringing shame upon its family members. PACS has been battling these stigmas and stereotypes for decades.
In 1997, PACS divested from the Assistance League of Southern California to become incorporated as a 501 (c) 3 private nonprofit community-based organization. This move has allowed the agency to gain greater efficiency in responding to the unmet social and mental health needs of the API community.
In January 2006, WRAP changed its name to “Pacific Asian Counseling Services” (PACS) to better describe its services. Over the years, PACS has served thousands of low-income youth, individuals and families from many ethnicities and cultures.
Although PACS’ mission emphasizes API populations, services are provided to all. Currently, our client breakdown is Asians-34%, Latinos -23% African Americans-14%, Whites-22%, Native American-1%, and Other/Unknown-6%. Adults make up 52% of clients. PACS’ three offices cover Long Beach and the South Bay cities, South Central and West Los Angeles, and the San Fernando Valley.
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PACS AGENCY PROFILE 
