VISION, MISSION AND CORE VALUES
APAIT has held a distinctive record of providing high quality programming through its vision – to advocate, educate, and achieve optimal health and well-being for vulnerable communities. APAIT’s mission is to positively impact the quality of life for vulnerable communities experiencing behavioral health challenges, housing insecurity, and at-risk for HIV/AIDS. APAIT is grounded by its core values of compassion, commitment, communication, empowerment, integrity, mentorship, respect, and teamwork.
HUMBLE BEGINNINGS
APAIT was established in 1987 as a grassroots AIDS service organization (ASO) for Asian and Pacific Islanders (APIs) who were dying alone from AIDS-related stigma and shame.
LOCATIONS
APAIT’s headquarters is located at 3055 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 300, Los Angeles, CA 90010 in Koreatown. Its Orange County location is at 12832 Garden Grove Blvd., Suite E, Garden Grove, CA 92843. APAIT has satellite offices in South and East Los Angeles as well as housing sites in the Pico Union and Koreatown/South LA border areas.
TARGET COMMUNITIES
APAIT historically reaches out to the diverse multi-ethnic communities of LA and Orange counties who identify as LGBTQIA-2S, immigrants and refugees, at-risk for HIV/STIs, housing insecure, and with behavioral health lived experience.
SERVICE APPROACH
APAIT’s service delivery is tailored from a trauma-based care approach composed of a multi-disciplinary team providing an integrated model of behavioral health treatment, health education and prevention, housing, research, and HIV/AIDS support. APAIT programming includes outpatient behavioral health counseling, psychiatry, support groups, intensive case management, patient navigation, benefits counseling, housing support, HIV/STI testing, primary care and outpatient HIV specialty referral, and community based participatory research.
PARTNER RESOURCES
APAIT partners with a diversified pool of funders and donors from public and private sectors. This includes but are not limited to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Health Resources Services Administration, Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration, Office of Minority Health, Johnson & Johnson, The California Endowment, and Gilead Sciences.
APAIT is a division of Special Service for Groups, Inc., a private nonprofit agency. Tax ID: 95-1716914.
APAIT Core Values
COMMITMENT
We are committed to our clients and the community, and to upholding our vision, mission and values until there’s a cure.
RESPECT
We honor the value of others, regardless of position, status, culture or personal qualities, and by so doing, we earn their respect.
INTEGRITY
We provide excellent service with pride and honesty, staying true to our convictions and striving for consistency in what we do and how we do it.
COMMUNICATION
We are open and honest in our interactions, practicing effective communication skills, such as thinking before speaking, listening as well as talking, demonstrating competency and being sensitive in our internal and external communications.
MENTORING
APAIT nurtures and develops staff by identifying and building their strengths and by guiding staff through a mutually understanding mentoring relationship that encourages a professional work ethic and develops future leaders for the agency.
TEAMWORK
We work as an efficient, productive and accepting team, sharing responsibilities and recognizing that our work affects other team members.
COMPASSION
We deliver care to our clients in a humanistic and healt-felt way, recognizing that each client is unique. We are understanding and supportive of our co-workers in their professional and personal lives.
EMPOWERMENT
We provide our staff and clients with the knowledge and tools to be assertive, to act as leaders and advocates in the community, and to make the right HIV prevention choices.