An assessment of needs and obstacles experienced by South Asian immigrants in accessing social, educational and healthcare services, using a program planning and evaluation approach

This investigation involved assessment of humans service needs, along with obstacles experienced in seeking services, of first generation south Asian immigrants residing in Central New Jersey, using the Program Planning and Evaluation Framework (Maher, 2000). The resulting information formed the basis for a report to "The New Americans Program", an initiative of the United Way of Central Jersey (UWCJ), to assist that agency in the design of culturally sensitive programs for this target population. The impetus for this study arose from the existing disparity between the increasing presence of South Asian immigrants groups in Central New Jersey and lack of appropriate services to meet their post-immigration needs. Relatedly, this investigation aimed to contribute to knowledge about South Asian immigrants. Twenty structured, in-depth, in-person needs assessment interviews were conducted with South Asian immigrants (18 Asian Indian, 1 Pakistani and 1 Srilankan), recruited through community networking, informal advertising (e.g., notices on an ethnic website) and word of mouth. Results revealed that immigrants had many multi-faceted needs, most predominantly with regard to receiving an "orientation" to life in the United States encompassing general information, education and occasionally professional counseling/therapy. Additionally, needs were expressed variably by individuals, depending on their immigration status, gender and length of stay. The role of help seeking behavior and attitudes are discussed in this dissertation in light of access to various human services and presence of barriers to service utilization, along with their implications for program design. Presumed mediators of help seeking are also considered based on needs assessment results, at both pre and post immigration periods. Furthermore, implications for program design are outlined. Within this context, culturally competent services are seen as desirable using an "orientation approach." In addition a prevention and empowerment approach is considered as potentially more effective in its ability to gain 'buy-in' from various immigrants groups than programs that necessarily focus on pathology. Finally, limitations and directions for future research are discussed.