The Asian Shelter and Advocacy Project (ASAP) is the first program of its kind in Massachusetts and only one of a few across the United States. ASAP provides not only safety and advocacy but also an environment where Asian women and their children feel understood and supported as they begin the healing process. ASAP's services include:

• 24-hour multilingual crisis hotline
• 90-day emergency shelter
• 14-day temporary safe home
• Community outreach and education
• Multilingual advocacy
• Comprehensive stabilization services for both residential and non-residential families, including housing and legal advocacy, mental health counseling, ESOL (English as for Speakers of Other Languages), tutoring, computer tutoring, and a Children's Program.

The uniqueness of our services comes from our ability to provide culturally and linguistically competent services to Asian women of diverse Asian cultures, recognizing both the specificity of each culture and the values and beliefs shared across the diverse cultures. All direct service staff are bilingual/bicultural women who help clients bridge language and cultural gaps in seeking safety and rebuilding their lives. Program staff speak several Asian languages and dialects: Chinese (Cantonese, Mandarin and Toisanese), Hindi, Japanese, Khmer (Cambodian), Korean, Nepali, Urdu, and Vietnamese. A pool of volunteer translators increases our language capacity. Since its inception, the Task Force has provided services, advocacy, and outreach to women from 15 different ethnic groups in 12 Asian languages.

Another unique feature of the Task Force model is the comprehensiveness of the services offered to all clients, both those staying at the shelter and those staying in other shelters, in community safe homes, or with friends or relatives. In the year 2000 the Task Force assisted over 250 women on a non-residential basis, providing translation, advocacy, and services for up to 12 months. The Task Force's stabilization services provide long-term support to help women heal from the trauma of abuse and make the transition from crisis situations to safe, independent, violence-free lives. These services are based on a holistic approach, tackling many of the issues the women face simultaneously.

An initiative of the Asian Task Force Against Domestic Violence, the ASAP program offers the following services in several Asian languages: 24 hour confidential, multilingual hotline 90 day emergency shelter 14 day Safehome Nonresidential advocacy program Crisis intervention and safety planning Legal Advocacy (restraining orders, immigration, divorce, child custody, etc.) Medical Advocacy Housing Advocacy Individual counseling and support groups Children's Program Information and referrals to other services (citizenship classes, ESOL, classes, job training, etc.) These services are free of charge and confidential. For help, call our 24 hour hotline: 617.338.2355 "A woman needs to be independent. She needs to try to move ahead with her life, take initiative, and not get slack in the moment." - former shelter resident