Van Nuys / California / United States
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.
