Asian Outreach Campaign

You can make a difference in the lives of low-income members of the Asian community by supporting the Friends of the Asian Outreach Unit Donor Campaign.

For close to 40 years, the Asian Outreach Unit (AOU) at Greater Boston Legal Services (GBLS) has provided bilingual, culturally sensitive legal representation to help poor Asian immigrants secure the basic necessities of life – food, shelter, income and safety. 

Last year, AOU advocates assisted over 900 low-income Asian clients and helped improve their lives. 

AOU advocates also work with the Asian immigrant community to empower and develop the community’s ability to successfully address issues that affect their neighborhoods.  The most recent example is the passage of a bilingual ballots bill requiring Chinese/English or Vietnamese/English ballots for those that need them.

AOU attorneys also mentor Asian Pacific American undergraduate and law students attracted to public interest law who will become the next generation of legal advocates to serve this community.

Sadly, much of AOU’s work is now threatened due to an unanticipated loss of $3.7 million in GBLS’ public funding.  This has forced GBLS to cut its staff by 21 advocate positions and it will need to make additional cuts if more money is not raised.  

AOU already has lost one attorney, and is at risk of losing two other advocates.  We need your help to stop this from happening.

An ad hoc group of Asian Americans formed the Friends of AOU to raise $100,000 years for three years to preserve the threatened AOU advocate positions who will provide critical legal assistance for the most vulnerable members of the Asian community. 

With the generous support of a group of committed individuals like you, individual donors and the Harry Dow Memorial Legal Assistance Fund have contributed more than $100,000 in year one of the drive.    

Year two of the drive is now underway and we need your help to preserve legal assistance that is critically needed by many members of the low-income Asian community .

You can make a difference.  Help right now - become a friend of AOU by donating now.

Thank You!