PLATFORM : New Drug Users

In the last five years there has been a dramatic turnaround. In the beginning we served 300 or 400 a year; now we serve 8,000 to 10,000.

This program started after a number of young Japanese-Americans overdosed. That population got into drugs as a third- or fourth-generation phenomenon. The Asian-Pacific-American community now is predominantly recent immigrants, foreign-born and getting into drugs in the first generation. Kids get on the street and find drugs right away.

Fifteen years ago, nearly all our clients spoke English, but most re cent immigrants are monolingual. To reach them it’s even more critical that we have a bilingual staff. But with no funding increases we can’t hire them. In 15 years we have had only marginal increases in state and Los Angeles County funding for ongoing drug and alcohol services. Our staff of outpatient counselors has shrunk from nine to three.