Problem:  Arlington County in Virginia found itself faced with an 
increasing number of Southeast Asian and Hispanic immigrants who 
were unfamiliar with many important aspects of surviving in 
America as well as with the available social programs.

Proposed Solution:  The county's Bilingual Outreach program has 
been developed to help the immigrants meet their needs.  The 
program sets up an office in each of several apartment complexes 
with large immigrant populations.  Workers in the program both 
provide support for immigrants in their native language and serve 
as a source of information on available social programs as well as 
on American life in general.

Evaluation:  The program has succeeded in improving the conditions 
of the immigrants in the area; social services are more available 
since they are more poubicized, and the cultural transition is 
eased.  The improving condition of the immigrants has improved 
along with it the stability of the apartment complexes and 
neighborhoods involved.  Since the program's role is primarily to 
bring about the use of other existing county social services, the 
cost of the outreach program is fairly low.

Contact:  Marty Copenhaver, Director, Arlington Extension Service, 
855 N. Edison St., Arlington, VA  22205.  Phone:  703-358-6400.

Citation:  "Innovations 1992."  Governing Magazine, Volume 6, 
October 1992, pp. 42-43.

Keywords:  social services, immigration, service delivery, 
language

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