Cultural Navigator Program at Crossroads Mini City Hall Helps Immigrants Find their Way

Moving to a new country and figuring out how to submit an insurance claim or learn how to use the local transportation system can be daunting no matter where you came from or what language you speak.

But add in the language and cultural barriers that many Eastside immigrants face, and the challenge of adjusting to life in a new country can become even greater. Enter Eastside Cultural Navigator Program, an organization located within Redmond's that helps immigrants and refugees understand and obtain access to a wide range of services.

The program provides translation service at the city of Bellevue's  at shopping center and at Together Center in Redmond.

"The demographic shift isn't coming. The demographic shift is here," said Kirkland Councilman Dave Asher while checking out the program at Crossroads Mini City Hall.

Eastside Cultural Navigator Program is part of the Seattle-based Chinese Information and Service Center (CISC) but provides translation in Spanish and the languages of India at its Redmond office, as well as Russian, Chinese and Korean at Crossroads Mini City Hall.

In Bellevue, , according to the U.S. Census' American Community Survey estimate. About 35 percent of Bellevue residents speak a language other than English at home, according to that estimate. And about 14 percent of Bellevue's population speaks English less than "very well," according to the American Community Survey.

While Crossroads Mini City Hall has translators, staff there also can use AT&T translation services over the phone, said Barb Tuininga, community involvement coordinator at Mini City Hall.

Alaric Bien, CISC's executive director, said that many immigrant groups find out about the services from friends who used the services.

"Word of mouth in those communities is key," he said.

Crossroads Mini City Hall also has signs stating when certain translators will be in the office.

Bellevue City Councilman John Stokes and Kirkland's Asher checked out the program at Crossroads Mini City Hall in the early afternoon.

Asher also had joined Redmond City Council members Kim Allen, John Stilin and Pat Vache and a handful of City of Kirkland staff members were at Together Center Tuesday morning to learn more about the program. 

Several of the officials who attended said they plan to help spread the word about the services that are available in the hopes that more people in need will seek out help.

"It's an incredibly important service that's offered," Vache said. "It is really hard to find your way around (a new place), even if English is your first language."

Services include help with finding employment, learning the local bus system, signing up for English classes, applying for food and housing assistance, and more. Staff are also trained to help clients find help for issues such as domestic violence and mental illness.

Program coordinator Chor Phen Ng, who is originally from Malaysia, said he knows firsthand how difficult it can be for new immigrants to learn about social services. Many immigrants do not have similar programs back home and are unaware such assistance even exists in their new communities.

Bien said the navigator program originally served just Asian-American immigrants when it began in 2007 but has since expanded to include many of the Eastide's other growing ethnic populations.

Asher said he's pleased the organization has been able to reach out to new ethnic communities on the Eastside, such as Southeast Asians and Russians.

Uma Sehgal, the Indian Cultural Navigator at the Redmond office, said she spends a significant amount of her time helping people fill out forms. 

"Most of the time we spend translating the forms," Sehgal said. "The real communication—that's where the problem comes in."

Since the economic recession began, Bien said more and more people have turned to the Eastside Cultural Navigator Program for assistance. Spanish speakers, in particular, have a growing need for help with basic needs like food and housing, he said.

"We've seen a huge increase in need from that community," Bien said.

The cities of Kirkland, Bellevue and Redmond all contribute funding to the program.

The program is paid for by the cities of Bellevue, Redmond and Kirkland and the King County human services levy, but the program will help anyone who comes to the door, no matter where they live, which helps the entire region succeed, said Bellevue councilman Stokes.

"The lines are arbitary. People live in one place, and work in another," said Stokes.