HAP Receives $780,800 to Create Employment Opportunities for Immigrants and Refugees for Tapestry

HAP Receives $780,800 from the Administration for Children and Families to Create Employment Opportunities for Immigrants and Refugees for Tapestry Restaurant. 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                          

October 18, 2017    
CONTACT: Mai Moua, Ph.D.  Chief Operating Officer
(651) 495-1517   maim@hmong.org                                                                         

Saint Paul, MN – Hmong American Partnership (HAP) has been awarded $780,800 from the Federal Administration for Children and Families Department to create 39 permanent jobs for low-income Southeast Asian immigrants and refugees in the high-demand hospitality industry.

Through HAP’s new social enterprise, Tapestry Restaurant, the agency will be providing employment opportunities to meet the needs, skills and background of the Southeast Asian community. These positions will provide a competitive wage as well as career laddering opportunities providing a means for our newest Minnesotans to step out of poverty and find prosperity.

“For 27 years, we have been addressing economic inequity issues in the Southeast Asian immigrant and refugee population. Through Tapestry, we will now be able to serve this population more comprehensively by providing employment opportunities that lead to self-sufficiency,” notes HAP’s President and CEO, Bao Vang. “We anticipate that through creating a skilled workforce there will be a rippling effect in the greater business community meeting the significant demand for talented workers who are eager to contribute to their new home.”

Since 2010, HAP’s economic development activities have created over 300 new jobs in the Twin Cities area for the low-income immigrant and refugee population. HAP’s other social enterprises include HAP Transportation, Hmoob Toj Siab Montessori School, and One Community Staffing. All three provide meaningful employment while also addressing an employment gap for skilled workers in the community.

####

HAP is a community development organization whose mission is: to empower the community to embrace the strengths of our cultures while achieving our potential. HAP provides critical services and support to more than 15,000 community members annually. For more information about HAP and its programs, please visit http://www.hmong.org.