Horn Of Africa Services

Horn of Africa Services was established in 1992 by a group of East African immigrants and refugees, and concerned volunteers. For over 20 years, HOAS has been serving the East African Immigrant and Refugee community in Seattle. In 1996, HOAS Received 501(c)3 status, after which we helped to create and became a part of the Federation of East African Community Organizations in Seattle (FEACOS). HOAS continued to grow in the years to come, expanding staff in order to provide programs and case management services to help former refugees and immigrants achieve economic independence and self-sufficiency. In 2006, our After School Program was launched for the first time in order to better serve the youngest generation of Seattle's East African Community.

Horn of Africa Services has been providing advocacy and educational services to East African immigrants and refugees through a holistic approach. This is an approach that lends itself to deeper understanding and tolerance in our communities and brings positivity and self reliance to the forefront of peoples lives. We implement programs that allow people who have been through tremendous hardships to regain control of theirlives. We instill the concept that people must partake in issues that affect their lives and the lives of their family in order to have a better life. That people have to be their own advocates because they have issues specific to their lives that others may not understand. The community we serve has many obstacles to overcome which include learning a new language and culture, finding jobs in an unstable and confusing job market, overcoming persecution and emotional trauma, as well as preserving the morals and customs that they deeply value. Our programs offer support and advocacy that ensure families will not have to endure all of these obstacles alone and our multi-lingual staff allows for a high level of communication and understanding in order to successfully facilitate our mission within our programs.