AUSTIN, Texas — An Austin-area nonprofit has been working to help close language gaps for the city’s Asian population. 

The Austin Asian Community Initiative (AACHI) works alongside Austin Public Health to provide health care, housing and additional services to roughly 400 people and their families each year. 

The organization mainly serves adults who are 65 or older, almost all of which have low income and many of which don’t have much access to transportation. AACHI helps mainly Vietnamese, Korean and Burmese individuals, including ethnic groups like Karen, Karenni and Chin. 

“And then the biggest barrier would be language access,” AACHI executive director Hayley Easley said.

In order to combat this issue, the nonprofit organization offers a service to call people who speak multiple different languages, to help Austin’s Asian community receive access navigating housing, food, basic care and other needs. 

These health workers help connect “the communities that are in need,” Easley said. 

The group originally formed to help develop the Asian American Resource Center (AARC), but eventually changed its focus to highlight health care needs. AACHI has been serving Austin’s Asian community for more than 10 years, since 2013. 

You can visit AACHI.org to learn more.