Asian Counseling and Referral Service

Our Mission

Asian Counseling and Referral Service  (ACRS) is a social justice organization that promotes the health and well-being of Asians and Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders and other communities by providing and advocating for responsive community-based services.

Our Work

Asian Counseling and Referral Service (ACRS) offers hope, opportunity, and voice to all, serving generations of Asians, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders - whether immigrant, refugee, or American-born - and other underserved communities. Through one welcoming door, clients can access vital services in more than 40 languages.

With over 30 culturally responsive programs, ACRS helps individuals and families transform their lives. Our bilingual, bicultural staff support a wide range of needs, including counseling, senior programs, food assistance, English language and job readiness classes, citizenship services, addiction recovery, youth development and support, and mind-body wellness. We serve elders with dignity and connect youth with the opportunities they need to learn, lead, and thrive.

Founded in Seattle’s Rainier Valley, ACRS began with volunteer social workers providing mental health care to Asian Americans who were often misdiagnosed or excluded from treatment due to language and cultural barriers. Today, ACRS has grown into a trusted, community-rooted organization serving low-income immigrants, refugees, and their families across King County.

The Seattle Times describes ACRS as having “blossomed into a 300+ staff agency” where “the warm pulse of a community” welcomes all. At the heart of our building is Café Hope, a small espresso cart that doubles as a therapeutic job site for clients living with depression, anxiety, PTSD, and schizophrenia. Café Hope offers meaningful work and a path to recovery.

“They’re getting a lot of support they wouldn’t necessarily get in another work situation,” said Rose Sneed, ACRS Clinical Director. “This is the place where they have their friends and people who care about them.”

Just steps away, more than two dozen high school students gather each week as part of the Pathways to Our Future program. They learn time management, resume writing, explore careers through internships, and visit college campuses, museums, and other cultural spaces.

“They really helped me by giving me knowledge and preparing me for future opportunities,” said 16-year-old Meuy, an immigrant from Laos who has been visiting ACRS with her mother since she was five.

Rooted in the civil rights movement of the 1970s, ACRS has always been guided by a deep commitment to social justice. Today, we are proud to be part of a coalition of Asian, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander organizations advancing community-centered responses to anti-Asian violence and racial injustice.

Your support makes this possible. Every donation helps ACRS continue to provide culturally responsive care, connection, and community. Please invest in our mission—and our shared future.