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Community Corner

ACCESS, Arab-American Community Continue to Address Problems of Poverty

Education services and support help break down the barriers faced by new immigrants and struggling families.

The Arab-American population in Dearborn has dramatically changed over the last 10 years. There are far more youth (more than 30 percent of its population is below 18 years of age), the immigrant population is still growing and the city took in 3,000 refugees last year.

But poverty is a continued and growing issue.

In the south end of Dearborn–where almost 90 percent of the population is Yemeni–the city has the highest area of families living in poverty in Dearborn. In some areas, poverty rates rival those of Detroit, and four out of 10 children live in households with incomes at or below poverty, according to Inkster-based Starfish Family Services.

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Their studies also show that in Dearborn, 15 percent or more of households earn less than $20,000 annually–much of them concentrated in the city's south end.

The , based in southeast Dearborn, has provided services to metro Detroit since its origination in 1971. These services are provided to youth and families, and range from family literacy and academic enrichment services, to leadership development and recreation services. 

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Anisa Sahoubah, Youth and Education director at ACCESS, says the poverty rate has had a big impact on school-age kids.

“Some of the schools that we are dealing with have an 87 percent free- or reduced-lunch rate, and this has also impacted their education," she explained. "Because of the economic times, they don’t have as many resources as they should have.”

In Dearborn, this has meant increased after-school and summertime services–including throughout June and July.

Sahoubah believes the reasons that the south end of Dearborn has a very high poverty rate are because of high immigration and low income.

“There is this constant immigration to and from Dearborn,” she said. “A lot of those coming in begin with unskilled labor and low-rate jobs, and so those are the two big reasons why (poverty is high).”

Combined with the overall economic slump, that can mean even fewer job opportunities.

Due to the high immigration rate, ACCESS has found themselves shouldering the big challenge of helping an increasing number of people learn English, get educated and find jobs. But it’s a challenge they have gladly taken on for years–and things are improving, said Sahoubah.

“(ACCESS has) overcome a lot of big barriers over the years,” Sahoubah said. “If you want to look at language barriers, we have more than enough translators and interpreters to help in that situation. We also help parents understand the school systems and show them how to get more involved in their children’s lives.”

Dearborn's population includes almost 30,000 Arab Americans–the second largest, and the densest Arab population of any community outside of the Middle East. New York City has nearly 70,000 Arab-American residents, but out of a total population of more than 8 million, compared with Dearborn's 98,000, based on the 2010 U.S. Census.

“I think a lot of that has to with immigrants wanting to stay close to the mosque,” Sahoubah said, referencing Dearborn's as a reason why many people choose to move to the city.  “Also, most of the businesses around them are Arab-owned, and so they sell things that the immigrants are accustomed to, such as food and clothing.”

According to a recent study, while the high school graduation rate is low, representing older, less educated immigrants, the college graduation rate is relatively high–pointing to highly educated younger immigrants and higher educational achievement among second- and third-generation Arabs.

Sahoubah says the emphasis on education is important to societal and economic success.

“There’s been a heavy interest in English and second-language classes,” she said of ACCESS' programming. “We started off with having one class in 2006, and now we have five levels. That just shows you the growing need and it also shows how this has a lot to do with the growing Arab-American population and immigrant population.”

Fattum Mutahr, program facilitator at ACCESS, plays a key role in helping people gain their education and prepare for the real world. And that is the No. 1 goal of ACCESS: to help people succeed.

“We teach students how to create resumes, how to do an interview, how to get ready for a job,” she said. “We also work on speaking skills, and getting students to see themselves as professionals and setting really high expectations and goals for them."

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