About Us
Grace Social and Medical Services (Grace) is a 501c3 nonprofit organization based in Fountain Valley, California. As an ethnic Community Based Organization (e-CBO), we strive to resettle unsettled lives by helping new immigrants find footing in the United States by providing innovative wraparound services such as shelter, clothing, food, medical services, job training and placement, and more. Our integrated system of services ensures that not only will immigrants survive in America but thrive, so that immigrants and their children may advance in their new home to become productive members of society.
Why We Do It
There are at least over 22,000 immigrants of MENA descent settled in Orange County. Yet, a severe lack of representation means that there is a lack of Arabic translators and translated resources in traditional government agencies, which makes it hard for immigrants to access services. Even if there is a push to provide services for Arabic speakers, there is an extra access barrier for religious minorities with compounded trauma who are suspicious of pan-arab resources. Enter Grace Social and Medical Services. As an Ethnic Community Based Organization (ECBO) providing comprehensive and culturally competent services, Grace acts as the social safety net for people like us who would otherwise fall in between the cracks of the system.
History
Although incorporated in 2013, Grace has been operating since the 1980’s when one Egyptian family immigrated to the United States. Seeking freedom in the land of opportunity, the Beshai family was one of the first waves of families to move to America.
They might not have been equipped with an abundance of resources themselves, but the Beshai Family, led by their father Reda Beshai, helped new families from Egypt by sharing their one bedroom apartment.
Reda went on to have a very successful career in engineering and used every spare penny and then some to buy more properties so that new families can have a place to stay. Through years of unconditional love fueled by a public servant’s heart, Reda Beshai has been able to help hundreds of families build a self-sufficient life through our services.
Today, Grace has expanded to a community of over 20,000 people from diverse religious backgrounds from all over the Middle East and North Africa. Grace’s mission is driven by a single focus: to help people with unsettled lives integrate themselves into American life. We do this by offering settlement services and transitional assistance nourished by a tribe of like-minded people that believe in the power of community.
Contact
OC: 18326 Ward Street
Fountain Valley, CA, 92708
LA: 3024 Stoner Ave
W. Los Angeles, CA, 90066
(714)983-4370
