"Society Needs to Know How We Feel": Understanding Anti-Asian Hate Experiences and Service Barriers Among Chinese Older Adults in Los Angeles County, California.

Abstract

In response to the increase in anti-Asian hate, the California State Legislature allocated $110 million in 2021 over three years to fund its Stop the Hate Program, which supports community-based organizations (CBOs) that offer direct services to victims and survivors of hate incidents and hate crimes, as well as prevention and intervention services to combat hate within communities in California. Although this funding was not limited to the Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) community, California's Stop the Hate Program was nevertheless a first-of-its-kind investment in AAPI communities throughout the state and is a significant move toward achieving equity for all residents of the state. With Stop the Hate funding, CBOs provide wide-ranging programs and services, including prevention and direct services, to community members who have experienced or are at risk of experiencing acts of hate. This study examines direct services provided to victims of hate and their families. RAND's community partner in this study, the Chinatown Service Center (CSC), is particularly concerned about older Chinese and Chinese American adults who are not using their Stop the Hate mental health services. Because of the surge in anti-Asian hate-to which older adults are particularly vulnerable-and the limited understanding around perceptions of mental health service use in the context of this surge, the authors focus on mental health services intended to help victims of anti-Asian hate incidents among older Asian American adults-and specifically older Chinese and Chinese American adults-in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.