Union of Pan Asian Communities (UPAC)

About Union of Pan Asian Communities (UPAC)

The Union of Pan Asian Communities (UPAC) is a San Diego nonprofit behavioral health organization that has served the county’s diverse, underserved, and immigrant communities for about 50 years, with staff who speak more than 30 languages and dialects. Their addiction services center on culturally responsive, person-centered care that treats a client’s cultural and ethnic identity as part of recovery. They offer DHCS-certified outpatient treatment for alcohol and drug use, along with treatment for problem gambling. Adult clients can also receive ambulatory withdrawal management and non-methadone medication-assisted treatment when it is medically and clinically appropriate.

The adult program focuses on refugees, immigrants, and Asian and Pacific Islander clients, combining individual, group, and family counseling with mental health therapy, psychiatric evaluation, and medication management for co-occurring disorders. Case managers help with housing, income, food, and transportation, and the program also provides peer support meetings, crisis intervention, and sober living stipends. Separate tracks include the Teen Recovery Center for ages 12 to 17, Expanding Horizons for transition-age youth ages 18 to 25 (sometimes up to 29), and an intensive outpatient program for gambling addiction. Their Alternatives to Incarceration program, run with NAMI San Diego, accepts referrals from justice partners and offers 24/7 case management, peer support, and housing assistance grounded in harm reduction and Housing First principles.