Organization

United Cambodian Community, Inc. (UCC)


United Cambodian Community, Inc. (UCC) is a social services nonprofit in Long Beach, California, founded in 1977 by a small group of Cambodian refugees.[1] It began by helping Cambodian immigrants settle into Long Beach, with support for housing, income and enrollment in public benefits. It provides culturally competent social services to the Cambodian community of Long Beach, home of Cambodia Town and the largest Cambodian population in the United States.[1][2]

History

Cambodian refugees came to the United States in two waves, the first in 1975 and the second in 1981. At least 20,000 of them settled in Long Beach.[2] The first 2,000 or so passed through Camp Pendleton in 1975.[3] Members of that first wave founded the organization, then called the United Cambodian Community Center, in 1977.[2] Over time it grew into a multi-service agency offering youth development, workforce development, gang prevention and mental health services. UCC Plaza opened in 1991.[1] In 2002 UCC took part in the Traditional Arts Development Program of the Alliance for California Traditional Arts. That year it also hired a consultant from the Center for Nonprofit Management to plan the future of its Arts of Apsara Gallery & Cultural Center, which ran its Cambodian dance and music programs.[4]

In December 2018 KH Market, a grocery store that had been open for 22 years, was threatened with closure because of rent increases driven by gentrification. The owners and 32 other small businesses in the plaza were told their buildings would be torn down for a fast-food drive-through. With UCC's support, the business owners and residents organized to stay open, and an online petition drew more than 20,000 signatures. The campaign gave the market two more years, including a period of talks about keeping it within a new development. In 2021 the market closed after it could not meet the landlord's demand for higher rent.[2]

Residents, small businesses and community organizations then formed the Cambodia Town Thrives coalition, with UCC's support, to plan for the neighborhood's future. The coalition partnered with the National Coalition for Asian Pacific American Community Development (National CAPACD), the Little Tokyo Service Center (LTSC) and Long Beach Forward, and toured Little Tokyo and Chinatown in Los Angeles to learn how those neighborhoods faced gentrification.[2] In 2020 and 2021 a nine-month planning process engaged more than 500 residents, parents, business owners, renters and young people. The resulting Cambodia Town Thrives plan named six core values: community, culture, safety, affordability, nature and community ownership. It set six priorities: affordable housing, education, business, health, arts and culture, and safety.[2]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, UCC helped Chad Phuong of Battambang BBQ get a cash loan to buy a food truck and run his business full time. It gave Ana Heang, owner of Planet Water, financial counseling, literacy training and help applying for grants.[2] After looting damaged businesses in Cambodia Town, UCC set up the Cambodia Town Business Relief Fund, which passes donations directly to affected businesses, and its volunteers boarded up five businesses.[5]

Programs

UCC works in four program areas: Health Equity, Youth Enrichment, Community Integration and Economic Inclusion.[1] As of 2026 it serves more than 4,000 community members through these programs.[6]

The Health Equity department includes the Community Wellness Program, the Parenting Skills Program and the Long Beach Justice Fund program. In the 2024-25 fiscal year the wellness program served more than 300 seniors, focusing on physical and mental health and aging well. The parenting program taught more than 200 young families and caregivers how to strengthen relationships in families of several generations. The Long Beach Justice Fund enrolled more than 70 documented and undocumented Cambodian immigrants. UCC also provided more than 350 case management services and connected more than 300 people with food boxes and grocery vouchers.[6]

The Benefits Enrollment Center helps low-income seniors and people with disabilities enroll in programs such as SNAP, LiHEAP and Medi-Cal. Staff help with naturalization applications, fee waivers and green card replacements, and the Housing Counseling program advises on renting, buying, financing and keeping a home, including first-time homebuyer counseling.[6] For refugees and entrants across Los Angeles County, UCC offers case management, crisis support for Cambodians who speak only Khmer, translation and interpretation, and ethnic and cultural festivals. Its multilingual health and social education program reaches low-income Southeast Asian and Latino residents of Long Beach, and its translators help people past the language and cultural barriers that can keep them from seeking health care. Staff also hold cultural awareness activities to build understanding among the groups they serve.[7][8]

Youth programs include free Certified Nursing Assistant training for ages 17 to 24 and CalVIP, a six-month program for ages 16 to 24 in leadership, job skills, cultural education, career exploration and mentorship. Kids Art teaches art history and technique to children aged five to 13.[6] By 2023 UCC had run Living Arts for about seven years. The program is open to young people of any culture or race aged 14 to 24. Participants help at outreach events, work as paid hourly interns handing out information, run children's art programs, paint murals and lead public art projects.[2] As of 2026 it offers six months of hands-on workshops led by guest artists. Graduates of any youth program can join the Youth Alumni Network, and the summer Big Boss Incubator teaches business management to a youth cohort, who launch a small business at the end.[6]

The Economic Inclusion Program serves entrepreneurs and small-business owners in Cambodia Town and across Long Beach, with resources in Khmer. It offers business counseling, access to capital, technical assistance, workshops and webinars, as well as one-on-one financial counseling online and in person.[6][5] UCC helps entrepreneurs with grant and loan applications, business law, financial literacy and vendor licenses. A small grant from the City of Long Beach and funding from California's Social Entrepreneurs for Economic Development program let UCC help new businesses buy materials and equipment and cover startup costs.[2]

UCC also helped create a small Cambodia Town night market for local vendors, artists, chefs and entrepreneurs. Its organizers call it a "marklet" because of its size: it fills half a block on both sides of the street and uses UCC's own parking lot. It began as a monthly event and is now held quarterly.[2]

Community

UCC serves elders, youth and women, and its services have no geographic limits.[4][7] Atlas of Home calls it the anchor nonprofit of Cambodia Town. Over the years its case managers helped thousands of refugees whose families did not yet speak English deal with American agencies.[3] Its office on Anaheim Street is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.[8] UCC has a volunteer program.[5]

UCC accepts donations online, by mail and by phone, and in-kind gifts of office supplies, electronics and professional services. It holds an annual Anniversary Gala and takes part in giving campaigns such as Long Beach Gives and Give In May.[9] Its 2026 Long Beach Gives campaign, which ended on September 24, 2026, raised money for staff wellness: stress management workshops, mental health resources, wellness activities and team-building events. UCC's campaign page set a $7,500 goal, and a supporter fundraiser for the same campaign set $5,000. As of September 25, 2026, the supporter fundraiser had raised $2,525 from 142 people.[6][10]

Staff and board (2026)

Staff and board members listed by UCC in 2026.[1]

Staff
  • Susana Sngiem, executive director
  • Margaret Tham, program manager
  • Sayon Syprasoeuth, program manager
  • Sereyrotha Dip, program manager
  • Sokuntheary Chheang, administrator
  • Kanha Soun, administrator
  • Mony Touch, office manager
  • Don Pin, business navigator
  • Frederick Sor, business navigator
  • Hunny Hach, program coordinator
  • Cathy Wilson, youth coordinator
  • Allen Keo, youth coach and mentor
  • Bonim Ouk, COVID-19 program coordinator
  • Engly Tung, health navigator
  • Pearun Tieng, community health worker
  • Sophea Chim, community health worker
  • Chinda Oum, community health worker
  • Chantha Ros, Community Ambassador Network
  • Kaiser Sina, Community Ambassador Network
  • Rathana So, housing counselor
Board
  • Weston LaBar, chair
  • Mark Fender, vice chair
  • Antonio Gaskin, secretary
  • Chamroeun Ray Nuon, treasurer
  • Nathaneil Brown
  • David Chhay
  • Vic Nol
  • Sothida Tan

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 United Cambodian Community, About UCC
  2. ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 Nonprofit Quarterly, Preserving Cambodia Town: How a Refugee Community Has Organized Itself (October 2023)
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Atlas of Home, The Cambodians in Long Beach, California (2026)
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Alliance for California Traditional Arts, United Cambodian Community profile
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 United Cambodian Community, home page
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 Long Beach Gives, United Cambodian Community
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 211 LA, United Cambodian Community case/care management
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Los Angeles County Services Locator, United Cambodian Community
  9. ↑ United Cambodian Community, Ways to Give
  10. ↑ Long Beach Gives, UCC fundraiser (2026)
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This page was last edited on 2 October 2026, at 01:35.