“I try to make it as easy as possible” — Leutu Fa’alevao coordinates care for local Pacific Islander community members

Old habits die hard. Just ask Leutu Fa’alevao.

Born and raised in Tacoma, she developed the habit of helping others in her community as a student at First Creek Middle School. 

“I volunteered for anything and everything that ASB (Associated Student Body) had to offer,” she remembers. She continued her mission at Lincoln High School, where she helped organize a community youth summit.

“It’s something I’m passionate about — helping people,” she says.

Today as an adult, she carries on her mission of service as a community-based worker for the Pacific Islander Health Alliance (formerly known as the Samoan Nurses Organization of Washington, or SNOW).  The Pacific Islander Health Alliance is one of 14 organizations currently partnered with Connect Pierce, Elevate Health’s care hub that supports the vital work carried out by community-based workers and improves local health and wellness outcomes through community-based care coordination.

At the Alliance, Fa’alevao assists clients searching for housing, health insurance, medical care and more. SNOW was founded to provide culturally competent health education and outreach to Washington’s sizable Samoan community, but the Alliance serves people from a variety of backgrounds.

“Any of those public services — if they need help applying, I help with that process,” she says. “My role is basically to receive and intake clients who need social services. I look into their circumstances, read over their files and see what’s needed.

Every client is different, and circumstances vary by age, ethnicity and culture, Fa’alevao says. “One needs housing, another needs household goods.”

She knows where people can find food banks, clothing banks or even vouchers for gasoline purchases. She often meets clients where they are, in a community location.

“I like to keep it face-to-face, so it’s more personal, so they don’t feel like they’re just another number in the system,” Fa’alevao says. But if they can’t meet in person, she tries to arrange a video or phone meeting.

She explains to clients that she can steer them toward resources, but — in the end — they must do the work they need to do to help themselves. And she acknowledged that the work can be difficult, because resources aren’t always neatly packaged into one-stop shopping. 

“Life is already hard,” she says. “They’re just looking for help — so why is it so hard to find?”

Her strategy? 

“I try to make it as easy as possible for them,” Fa’alevao says. “I break it down into parts so it’s not so overwhelming.”

She might explain that if a client finishes one section of an application today, they can take a break and work on another section later.

“I tell them: ‘OK, we accomplished this part. We’ll schedule another appointment this week.’ I try to break it down to ease them into the process,” Fa’alevao says.

She grew up in the Salishan public housing development on Tacoma’s Eastside. Her family had to move out when the old housing — originally built to temporarily house shipyard workers during World War II — was torn down and replaced with a modern development starting in the early 2000’s. Her family was eventually able to move into New Salishan.

Recalling her childhood made her think about how the services she now helps others find could have helped her family while she was growing up.

“A community-based worker with community resources could have helped my mom,” she says. “When I heard about this job, I said I would love to do that.”

Helping others is her way of giving back to the Pierce County community Fa’alevao loves.

“The people are great, the culture is great — I love the diversity,” she says. “I’ve been here all my life. I have always loved our community, especially when we come together to do things. That’s why I got into this work — honestly, it’s just to give back to my community.”

ABOUT THE STORYTELLERS:
-Writer Debbie Cafazzo is a Tacoma-based freelance journalist and communications professional. She was a reporter for 25 years at the Tacoma News Tribune where she covered education, health care, breaking news and a variety of other subjects.
-Photographer John Froschauer is a Tacoma-based photographer who has shot for the Associated Press for nearly 30 years. He also recently retired from Pacific Lutheran University where he served as the campus photographer for more than a decade.