Resources by librarians – for everyone
In Massachusetts and New Hampshire, Ascentria provides services to immigrants that include: legal assistance, job training, employment services, and English classes. Additional services are available in each state. They are a local resettlement agency affiliate of Lutheran Social Services.
http://www.ascentria.org/our-services/services-new-americans
Vive is a program of Jericho Road Community Health Center, a nonprofit organization with no connection to the U.S. government. Vive provides shelter and assistance to refugees seeking asylum in Canada. The organization assists adults and families who have an anchor relative in Canada, and unaccompanied minors with parental permission but without anchor relatives, in obtaining asylum. Vive schedules appointments and interviews with the Canada Border Services Agency and houses refugees who are waiting for those appointments or interviews.
Vive charges $100 per week, a fee that includes registration, housing, meals, and access to medical care, legal services, and Wi-Fi. For taxi services to and from appointments with Canadian Border services, Vive charges $30 on the day of the appointment or interview.
The website provides a list of suggested documents, contains special information for children, and explains who Canada considers to be an “anchor relative” for purposes of asylum.
The Mohawk Valley Resource Center for Refugees (MVRCR) assists refugees and immigrants, and individuals with limited English proficiency. MVRCR is partially accredited by the US Department of Justice and thereby authorized to represent clients before US Citizenship and Immigration Services and to complete immigration forms on clients’ behalf. MVRCR provides advocacy, counseling, information, processing, and referrals for citizenship and immigration issues. It has a refugee resettlement program in Utica that has resettled more than 15,000 individuals in the city since 1981.
The organization also provides interpretation and translation services and training in cultural competency (for interactions involving health care, education, government services, and more).
MVRCR seeks to help its clients achieve independence and self-sufficiency.
The website lists eligibility requirements, which include possession of a qualifying I-94 by certain refugees, parolees, Cuban/Haitian entrants, and asylees. Qualifying unaccompanied minors enter the program by referral from the Lutheran Immigrant and Refugee Service (LIRS). Eligible adult clients and families receive referrals by third parties, such as attorneys. The factsheet covers the basics of program services and requirements, and provides contact information.
Nationally recognized non-profit works to help refugee women and their families thrive in the Puget Sound region. The organization’s services include: ESL classes, job training, relocation assistance, naturalization and legal assistance, youth and adult education, mental health support, and domestic violence assistance. Services are available in over 50 languages and dialects.
Offers refugee resettlement, employment & language training, and citizenship help. Also offers Christian worship service to people detained at Tacoma, WA, Immigrant detention center.
RIAC is a community-based, non-profit, grassroots human service agency that provides comprehensive services to refugees, asylees, and immigrants as well as the larger community.
Church World Service is a faith-based organization transforming communities around the globe through just and sustainable responses to hunger, poverty, displacement and disaster.
LiNK is a 501c(3) nonprofit organization that provides support, information, and resources for North Korean refugees. Rescue Teams in South Korea and Southeast Asia support North Korean refugees leaving North Korea or China. In South Korea and the United States, LiNK’s Resettlement Assistance Program connects resettling refugees to resources and support, including counseling, financial assistance, health services, and community gatherings.
The Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) serves to transition District of Columbia refugees from dependency on public assistance to self-sufficiency. The organization focuses on refugees eligible for the US Refugee Resettlement Program, which is administered by the Departments of Homeland Security (DHS), State, and Health and Human Services (HHS).
ORR provides: temporary assistance to needy families; refugee cash assistance; medical assistance; employment services; language training; foster care placement; services to victims of human trafficking; and repatriation services. It oversees the Refugee Unaccompanied Minors Program. ORR collaborates with a network of service providers to provide these services and ensure that refugees receive the necessary support and assistance.
The website lists eligibility requirements, which include possession of a qualifying I-94 by certain refugees, parolees, Cuban/Haitian entrants, and asylees. Qualifying unaccompanied minors enter the program by referral from the Lutheran Immigrant and Refugee Service (LIRS). Eligible adult clients and families receive referrals by third parties, such as attorneys. The factsheet covers the basics of program services and requirements, and provides contact information.