American Red Cross, St. Joseph County Chapter

American Red Cross of St. Joseph County

Refugee Program

The American Red Cross of St. Joseph County Refugee program is moving forward. A sponsor group meets on a monthly basis as a support and networking opportunity. The program is currently working with over 50 families which involves well over 175-225 individuals. Recently several new arrivals have come to our area.

The first 'new' family to the Red Cross arrived just before Christmas, 2006, a family from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Congo-Kinshasa, formerly Zaire), after being reunited in Uganda.
A refugee family of 6 from Rwanda, by way of Zimbabwe, arrived during the first part of September, 2007 and continues to settle into our community.
A mother and young child arrived to be reunited with the family after almost two years of separation and living in a camp in Africa ("r eunification" cases happen when a refugee, after their own arrival, files papers for their spouse and/ or children come to join them base on their refugee status).

The program has gained attention in its year of existence. Word of mouth and community outreach has identified individuals in need; they are seeking us out as a community resource. Most recently our program was mentioned in the South Bend Tribune. These two articles contained information about our program, they ran on Sunday, October 28, and Monday, October 29, 2007.

The refugee program works with families and individuals who have a status cranted to them by the Federal government. Asylee and Refugees are eligible for benefits granted by the government, they are legally able to work, receive and education, and become a vital part of our community.

Our place, as the American Red Cross of St. Joseph County’s Refugee Program, is to provide assistance to these folks: help them file the paperwork to get their social security card, apply for the federally granted benefits that assist them in their resettlement process. We also provide direction to the medical resources they need, guide them to jobs and safe housing in our community. We help continue the process of starting over, the dream that brought them to the United States in the first place.