Refugee Services
In 2007 the St. Joseph County Chapter was awarded a grant from the Community Foundation of St. Joseph County and an anonymous donor to initiate Refugee Services. Since 2010, the American Red Cross has partnered with Church World Service to become an official resettlement agency. Early arrivals were from Kenya, Rwanda, and Iran and many of the recent arrivals have been from Iraq.
The refugee program works with families and individuals who have status granted to them by the Federal government. Asylees and Refugees are eligible for benefits granted by the government, are legally able to work, to receive an education, and become a vital part of our community.
The role of the Red Cross Refugee Program is to provide:
- assistance to refugees with:
- Filing paperwork to get their social security card
- Assisting with applying for the federally granted benefits that aid in their resettlement process
- Providing direction to the medical resources they need
- Guiding them to jobs and safe housing in our community
- Helping continue the process of starting over, the dream that brought them to the United States in the first place
Read Refugee Success Stories
Learn how you can get involved
Background
A refugee is “a person outside of his or her country of nationality who is unable or unwilling to return because of persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion.”[1] For the purpose of this program, ‘refugee’ refers to individuals who fled their country of origin due to political circumstances, becoming refugees or asylum seekers.
Though often chaotic, refugees’ arrivals in the U.S. are planned events through official channels. Refugees usually arrive in the United States after some time spent in a ‘middle’ country. For example, many Liberian refugees come to the U.S. after spending years in refugee camps in Ghana or the Ivory Coast. Refugees are permanent legal residents of the US and are eligible to begin the process for U.S. Citizenship. Asylum seekers have temporary legal residence status and are provided a process for having their permanent status determined. The assimilation needs are the same for both populations.
Refugee resettlement to St. Joseph County began in earnest during the years after the Vietnam War. Houses of worship, in particular, offered resettlement to refugees from Southeast Asia, creating an informal network of volunteers who learned the resettlement process. The United Religious Communities (URC) coordinated a portion of the work, and in time, Refugee Services of South Bend was founded as the local branch of statewide program. Refugee Services provided staff that gave legal assistance and coordinated volunteers from the community to welcome and assimilate refugees as new residents in years that followed conflicts elsewhere in the world. Most recent refugees have arrived from Liberia, Rwanda, Sudan, Iraq, Eastern Europe (ethnic Turks), Kenya, Rwanda, and Iran. When Refugee Services closed, the Red Cross partnered with community volunteers to provide much needed assistance to refugees in the area.
Needs of Refugees
Refugees, upon arrival, need intensive assistance to adjust. Most do not speak English, have limited formal education, have gone years without medical or dental care, have no money, and no awareness of American culture and practices. A number have symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, and feel very lonesome and alienated. And, within hours of their arrival, they must become eligible for Social Security, Medicaid, rental assistance, and start to learn to navigate the confusing and short term elements of their welcome to America. Volunteers are needed to help find household goods for donation, drive the refugees to numerous appointments, assist with job searches, and provide community connections and friendship to these new residents.
Additional Programs/Events
The Red Cross has also initiated an annual World Refugee Day celebration, a women’s support group, and a Community Language Bank of local volunteers who speak different languages in order to help with translation and cultural adaptation for the new families.
Collaboration
To maximize the impact of its work with refugees in the community, the Red Cross partners with groups of former refugees, Congressional offices, and several organizational entities, including representatives of the United Religious Communities, Kellogg Institute and Kroc Institute at Notre Dame, Asante Foundation, Inc., St. Joseph Parish - South Bend, and the Islamic Society of Michiana.
[1] Source: U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, Annual Report 2005
[2] Ibid.
Quick Links to Useful Information:
Government - State and Federal
www.USCIS.gov ~ follow up on processing times and applications
www.in.gov ~ State of Indiana, updates
www.travel.state.gov ~ Visa and Passport Information
Local
www.stjosephcountyindina.com ~ St. Joseph County
www.ci-south-bend.in.us ~ City of South Bend
www.mishawakacity.com ~ City of Mishawaka
Schools
www.sbcsc.k12.in.us ~ South Bend Community School Corporation
www.phm.k12.in.us ~ Penn-Harris-Madison
www.mishawaka.k12.in.us ~ School City of Mishawaka
