Organization Name: Refugee Development Center
Organization Overview: Mission Statement
To provide the education, orientation and support refugees need to become self-sufficient members of society.
History
The Refugee Development Center (RDC) is a grassroots organization offering formal and informal learning opportunities in an open and inclusive setting. The RDC opened in 2002 because the Greater Lansing community identified service area gaps for newcomer populations seeking self-sufficiency. The common denominator in the gaps identified revolved around education, and hence, the mission of the center was born. Today, the RDC helps serve as the link between newcomer populations and the private, public, and faith-based communities of Ingham County.
Services
Some of the services the RDC provides include:
English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) classes
After school tutoring programs
Youth group activities promoting literacy, leadership, and learning
School orientations for new arrival families
Parent workshops and other opportunities
Approximately 300 annual volunteers trained to tutor, mentor and connect with refugees
Staff prepared to educate the larger Lansing community regarding refugee issues
Street: 122 S. Pennsylvania Ave.
City/Township: Lansing
State: MI
Zip Code: 48912
Country: USA
Phone: (517) 253-8025
Fax No: (517) 482-4719
Organization Name: Samaritas (Lutheran Social Services of Michigan (LSSM) - Refugee Resettlement Central Michigan)
Organization Overview: Refugee Services
Refugees are people of all ages who are forced from their own countries by war or political unrest and who cannot return for fear of persecution because of their race, ethnicity, religion or political affiliations. Many spend years in refugee camps before they are given permission to enter the United States. They arrive with little more than the clothes they are wearing.
Refugees come here seeking protection and a chance to build a new life. They are eager to learn, to work and to become productive contributors to society. As they become settled, they build businesses, create jobs, revitalize neighbourhoods, fuel the economy and strengthen the tax base, enriching their communities.
Lutheran Social Services of Michigan has been the Michigan affiliate of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service since the 1950s. In 2002, Lutheran Social Services became the Michigan affiliate of Episcopal Migration Ministries as well. As the largest refugee resettlement agency in the state, Lutheran Social Services has resettled thousands of people from dozens of countries in Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Central and South America.
Language: Arabic,English
Cultures: Arabic,Bosnian,Chaldean,Iraqi,Refugees or Asylees,Syrian
Street: Nussdorfer Center 1545 Keystone
City/Township: Lansing
State: MI
Zip Code: 48911
Country: USA
Phone: (517) 321-7663
Organization Name: Samaritas (Lutheran Social Services of Michigan (LSSM) - Refugee Resettlement, West Michigan)
Organization Overview: Refugees are people forced to leave their country of residence because of war or political turmoil. We are Michigan's largest private refugee resettlement organization. We provide sponsorship, immigration assistance, legal services and assistance with resettlement and acculturation. Since the mid-1970s, we have resettled thousands of refugees.
Language: English
Cultures: Refugees or Asylees
Street: 207 E. Fulton Street; 4th Floor
City/Township: Grand Rapids
State: MI
Zip Code: 49503
Country: USA
Phone: (616) 356-1934
Email: ccava@lssm.org
Organization Name: Samaritas (Lutheran Social Services of Michigan (LSSM)-Refugee Resettlement)
Organization Overview: Refugees are people forced to leave their country of residence because of war or political turmoil. We are Michigan's largest private refugee resettlement organization. We provide sponsorship, immigration assistance, legal services and assistance with resettlement and acculturation. Since the mid-1970s, we have resettled thousands of refugees.
Resettlement Services
We lead newly arrived refugees through their confusing first months in the United States.
We:
•provide a furnished house or apartment
•enroll the children in school
•help the refugees apply for Social Security cards and other necessary documents.
•assist with cultural and social integration into the community
•refer the new arrivals to training in English as a second language
•assist with family reunification
Employment Services
We are Michigan's primary contractor for job development and placement, vocational English language training and citizenship services.
We provide:
•job skills training
•vocational English language training (VELT)
•translation/interpretation services
•help with social adjustment
•outreach and referral
Most refugees are punctual and reliable, honest and trustworthy, highly productive and quick to learn. They are very appreciative of the opportunity to work, so they are dedicated to their employers and get along well with co-workers.
If you can employ refugees at your business in Southeastern
Michigan, contact Belmin Pinjic, bpin@lssm.org or (248) 423-2790.
In West Michigan, contact Chris Cavanaugh, ccava@lssm.org or (616) 356-1934.
Employers who hire refugees may qualify for tax credits or grants to provide tools and uniforms for refugees. The federal Match Grant program in Detroit and Grand Rapids, offers incentives to refugees who find work quickly and do not need to rely on public assistance. The program provides employment training, placement and transportation.
Translation Services
We can translate documents from the following languages into English: Arabic, Bosnian, Croatian, Romanian, Russian and Serbian. Documents can also be translated from English into any of these languages.
Legal Services
We offer professional, immigration legal services for refugees, asylees and immigrants at nominal fees, to help them in achieve independence and stability in the United States. These services include assistance with adjustment of status, naturalization, travel documents, and family visa petitions. The program has an accredited representative on staff who is recognized by the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA), as well as interns who are students at local law schools. Coming soon: citizenship training classes to prepare naturalization applicants for the Civics and English portions of the naturalization test.
School Impact Program
We serve as a liaison with local K-12 schools, helping students with English instruction, translation and social adjustment. We help refugee parents understand the school environment and become more involved in their children’s education, and also provide support and resources for teachers of refugee students.
- See more at: http://www.lssm.org/refugee#sthash.5f5iny1z.dpuf
Language: Arabic,Armenian,Assyrian,Bosnian,Chaldean,English,Farsi/Persian,French,German,Kurdish,Nepali,Romanian,Russian,Turkish
Cultures: Arabic,Assyrian,Bosnian,Chaldean,Iraqi,Refugees or Asylees
Street: 2170 E. Big Beaver Rd.
City/Township: Troy
State: MI
Zip Code: 48083
Country: USA
Phone: (248) 663-0710
Fax No: (248) 423-3023
Email: vcizm@lssm.org
Organization Name: St Vincent de Paul Catholic Charities - Refugee Resettlement
Organization Overview: St. Vincent de Paul is the designated refugee resettlement agency for Adults and Families in mid-Michigan. Through a federal government program we assist with the basic essentials to welcome refugees to the Lansing community and help them reach self-sufficiency.
Language: Arabic,Burmese,English,Somali,Spanish
Cultures: All,American,Arabic,Burmese,Chaldean,Somali
Street: 2800 Willow Street
City/Township: Lansing
State: MI
Zip Code: 48917
Country: USA
Phone: (517) 323-4734, ext 1424
Organization Name: Syrian American Rescue Network (SARN)
Organization Overview: We've all seen the devastating images of the millions of Syrians being brutalized by war, displaced from their homes, and then driven to other countries, many of which are simply too overwhelmed to provide for them.
We pledge to marshal the volunteer efforts across the state to address the needs of incoming refugees. Please join us in this effort to help bring comfort and safety to these families and children who are running for their lives.
Mission Statement
Our mission is to provide humanitarian and economic support to refugees as they reach self-sufficiency in Michigan.
Established in 2015, the Syrian American Rescue Network (SARN) is a nonprofit organization that seeks to assist refugees on their journey through cultural adjustment with the goal of assisting refugees in becoming self-sufficient in the State of Michigan.
Our team is made up of passionate individuals working hard to create a peaceful and just world. We are a community-based nonprofit organization that aims to restore hope and opportunity for refugee families. Our members and volunteers are passionate, generous and committed to this mission. The group does not have a political or religious affiliation.
Our resettlement program provides humanitarian and economic support to refugees in reaching self-sufficiency in Michigan. We achieve this goal through linking refugees with employment services, housing, English education, furniture and household items, transportation, assistance with emergencies, and acculturation advice and consultation.
We seek to work with a network of providers in Metro Detroit to advocate and strengthen social services for refugees living in the city and surrounding suburbs. Currently SARN is focused on helping the Syrian families arriving in Southeast Michigan.
Language: Arabic,English
Cultures: Arabic,Kurdish,Syrian
Street: P.O. Box 7469
City/Township: Bloomfield Hills
State: MI
Zip Code: 48302
Country: USA
Website: http://msrc.nationbuilder.com/
Organization Name: خدمة المجتمع الاسرة المتحدة United Community Family Services
Organization Overview: Since 1961, the Chaldean American Ladies of Charity (CALC) has continually assisted the needy families of the metro Detroit area. The CALC is a nonprofit charitable organization that operates with over 98% of donations going directly to the less fortunate. We focus our efforts on enhancing the lives of the people in our community. Our time and volunteer efforts are spent helping those in need, encouraging our youth, providing care for senior citizens, and maintaining our culture within the diverse community in which we live.
Metro Detroit’s 120,000 Chaldeans are the largest concentration outside the Middle East. The community’s growth spanning a century reflects economic, social and geopolitical factors. The majority of Chaldean Americans live in Michigan, although there are many in Illinois, Arizona, California and other countries like Australia, England and Mexico.
Although Chaldean Americans constitute the bulk of Iraqi immigrants living in the United States, they represent less than 10 percent of the population of Iraq. While the vast majority of Iraqis, are Arab Muslim, Chaldeans are Roman Catholic. They also differ from other Iraqis in that their ancestral language is not Arabic but a dialect of Aramaic, also referred to as Chaldean, Assyrian or Syriac.
The country of Chaldea was an ancient land in southern Babylonia, on the Persian Gulf near the delta of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in the Middle East. In biblical times the name was applied to all of Babylonia & Mesopotamia. It is present day Iraq.
CALC MISSION STATEMENT
We are Chaldean American women energized by working together and with others to provide help and hope to those in need.
We strive to preserve our heritage and enrich the community through awareness and advocacy, education and advice, and emotional and economic support.
Our vision is to strengthen and preserve the Chaldean family by ensuring that all generations have access to necessary resources and services.
The CALC has many volunteers that spend a substantial amount of time helping others and trying to raise funds and awareness of our mission. If you’d like to volunteer your time with the CALC, click here to fill out a volunteer information form. We appreciate your help!
Language: Arabic,Chaldean,English
Cultures: All,Arabic,Chaldean,Iraqi,Multicultural,Syrian
Street: 2033 Austin Drive
City/Township: Troy
State: MI
Zip Code: 48083
Country: USA
Phone: 248) 528-0130
Email: info@calconline.org
Organization Name: US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants Detroit
Organization Overview: The U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI) is a national refugee resettlement and advocacy organization. USCRI is dedicated to protect the rights and address the needs of persons in forced or voluntary migration worldwide and support their transition to dignified life. USCRI Detroit helps refugees begin new lives in the Detroit area. Each year, we welcome refugees and give them the tools to adjust to a new way of life in the United States and to become self-sufficient, contributing members of the Detroit community who can regain dreams of a hopeful future for themselves and their children. USCRI Detroit is a member of the State of Michigan Refugee Advisory Council (MRAC) which meets quarterly and serves at the invitation of Michigan’s Department of Human Services (DHS) to advise the State Coordinator and DHS staff on a variety of matters relating to refugee resettlement, and to advocate for refugee concerns. USCRI Detroit has the following programs:
Reception and Placement Program: USCRI Detroit provides newly-arrived refugees and qualifying Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) holders with the essential services and support they need to begin rebuilding their lives and take steps towards becoming U.S. citizens.
Matching Grant Program: USCRI Detroit’s Match Grant (MG) program provides support to refugees with employment training and job placement. Match Grant Case Managers guide refugees through the job searching process, assist clients to search for employment opportunities, assist with the applications, provide mock interviews, and interpretation services.
Preventative Health Program: USCRI Detroit’s Preventative Health Program with the Michigan Department of Human Services has been able to provide and assist with all health follow-up services for all refugees, regardless of resettlement agency.
Language: Arabic,Chaldean,English
Cultures: Arabic,Iraqi,Multicultural,Refugees or Asylees,Syrian
Street: 13942 Michigan Ave.Upper Level, Suite 1
City/Township: Dearborn
State: MI
Zip Code: 48126
Country: USA
Phone: (313) 581-4420
Fax No: (313) 581-4472
Email: info@uscri-detroit.org
Organization Name: Zion Lutheran Church
Organization Overview: Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church is a member congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Because we identify ourselves as “evangelical,” we’d like to share with you our understanding of what that means to us.
Language: Arabic,English,Spanish
Cultures: All,American,Arabic,Hispanic
Street: 7295 Kruse Road
City/Township: Petersburg
State: MI
Zip Code: 49027
Country: USA
Phone: (734) 856-1090
Email: office@zionpetersburg.org
Website: http://www.zionpetersburg.org/
