Who We Are
Since 1917, Lutheran Social Services of the National Capital Area (LSSNCA), a human services and immigration relief and refugee welcome agency, has accompanied those in need throughout Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. to foster resiliency, self-sufficiency, and access to opportunities. We provide services that last beyond the initial arrival for families, youth, children, and individuals rebuilding their lives in the D.C. metro area.
Motivated daily by our belief in the inherent dignity of all, LSSNCA’s innovative participant-informed programs serve refugees, forced migrants, immigrants, children and youth, and underserved communities by filling in the gaps. Piloting initiatives like the area’s first camp for kids impacted by the HIV/AIDS crisis, originating local pro se asylum workshops for Afghan Allies, launching a Resource Center to serve as a community hub for all recently arrived program participants, and offering myriad trauma-informed mental health support services, LSSNCA strives to create thriving communities.
In Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24), LSSNCA served over 4,300 individuals from over 48 countries living across the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area.
From the Newsroom
Read the story of Mya — a former teacher and journalist who fled Myanmar after the 2021 military coup.
News that an Afghan national was charged in the shooting of two National Guardsmen in D.C. is landing especially hard in Northern Virginia, home to one of the country’s largest Afghan communities.
The shooting of two members of the National Guard has prompted the administration to impose new restrictions—and resettlement organizations are reeling.
