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 2025 (FY25), LSSNCA served nearly 5,500 individuals from over 20 countries living across the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area.
From the Newsroom
LSSNCA remains deeply concerned about the looming expiration of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for nearly 170,000 Salvadorans. For decades, TPS has provided safety and stability to people who cannot safely return to their countries because of conflict, natural disasters, or other extraordinary conditions. Salvadoran TPS holders have built lives in the United States, raised families, contributed to their communities and workplaces, and made this country their home.
LSSNCA is deeply concerned by reports that immigration judges have been instructed to sharply limit continuances in removal proceedings, including for vulnerable children and survivors of violence who may be waiting for protections from abuse, serious crimes, or human trafficking.
LSSNCA urges the federal government to protect due process for refugees by preserving meaningful notice before terminating refugee status.
