FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Lutheran Social Services of the National Capital Area (LSSNCA)
Selected to Launch Case Management Pilot Program (CMPP)
Washington, D.C. (December 21, 2023) - Lutheran Social Services of the National Capital Area (LSSNCA) is honored to announce its selection as a recipient of the Case Management Pilot Program (CMPP) by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties. This federally funded initiative is designed to provide voluntary, trauma-informed, and culturally competent case management, along with related services, to asylum-seekers and others in need of humanitarian relief participating in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Alternatives to Detention (ATD) programs.
"Asylum-seekers are among the most vulnerable of those who are forcibly displaced as they arrive without access to federally funded benefits or a legal status,” said Kristyn Peck, LSSNCA CEO. “We are honored to have been selected as one of five organizations to implement this pilot which aims to demonstrate that human-centered and trauma-informed case management is a cost-effective and humane alternative to detention, and leads to better outcomes,” she said.
LSSNCA will collaborate with a consortium of 10 community organizations to offer essential services to 650 eligible individuals in and around the D.C. metro area over the next year-and-a-half. This collective effort, forged through robust partnerships with AMMPARO Migrant Children, Arlington Free Clinic, Ayuda, CARECEN, CASA, District of Columbia’s Office of Migrant Services, Inova, Mary’s Center, Neighborhood Health, and Crowell & Moring LLP, reflects our shared commitment to addressing crucial gaps in community-based support for those seeking asylum and other forms of immigration relief.
Eligible participants will benefit from the decades of experience these partners bring in the immigration, refugee, and asylum space with a continuum of care including mental health services, legal orientation programs, trafficking screening, and connections to social services.
LSSNCA and our partners look forward to helping pave the way for wrapround trauma-informed care that is accessible to all those on their immigration journey, regardless of status.
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About Lutheran Social Services of the National Capital Area (LSSNCA): Since 1917, Lutheran Social Services of the National Capital Area (LSSNCA) has accompanied those in need throughout Maryland, Virginia, and the Washington D.C. metro area to foster resiliency, self-sufficiency, and access to opportunities by creating, connecting with, and engaging welcoming communities. In 2022, LSSNCA provided services to more than 6,500 individuals from more than 48 countries.
Motivated daily by the 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 backing an array of ongoing mental health support services, alongside community partners, LSSNCA strives to create an inclusive community of well-being where people thrive.
Media Contact:
Jennifer Friedel / friedelj@lssnca.org
