Since 1941 Lutheran Social Services of the National Capital Area (LSSNCA) has assisted families and inidviduals forced to flee their homes due to persectution, war or violence. In 2023, we provided refugee and immigrant services to more than 3,000 individuals from more than 46 countries inclduing Cuba, El Salvador, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Eritrea, Haiti, Honduras, and Syria. The largest refugee welcome agency on the East Coast, we also welcomed more than 6,500 Afghan Allies since the fall of Kabul, and more than 215 Ukrainians since conflict struck their country.
Our Refugee and Immigrant Services (RIS) program paves the pathway in the D.C. metro area for resettling families and individuals with wraparound support, including legal, employment, housing, and education services.
From the welcome, our Good Neighbor and Champions program sets up homes and provides an additional sense of community for new families. Our TEA Club (Training for Employment and Adjustment) brings together women to build community and breakdown barriers to the workforce. Youth mentoring in Maryland and Virginia ensure students feel empowered and supported to reach their greatest potential. And case and employment managers assist with navigating state and federal agencies to fulfill eligble program and school enrollment.
Employment and Recertification
Refugees bring significant skills and experiences, however, there is often an underutilization of those skills due to lack of access to fitting employment, certification, and higher education.
Thanks to local business partners, in 2022, our employment services teams in Maryland and Virginia initaited more than 760 job placements, and hosted more more than 163 job/hiring fair opportunities. We also welcomed 95 new partnerships, and grew relationships with employment services partners including Tent Partnership for Refugees, Amazon, Walmart, Target, Gate Gourmet, and Autism Behavior Therapy,.
Our recertification programs help program particpants live into their full potential by provding pathways and support to eligible individuals eager to return to their professional roles with U.S.-compliant certification.
In addition to our employment and recertification programs, we also worked with University of Maryland, Baltimore County School of Social Work, Texas A&M University, and SUNY Empire State University to research refugee access to higher education. Read our findings here, and view our partners' educational presentations on how to navigate accessing higher education on our Access to Higher Education YouTube channel.
The Immigrant Health Care Connection Program (IHCC)
LSSNCA is part of the Immigrant Health Care Connection Program (IHCC). IHCC is open to all Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR)-eligible program participants in Maryland to connect them with any needed language-accessible and culturally-informed healthcare. This includes assisting ORR-eligible individuals up to five (5) years with navigating the healthcare system through any medical or mental health care coordination, providing any individual or client-specific health outreach, identifying available Medicaid-accepting providers and appointment scheduling, and providing assistance with health insurance.
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Wahidullah, AfghanistanWahidullah, a civil engineer by profession and father of four children, arrived in the United States on a Special Immigration Visa (SIV) in 2021. His wife, Mina, is a medical doctor was also luckily evacuated with the family following the fall of Kabul.
Dr. Mina “knew that [her] family [would] be exposed to various stress factors, which may affect their mental health and well-being during their migration journey.” She “was very concerned. We already had enough of the exposure living in challenging and life-threatening conditions in Afghanistan. Separation from family members and the support networks was never easy. We knew that other challenges such as unemployment, resettlement difficulties, cultural adjustment, challenges with obtaining entitlements, changing policies in the host countries and social isolation [would] also add to our problems.”
LSSNCA was able to make their journey a bit smoother and easier. In addition to providing immediate health services, clothing and home essentials, and after providing the initial three months of Reception and Placement (R&P) support, “the next challenge,” Wahidullah noted was “finding a suitable job and paying the monthly bills.” He “received tremendous support from the employment team. My employment specialist provided me and my spouse with all the tools needed to find a job.” His employment specialist also suggested looking into engineering training, and Wahidullah applied for and completed a certificate in concrete with financial assistance from LSSNCA. He was then able to apply for and secure a job with the Engineering Consulting Service (ECS) as a quality control inspector. “Pursuing the certification was a turning point to my employment in the U.S.”
