Lutheran Children and Family Service

Refugee Resettlement

The LCFS Refugee Resettlement Program is a local affiliate of the national Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, which assists refugees and asylees through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of State. These services are provided to hundreds of refugees each year in the five-county Southeast Pennsylvania area, as well as in Central Pennsylvania at a sub-office in Lancaster. Provided in collaboration with previously arrived relatives, co-sponsoring churches and organizations and individual volunteers, refugee resettlement services are designed to create a smooth transition to life in the local community and to promote economic self-sufficiency. For more information about the Refugee Resettlement Program at LCFS, please contact Janet Panning at 215-747-7500, extension 209, or via email at janetp@lcfsinpa.org.

Who is a Refugee?
What Services are Available to Refugees?
How Can I Get Involved?

Who is a Refugee?

“Refugee” is a legal term given to anyone who is unable or unwilling to return to their home country because of a well-founded fear of persecution, based on their race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or social group. There are currently over 19 million refugees scattered throughout the world.

Once forced to flee their homeland, refugees often gather in refugee camps waiting for an opportunity to return to their homes. Some remain isolated in these camps for months, years, and even generations. Others wander throughout neighboring countries, unable to be granted citizenship or sometimes even basic human rights. Still others are granted legal admission into a country of refuge (such as the ), and gradually rebuild their lives in a new country.

When a refugee family arrives to the area, LCFS is responsible for gathering available resources, finding housing and employment, and providing general cultural orientation. We also encourage and depend upon local churches and civic organizations to become involved in welcoming these newcomers to our community. As we reach out to these vulnerable families, we extend the message of Christ’s love for the stranger, and learn from each other in the process.

What Services are Available to Refugees?

With offices in both Philadelphia and Lancaster, LCFS provides the following assistance to newly-arrived refugees:

Case Processing: Persons who entered the U.S. as a refugee or obtained asylum in this country may be able to apply for their family members, by filing an Affidavit of Relationship (AOR). Nationals of the following countries are currently eligible to apply for family reunification: Afghanistan, Burma, Burundi, Colombia, Congo, Cuba, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Former Soviet Union, Haiti, Hmong Lao, Iran, Iraq, Meskhetian Turks, North Korea, Rwanda, Somalia, Sudan, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam.

Reception and Placement: Ensures that core services such as housing, furniture, clothing and food needs, medical appointments, ESL and school registration, job searches, and cultural orientation are provided for newly-arrived refugees. Previously resettled families are expected to assume responsibility for newly-arriving family members. LCFS seeks congregations and other forms of community support to assist refugees who do not have family here.

Employment Services: Refugees and asylees are generally eligible for either the Matching Grant employment program or the state-funded Refugee Social Services (RSS) employment program. LCFS will assist clients in getting connected to the services that they need to locate and secure a job.

Counseling for Survivors of Torture: LCFS offers services for restoring hope and providing healing for torture survivors, and facilitates access to a broad network of medical and legal assistance.

Immigration Services: LCFS is accredited by the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) to provide a variety of immigration counseling services, including green cards, travel documents, family petitions, and more.

Assistance to Unaccompanied Refugee Minors: LCFS offers traditional foster care and semi-independent living opportunities for foreign-born children who arrive in the Philadelphia region without their parents or legal guardians. Supported by the US Department of Health and Human Services, this program provides age-appropriate placements and support services intended to promote stability, acculturation, academic achievement, and self-sufficiency.

How Can I Get Involved?

There are many ways that you or your church group can assist refugees:

Donate material items such as beds, furniture, house hold items;
Provide transportation, English tutoring, and cultural orientation;
Make a financial donation to our Emergency Housing Fund, which is used to secure affordable housing for families in need.

For larger groups looking for a deeper level of involvement, we encourage you to consider co-sponsoring a refugee family for an approximately four-month long commitment. Co-sponsorship duties include:

Providing financial support for housing;
Selecting and establishing the essentials for their new home.

It is important to emphasize that co-sponsorship is NOT an indefinite commitment. Congregations agree to provide financial support and other forms of assistance for a specific amount of time, generally four months. Since the ultimate goal for all new arrivals is self-sufficiency and successful integration into the community, co-sponsorship must encourage a transition towards independence as quickly as possible. As the refugee family develops into our friends and contributing members of our community, we are all enriched.

Please contact Janet Panning, Program Director, 215-747-7500, extension 209 or via email at janetp@lcfsinpa.org for more information on any of the above programs, or if you would like more information about how can become involved in this ministry.