Hias And Council Migration Service Of Philadelphia Inc

HIAS PENNSLYVANIA SUPPORTS LOW-INCOME IMMIGRANTS OF ALL BACKGROUNDS AS THEY BUILD THEIR NEW LIVES IN OUR COMMUNITY. THROUGH IMMIGRATION LEGAL SERVICES AND AN ARRAY OF SOCIAL SERVICES, WE WORK TO ADDRESS THEIR NEEDS, DEFEND THEIR RIGHTS, AND ADVOCATE FOR THEIR EQUITABLE INCLUSION IN AMERICAN SOCIETY.

IMMIGRATION LEGAL SERVICES - DURING FY2021 WE CONTINUED TO PROVIDE IMMIGRATION LEGAL SERVICES TO LOW INCOME IMMIGRANTS REMOTELY. WE MASTERED THE ABILITY TO WORK WITH CLIENTS TO ASSIST THEM IN PROVIDING US ELECTRONIC VERSIONS OF THE DOCUMENTATION THAT WE NEEDED IN ORDER TO COMPLETE THEIR PETITIONS FOR BENEFITS. WE CONTINUED TO OBTAIN SIGNATURES FROM CLIENTS IN PARKING LOTS AND OTHER OUTDOOR AREAS TO ENSURE BOTH CLIENT AND STAFF SAFETY. WE WERE ABLE TO SERVE 2,063 NEW CLIENTS IN THIS DIVISION DURING THE FISCAL YEAR WHICH IS QUITE AN ACCOMPLISHMENT CONSIDERING THE DIFFICULTIES OF REMOTE REPRESENTATION AS WELL AS ONGOING CHALLENGES REGARDING INTERACTIONSWITH FEDERAL IMMIGRATION AGENCIES WHOSE PANDEMIC ADJUSTMENTS OFTEN CAUSED DELAYS AS WELL AS CONFUSING PROTOCOLS REGARDING HEARINGS.

OUR REFUGEE RESETTLEMENT PROGRAM WAS ONLY ABLE TO RESETTLE 61 REFUGEES THIS YEAR - A RECORD LOW NUMBER THAT WAS DIRECTLY DUE TO THE RESTRICTIVE GOVERNMENT POLICIES, REDUCTION IN FUNDING OVERSEAS PERPETRATED BY THE PRIOR ADMINISTRATION AND THE PANDEMIC WHICH PREVENTED MANY REFUGEES FROM BEING ABLE TO TRAVEL TO BE RESETTLED. DESPITE THIS, OUR REFUGEE PROGRAM STAFF AS WELL AS OUR OTHER REFUGEE SOCIAL SERVICES STAFF ACCOMPLISHED A GREAT DEAL THIS YEAR WITH THE REFUGEES THAT WE HAD RESETTLED FROM PRIOR YEARS. ULTIMATELY WE WERE ABLE TO PROVIDE SOCIAL SERVICES TO MORE THAN A THOUSAND NEW CLIENTS. FURTHERMORE, WE CREATED A NUMBER OF ADDITIONAL VOLUNTEER POSITIONS TO HELP OUR CLIENTS NAVIGATE THE REMOTE WORLD THAT WE WERE ALL PLUNGED INTO WHEN THE PANDEMIC HIT. WE SOUGHT AND RECEIVED FUNDING TO DISTRIBUTE CHROMEBOOKS TO ALL OF OUR NEWCOMERS AND MANY OF OUR IMMIGRATION LEGAL CLIENTS AS WELL. WE ALSO WERE ABLE TO PROVIDE DIGITAL LITERACY LESSONS TO ALL OF OUR CLIENTS WHO RECEIVED THOSE CHROMEBOOKS. WE ALSO WORKED WITH OUR CLIENTS TO ASSIST THEM IN OBTAINING WI-FI AND TO TEACH THEM WHERE AND HOW TO FIND RESOURCES AS MANY HAD LOST JOBS IN IN THE PANDEMIC. WE WERE ABLE TO SUCCESSFULLY MOVE OUR ESL CLASSES AND OUR HEALTH AND WELLNESS SESSIONS ON LINE AND WE CARRIED ON WITH OUR YOUTH MENTORING PROGRAM, ALTHOUGH DOING SO VIRTUALLY AND BY PHONE RATHER THAN IN PERSON, PROVIDING A LIFELINE TO OUR REFUGEE TEENAGE CHILDREN WERE STRUGGLING, AS ALL OF THEIR PEERS WERE, WITH ON-LINE SCHOOL AND ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION.

OUR NATURALIZATION PROGRAM, AS OUR OTHER PROGRAMS, CONTINUED TO ACCOMPLISH A GREAT DEAL EVEN WHILE REPRESENTING PEOPLE REMOTELY. WE WERE ABLE TO PROVIDE REMOTE ESL AND CIVICS TESTING, TEACHING, TUTORING AS WELL AS REPRESENTATION. WE WERE ABLE TO RE-START OUR PRO BONO NATURALIZATION CLINICS - SOMETHING THAT HAD BEEN SHUT DOWN WITH ALL OF THE REST OF THE WORLD IN 2020. WE SERVED MORE THAN 200 NEW NATURALIZATION CLIENTS THIS FISCAL YEAR IN ADDITION TO CONTINUING TO REPRESENT HUNDREDS OF CLIENTS WHOSE NATURALIZATION CASES HAD STARTED IN PRIOR YEARS.

ASYLEE PROJECT - PROVIDES INFORMATION, REFERRAL AND LIMITED CASE MANAGEMENT TO ASYLEES IN PENNSLYVANIA. IN ADDITION, THE PROJECT DEVELOPS AND DISSEMINATES TRAINING MATERIALS TO PROFESSIONALS, SERVICE PROVIDERS AND ASYLEES. SEE ATTACHED DETAILS OF SERVICE ACCOMPLISHMENTS.