Refugees and Asylum-Seekers: How Community-Based Organizations Are Supporting Newcomers

Alishba Shah, Policy and Communications Intern Summer 2024

Finding work and going to school is hard enough as it is; imagine having to do that and so much more while not even understanding or speaking the language everyone else around you uses. That is how many migrants and refugees feel when they first come to America. How are you supposed to start a new life when you can barely communicate? Migrants and refugees need support from their communities and programs to thrive in their new environment.

Over 40,000 migrants ended up in the Chicago area between 2023 and 2024, with almost 10% ending up in the neighborhood of Hyde Park, where I grew up. Many are in need of housing and resources and end up being forced to stay in shelters. It is crucial that we continue to support the many migrants, especially children, who come to our neighborhoods and help them find a place in our many communities.

Growing up, I have always been involved alongside my family in supporting migrants, whether this meant visiting their homes and providing resources, helping out at an afterschool or summer program, or simply supporting their English learning through conversation. Unfortunately, many people don’t understand the severity of the impact of this life change and how hard it is to leave a country that was once their home and learn how to live a new life in an unfamiliar area.

There are many reasons for people to leave their home country to come to a safer country like America, such as war, oppression, natural disasters, and more. However, a lot of the time, refugees and migrants struggle with fitting into the new countries they arrive in and can end up suffering from social isolation and loneliness (Löbel et al., 2022). Migrants and refugees tend to be vulnerable to mental health issues because of their exposure to stressful and life-changing experiences, so many struggle with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), depression, and/or anxiety as well (World Health Organization, 2023). About 77 percent of adult refugees are labeled as LEP (Limited English Proficient) when they arrive in the United States (Forging Opportunities for Refugees in America, 2020), so having access to English Language Learning (ELL) classes is a need. Living in an environment where you don’t understand or speak the language is a challenging situation to be in and many times prevents migrants and refugees from finding jobs, homes, and more. All these challenges make it difficult for refugees and migrants to
live a “normal” life.

Afterschool or summer programs help refugee and migrant children find a community and friends they can connect with. These programs allow them to be around other children who have experienced similar situations and can help prevent possible feelings of social isolation.

The Hyde Park Refugee Project (HPRP), based in Hyde Park on the south side of Chicago, is a program that supports migrants and refugees very well. I have personally worked with them for around four years and believe that what they do there is extremely important. Almost all the staff members are volunteers, and many are equipped to speak multiple languages, such as Spanish,
Farsi, Pashto, and more, so communication with refugees from around the world is possible.

HPRP provides afterschool programs, in-home tutoring, and summer programs for migrant/refugee children. It also supports families in many ways, such as finding and furnishing apartments, finding rental services, providing food assistance, and providing money for moving costs. HPRP also helps get children registered for school, provides them with outside evaluations for learning difficulties, and helps them through the Individualized Education Plan (IEP) process at school if they do have learning difficulties.

HPRP also provides money and opportunities for driving lessons to ensure safe driving in America, especially for women, so they have the opportunity to learn how to drive if they did not in their home country. They provided assistance during the pandemic, allowing families to apply for a small grant if they had a crisis or financial difficulty. They still do this even outside of the pandemic, and families can still come for help with those sorts of problems.

At HPRP, as much as they support children in their native language, they still make sure they converse with the children in English to help them familiarize themselves with it. HPRP prioritizes hands-on activities that also incorporate ELL, STEM learning, art, and reading. However, it is hard for programs such as HPRP to get the proper funding, and many programs need help finding adequate funding for resources.

HPRP has very few grants and struggles to find funding for its large programs, such as its summer camp. Luckily, it has some support and connections to keep up with its programs and has a space to hold them. Although HPRP may still be pushing through, many programs also face this challenge and need more support and funding.

Ultimately, it is important to recognize the hardships that many migrants and refugees have faced on their journeys to new countries and to support the programs in your community that can help them settle into their new environment. Without proper funding, these programs will not have enough resources to stay afloat, and the new migrants and refugees will lack the support they need. So, moving forward, substantial investments should be made to subsidize the communities and programs aiding the many migrants and refugees