5 Great Groups Providing Resources To Immigrants And Refugees

Every day around the world, people leave their native countries in order to escape issues such as violence, poverty, and discrimination. Unfortunately, many affluent countries have strict legislation that prevents people from entering and establishing lives for themselves. This list, presented in no particular order, shares several organizations working to assist refugees and immigrants with on-the-ground support, resources, education, and more.

First up, at #1, we have CAPI USA, a nonprofit that helps refugees, immigrants, and low-income communities gain access to jobs, housing, food, healthcare, education, and senior social services in order to promote economic independence, self-determination, and social equality.

Based in Minnesota, the organization runs a program called Home Stretch. This workshop is an 8-hour class that walks participants through all of the steps of purchasing a home, ideally leaving them with a better understanding of how the process works. CAPI also offers more general financial education and literacy courses.

Coming in at #2, we have Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto. This California nonprofit offers legal advice with the goal of improving the lives of low-income families throughout the region. It specializes in immigration, housing, workers' rights, records clearance, and consumer protection.

The organization's team of attorneys, paralegals, and social workers trains community members to navigate the legal system and exercise their rights. It works towards its mission through education, individual legal representation, direct assistance to community groups, policy advocacy, and impact litigation.

Next up, at #3, we present the Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit, based in the eponymous UK city. It exists to advise, support, represent, and campaign with people subject to immigration control and works to ensure access to justice for survivors of torture, trafficking, human rights abuse, and conflict.

In pursuit of its mission, the group provides individual advice and legal representation as well as support for particular groups of people affected by immigration control, including unaccompanied children and women who have been subject to gender-based violence. It also hosts trainings and workshops to promote and raise awareness of these issues.

The #4 entry is The New York Immigration Coalition. This organization was established in 1987 and works to address, in addition to immigration issues, the cross-cutting concerns affecting immigrants and non-immigrants alike, such as access to health care and quality public education.

The coalition's work on these issues aims to specifically address the needs of New York's low-income immigrant communities, including those most newly arrived and with limited English proficiency. Its Education Collaborative convenes grassroots organizations, advocates, and practitioners to identify challenges immigrant youth and families face in schools.

Rounding out our list at #5 is OneAmerica, the largest immigrant and refugee advocacy organization in Washington State. It organizes and advocates for diverse communities, including Latinx, African, and Asian. The organization was founded after September 11, 2001, to address the backlash, hate crimes, and discrimination against immigrant communities of color, primarily Muslims, Arab Americans, East Africans, and South Asians.

OneAmerica aims to play a leading role in state and national coalitions working on immigrant rights, education, economic and environmental justice, and voting rights. Its Washington New Americans Program connects immigrants and refugees in the state to the information and legal services needed to successfully naturalize and exercise their civic voice.