Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service
All migrants and refugees are protected, embraced and empowered in a world of just and welcoming communities.
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Refugee and Migrant Services
To people who have been forced to leave their homelands to start new lives in the United States, LIRS promises lasting support. Our work touches the lives of immigrants and refugees from arrival through employment in a meaningful career. Every moment on the journey is part of what we call “the long welcome.” Since 1939, that is what we do.
RECEPTION AND PLACEMENT
In partnership with the Department of State’s Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration (PRM), LIRS is one of nine national agencies authorized to resettle newly arriving refugees to the United States. As one of the oldest and largest agencies, our national network consists of local nonprofits across the country working to help refugees secure homes, work, and essential community resources.
PREFERRED COMMUNITIES PROGRAM
The Preferred Communities Intensive Case Management program is a client-centered program that empowers the most vulnerable to achieve their highest degree of independence through education, individualized/trauma-informed case management, and holistic community integration support. Funded by the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), this program serves our most vulnerable refugee and other ORR-eligible populations by providing critical interventions for clients within their first five years after arrival.
MATCHING GRANT PROGRAM
LIRS provides employment and case management services to refugees, asylees, and other immigrants with the goal of economic self-sufficiency through employment within six months of enrollment.
NEW AMERICAN PATHWAYS & REFUGEE CAREER PATHWAYS
In partnership with corporate foundations and private donors, LIRS’ New American Pathways program provides career upskilling and advancement to refugees and other immigrants around the country, allowing them to move from “survival” jobs into meaningful careers. Through Refugee Career Pathways, LIRS assists refugees in the advancement of their educational and career goals through activities like career counseling, mentorship, and internships.
ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE
LIRS holds a contract with the ORR Technical Assistance provider, Switchboard, to provide training and expertise around refugee employment and economic empowerment. LIRS publishes resources, conducts webinars, and creates blog posts and podcasts to support local resettlement providers.
BORDER SERVICES
LIRS coordinates services for asylum seekers at the southern border, departing immigration detention, and at their final destinations, including the provision of necessities such as food, clothing, and hygiene supplies, medical triage and basic care, Know Your Rights counseling, emergency housing, and case management services.
DETENTION VISITATION
LIRS works with a network of organizations and congregations that provide support to migrants in detention through visitation and letter-writing.
Children and Family Services
At LIRS, we believe compassion is the best policy. Our programs for vulnerable children emphasize safety and trauma-centered care. Our depth of experience and expertise have made us a trusted partner of the U.S. government, and we are honored to play a leading role in uniting unaccompanied immigrant children with their families.
SAFE RELEASE SUPPORT
Safe Release Support staff are dedicated to the protection of migrant children. They start with background checks of potential guardians. From there, they work with guardians to identify their needs and connect them with necessary services, such as pro bono legal counsel, English language classes, job training, and health care.
TRANSITIONAL FOSTER CARE (TFC)
Transitional Foster Care (TFC) nurtures particularly vulnerable children who will be united with their families. All children in the program — including minors under the age of 12, pregnant or parenting youth, young people with disabilities, and sibling groups — receive one-on-one assessment and counseling, holistic support ranging from education to legal services to health care, and access to religious services.
LONG TERM FOSTER CARE (LTFC)
For unaccompanied children who have no identified caregiver and who are eligible for legal immigration protections, LIRS provides Long Term Foster Care (LTFC). These children stay in the program until their immigration case is resolved. Then they typically transition into the Unaccompanied Refugee Minors program.
UNACCOMPANIED REFUGEE MINORS (URM)
In the name of protection and empowerment, LIRS places unaccompanied refugee minors (URM) from all over the world in foster care, group homes, and semi-independent living settings. We also work with affiliates who provide services to support the acculturation and integration of children into communities all over the country. LIRS gives URM, most of whom enter the program between the ages of 15 and 17, the option of receiving the support of a foster family or working toward independence in a group-home setting.
HOME STUDY AND POST-RELEASE SERVICES PROGRAM
For particularly vulnerable unaccompanied children, LIRS offers community-based case management services. Our Home Study and Post-Release Services program includes connecting families to community resources and empowering families with the resources and knowledge they need to make informed decisions about schooling, legal representation, health care, and recreational and religious services.
Where we work
Accreditations
Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance 2011
External reviews

Videos
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
Basic human needs—developing sustainable approaches for migrants and refugees to access food, health, housing and jobs
Protection and justice—ensuring that policies and programs are just and protective of migrants and refugees who face the greatest risks, and that human rights are advanced through providing legal services, advocating for legal reform and pursuing systems change
Children and families—providing care and protection, promoting family unity, strengthening international families
Integration—building welcoming and inclusive communities that reach out to those at risk
Leadership and influence—acting and speaking with courage and integrity, building capacity and supporting the leadership of others
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Long-term integration--The initial welcome of migrants and refugees is essential, but our decades of experience indicates that the “long welcome” of newcomers over time is necessary to attain and sustain mutual integration.
Social Capital of Communities--LIRS is committed to ensuring that the human side of our mission--social engagement--is bolstered as connections are forged.
Robust National Network--By working through our network partners across the US, LIRS seeks to improve not just the quality of services migrants and refugees receive, but also the communities they join. This includes everything from work and education, to changing the national discourse around immigration.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
LIRS has welcomed more than 500,000 refugees to the United States through the initiative of Lutheran congregations that inspired our formation in 1939, and Lutheran and other churches remain our vital partners as we continue to welcome newcomers. Informed by our faith and decades of experience with migrants and refugees, we have responded to people caught in conflict and facing persecution. We have developed new service programs, birthed new service organizations, and influenced public policy in the best interests of those we serve. Our areas of expertise include children's services, community integration, refugee resettlement, and access to justice.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
In 2013, LIRS accomplished the following:
- 9,746 refugees fleeing persecution were welcomed into US communities
- 1,160 vulnerable children were connected to support services and placed into safe, loving environments
- 16,743 adults were provided support services to enable children to be reunited with their families safely and quickly
- 248 detained survivors of torture took their first steps to safety and freedom by connecting with a lawyer
- 3,212 refugees were connected to services and resources that will enhance their opportunities to make a living in the US
- 14,631 refugees were provided interest-free loans and financial counseling as they worked toward establishing good credit and financial stability
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service
Board of directorsas of 4/25/2022
Ms. Elizabeth Wagner
Senior Vice President and Director, Institutional Wealth Management, Bryn Mawr Trust Company (Princeton, NJ)
Term: 2018 - 2023
Mr. Eddie Resende
Co-CEO, World Trade Center Institute (Baltimore, MD)
Term: 2018 - 2023
Matuor Alier
Director for Equity and Inclusion-Moorhead Area Public Schools
Faith Ashton
Retired
Diane Batchik
Independent Advisor, Diane Batchik Consulting
Selena Besirevic
Attorney, Feldmann Nagel, LLC
Jan Engkasser
Director, Member Engagement Strategies Thrivent Financial
Paul Erickson
Bishop, Greater Milwaukee Synod
Viji George
President, retired, Concordia Bronxville
Ted Goins, Jr.
President & CEO, Lutheran Services Carolinas
Yared Halche
Facilitator for Mission Engagement, Southeastern District LCMS
Virginia Hultquist
Retired, Thrivent Financial
Randall Johnson
Attorney, Seyfarth Shaw LLC
John Moeller, Jr.
President & CEO, Inspiritus
Bryn Parchman
President & CEO, Port Discovery Museum
Carlos Pena
President, Kleen Supply Company
Diana Pohle
Jazz Pharmaceuticals
Dustin Plantholt
OptiMed Health Plans
Evelyn Soto
Director, Unit Operations & Programs Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Michele Speaks
Co-Chair, Warnock Foundation
Dennis Wieckert
Retired
Kristine Suna-Koro
Xavier University
Kristine Suna-Koro
Xavier University
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? No -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? No -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? No -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? No -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? No
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? GuideStar partnered on this section with CHANGE Philanthropy and Equity in the Center.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
No data
Gender identity
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data