Asha's Refuge

Goal #1: Fundraising - Develop an effective strategy to fully fund the budget of Asha’s Refuge for current and future community needs.

Objective #1: Have our fundraising developer build and cultivate relationships with community partners, foundations, and businesses that are receptive to the cause.

Objective #2: Apply for appropriate grants to ensure consistent funding.

Goal #2: Community Engagement - Continue to engage other refugee and asylee communities locally and abroad

Objective #1: In cooperation with the community relations team and interpreters locate and build relationships with newcomers.

Objective #2: Assess the needs of these communities and develop strategies to meet identified needs as appropriate.

Objective #3: Build international relationships to network and learn from displaced individuals.

Objective #4: Work with the Me for You team in Kigali, Rwanda to prepare refugees to build self-reliance and teaching them valuable American life skills.

Goal #4: Stakeholders – Connect with government, corporate, churches, and nonprofits.

Objective #1: Raise awareness of the positive contributions of immigrants to our society.

Objective #2: Educate the population about various types of legal immigrant status.

Objective #3: Partner with businesses to place immigrants for jobs and ensure understanding of proper documentation

Objective #4: Activate the churches to welcome, serve, and speak up for the foreigner in our community

Goal #5: Cultural Awareness - Foster sensitivity to cultural and language differences.

Objective #1: Teach immigrants about American culture and expectations.

Objective #2: Teach citizens about cultural differences among immigrants.

Objective #3: Provide opportunities for cross-cultural experiences.

Goal #6: Education – Provide tools for a more successful resettlement

Objective #1: Empower and train our volunteers and partners to lead certain life skills classes based on availability of clients

Objective #2: Establish curriculum and plans

Objective #3: Involve stakeholders

Goal #7: Mental Health – provide care and awareness regarding the importance of talking about difficult life experiences.

Objective #1: Partner with mental health professionals

Objective #2: Simplify access to care

Objective #3: encourage immigrant community to seek help

Objective #4: Implement our Talk Time program to provide a safe place for clients to share.

Objective #5: Use our training from the Trauma Healing Institute to provide specialized trauma healing sessions for clients, volunteers, and supporters.

Goal #8: Spiritual Health - create an atmosphere that integrates all aspects of health: physical, emotional, mental, and social.

Objective #1: Engage believers through intentional volunteer opportunities

Objective #2: Challenge the Church to be involved thru local missions

Objective #3: Bring more Pastors on board to minister to the needs of the clients

Goal #1: Fundraising - Develop an effective strategy to fully fund the budget of Asha’s Refuge for current and future community needs.

Objective #1: Have our fundraising developer build and cultivate relationships with community partners, foundations, and businesses that are receptive to the cause.

Objective #2: Apply for appropriate grants to ensure consistent funding.

Goal #2: Community Engagement - Continue to engage other refugee and asylee communities locally and abroad

Objective #1: In cooperation with the community relations team and interpreters locate and build relationships with newcomers.

Objective #2: Assess the needs of these communities and develop strategies to meet identified needs as appropriate.

Objective #3: Build international relationships to network and learn from displaced individuals.

Objective #4: Work with the Me for You team in Kigali, Rwanda to prepare refugees to build self-reliance and teaching them valuable American life skills.

Goal #4: Stakeholders – Connect with government, corporate, churches, and nonprofits.

Objective #1: Raise awareness of the positive contributions of immigrants to our society.

Objective #2: Educate the population about various types of legal immigrant status.

Objective #3: Partner with businesses to place immigrants for jobs and ensure understanding of proper documentation

Objective #4: Activate the churches to welcome, serve, and speak up for the foreigner in our community

Goal #5: Cultural Awareness - Foster sensitivity to cultural and language differences.

Objective #1: Teach immigrants about American culture and expectations.

Objective #2: Teach citizens about cultural differences among immigrants.

Objective #3: Provide opportunities for cross-cultural experiences.

Goal #6: Education – Provide tools for a more successful resettlement

Objective #1: Empower and train our volunteers and partners to lead certain life skills classes based on availability of clients

Objective #2: Establish curriculum and plans

Objective #3: Involve stakeholders

Goal #7: Mental Health – provide care and awareness regarding the importance of talking about difficult life experiences.

Objective #1: Partner with mental health professionals

Objective #2: Simplify access to care

Objective #3: encourage immigrant community to seek help

Objective #4: Implement our Talk Time program to provide a safe place for clients to share.

Objective #5: Use our training from the Trauma Healing Institute to provide specialized trauma healing sessions for clients, volunteers, and supporters.

Goal #8: Spiritual Health - create an atmosphere that integrates all aspects of health: physical, emotional, mental, and social.

Objective #1: Engage believers through intentional volunteer opportunities

Objective #2: Challenge the Church to be involved thru local missions

Objective #3: Bring more Pastors on board to minister to the needs of the clients

Objective #4: Use each enc

STRENGTHS
• An established relationship with the refugee community built over more than 10 years
• The beauty of the Body of Christ coming together from various churches to serve refugees in the love of Christ.
• Work with volunteers who serve faithfully in a variety of ways, and are flexible and willing to do whatever it takes to show the love of Jesus.
• Knowledge of resources available through other nonprofits and government agencies.
• The generosity of churches in providing free space for classrooms, offices, and buses.
• We provide a continual mission opportunity in our community for believers.
The ability to offer a variety of education opportunities for clients.
• We have well organized office procedures, space and staff.
• We have immigration and family services departments available to meet client needs.
• Strong committed leadership and professional financial controls.

• Client need for basic life skills, job skills, and English tutoring
• New arriving refugees/asylees will need the services of Asha’s Refuge.
• Engage more churches in our community
• Engage with local employers
• Unlimited opportunities to share the gospel with internationals in our own community and worldwide.
• Increase our ability to support clients with mental and emotional well-being
• Strengthen the collaboration efforts between agencies

We made quite a few changes over the past few years regarding our funding and organizational structure. We were able to continue keeping expenses low while strengthening our programs and services, something we were only able to accomplish by the hard work of our extraordinary team and hiring the right people to do this work. However, we continue to seek additional resources and support to ensure our work is sustainable over the long term.

Looking ahead, we know that positive changes for the refugee and asylee community will only come when those affected by the issues are centered in the solutions. We are committed to grassroots advocacy, with a renewed focus on building partnerships within our community of professionals to help us break down the myths that surround refugee and asylee immigrants which unnecessarily keep them in oppressive situations longer. Our volunteer programs invite individual citizens, organizations, churches and businesses to be an integral part of the Asha's Refuge family and amplify our shared voice to welcome the sojourner among us. We extend that invitation wholeheartedly to you as well.

The majority of our client visits need assistance with immigration processing for permanent residency, family reunification or US Citizenship. Our partnerships with the legal coalition of Welcome South, our interpreters, volunteers, office staff and Civil Surgeons, Dr. Joseph Weems and Dr. Austin Dalgo, help us to make this possible for clients. Refugees and Asylees are approved immigrants that have been given a pathway to US Citizenship, but they must follow many steps such as taking classes, completing medical screenings, attending USCIS interviews, biometrics, family background screenings and submitting a series of complex legal forms. Asha's Refuge works hard to ensure our clients stay on schedule and are informed. Clients additionally came in for job search help, healthcare assistance, housing needs, educational pathways, mentoring, tutoring and accessing childcare. A number of our clients sought help with getting educational supplies, food, clothing, toiletries, and rent or utilities assistance while constantly working to improve their education and job skills.