@kristynpeck
CEO, Lutheran Social Services of the National Capital Area (https://lssnca.org), which has served the greater D.C. metro area since 1917, inspired by our commitment to love our neighbor, to welcome the stranger, and to see the dignity in every human being.
Hasib benefited from this program himself after serving with the U.S. military as an interpreter and now helps new neighbors find employment and restart their lives in his role at LSSNCA.
I’m honored to work alongside Hasib Satary who leads Lutheran Social Services of the National Capital Area’s Virginia employment programs. Hasib tells @gracesegers.bsky.social about the “despair” many Afghan Allies find themselves in w/o the support of the U.S. Refugee Admissions program.
“The admin’s devastating decision to strip vital legal services away from unaccompanied children runs counter to its stated desire to protect kids, some as young as toddlers, against trafficking, exploitation, & other abuses.”
Our statement: supportkind.org/press-releas...
Contact your representative and demand the resumption of USRAP. globalrefuge.quorum.us/campaign/107...
Donate to support newly arrived refugees with housing, job training, and essentials. lssnca.org/donate/
#RefugeesWelcome
Join us on this 45th anniversary of The Refugee Act in contacting your elected officials to share why you support the work of welcome and believe USRAP should continue its life-saving work and that any efforts to further restrict access create harm.
This leaves refugees around the globe in unsafe and uncertain situations, prolongs family separations, and leaves recently resettled refugees without a safety net.
Now, USRAP, which had been supported and upheld as a shining example of democracy by Democratic and Republican Administrations alike, is at risk, with the U.S. State Department’s termination of cooperative agreements and funds to nonprofits for services rendered frozen.
Lutherans, and other communities of faith, were natural partners of the U.S. government, as they had been welcoming immigrants arriving to Ellis Island, seeking religious freedom for years.
Organizations like Lutheran Social Services of the National Capital Area (LSSNCA) have partnered with the U.S. government since 1980, when The Refugee Act was signed by President Jimmy Carter, to provide services to support refugees arriving through USRAP with their transition to new communities.
The U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) has traditionally provided a lifeline for these individuals, but the need is so great- the United Nations Refugee Agency estimates that there are 43 million refugees around the globe - that only 1% of refugees are resettled a year.
They often depend on rations of rice and beans, their children educated by non profits with limited resources, and their worlds restricted to the boundaries of the camp.
🧵Over my career, I’ve visited many refugee camps, where people live in limbo for years, some, for generations, trapped between survival and hope. For many, returning home is a death sentence, but the country they’re in doesn’t allow them to live or work.
This leaves refugees around the globe in unsafe and uncertain situations, prolongs family separations, and leaves recently resettled refugees without a safety net.
Now, USRAP, which had been supported and upheld as a shining example of democracy by Democratic and Republican Administrations alike, is at risk, with the U.S. State Department’s termination of cooperative agreements and funds to nonprofits for services rendered frozen.
Lutherans, and other communities of faith, were natural partners of the U.S. government, as they had been welcoming immigrants arriving to Ellis Island, seeking religious freedom for years.
Organizations like Lutheran Social Services of the National Capital Area (LSSNCA) have partnered with the U.S. government since 1980, when The Refugee Act was signed by President Jimmy Carter, to provide services to support refugees arriving through USRAP with their transition.
They rely on basic rations, limited education, and the confines of the camp. The U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) has traditionally provided a lifeline for these individuals, but the need is so great that only 1% of refugees are resettled a year.
St. Louis knows thriving communities need to welcome refugees.
See Lydia DePillis’s piece in the Sunday New York Times👇
ICYMI @teoarmus.bsky.social reported on the impact of funding freezes on refugees. “Peck said the organization’s clients, including Afghans who fought alongside U.S. soldiers, are receiving eviction notices at properties around the region because LSSNCA has been unable to offer its rent assistance.”
Our latest edition of State of Welcome is out. We provide a weekly summary of executive actions and orders, legislation, and lawsuits impacting the work of welcome. Read more here: bit.ly/3F7q4qn
As I told @jenniferludden.bsky.social at NPR, the 369 refugees LSSNCA welcomed in the 3 months preceding the January stop work order are at risk for homelessness, food insecurity, & joblessness if frozen funds aren’t released. Our community is welcoming. Sign up to be a part of it: bit.ly/3DnnlbA
Hopeful the administration complies swiftly so LSSNCA can continue life-saving work. Human toll of stop work order & funding freezes: 369 individuals welcomed to the DMV now without services & 65 dedicated staff laid off. Yet, we see goodness—volunteers and support. Join our movement: bit.ly/3DnnlbA