Lives Behind the Headlines

Recent Happenings at Asha’s Refuge

HELP US RESTORE HOPE IN LIVES

I want to take a moment to fill you in on what we at Asha’s Refuge are dealing with after each new Federal funding mandate is announced. As you know, we provide service to lawfully present vulnerable people who fled to refugee camp areas worldwide and were approved to come to the United States to start their lives over.  We also provide services to individuals approved in our American court system as an asylee or humanitarian parole.  A “lawfully present” migrant is a non-citizen allowed to live in the United States.  

Since the first hint of the shutdown was announced publicly on Friday, January 24th, 2025, our office has been inundated with frantic calls from confused and scared clients who do not know how to deal with the barrage of the news coming at them.  We cannot deal with this level of calls, and we need your help to avoid confusion. We desperately need to increase our legal, trauma-related, and procedural outreach at this crucial time.  You can join us to help.  A vast amount of information is available, and our concern is that individuals may choose the “easy way out,” which could become a permanent option.

Give Link -> https://ashasrefuge.kindful/com/

JOIN US TO RESTORE HOPE, CONFIDENCE, AND DIGITY TO OUR COMMUNITY OF DISPLACED INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE IN DANGER OF FALLING THROUGH THE CRACKS AND, THUS, MISSING OUT ON VITAL SERVICES THAT THEY ARE RIGHTFULLY ENTITLED TO AS LEGAL MEMBERS OF OUR COMMUNITY. 

I. Asha’s Refuge cannot provide essential services to these individuals without sufficient funding.

–>$50 helps provide an individual with tutoring, transportation, interpretation, and advocacy to the doctor, a job interview, or the store
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–>$100 helps provide individuals with school or class fees, ESL, Cultural Orientation, Financial Literacy, or Basic Computer Skills
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–>$500 helps provide employment services and assistance for an individual while waiting to secure a job and initial paychecks
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–>$1,500 provides emergency rent and utility assistance for a month 
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–>$2,000 helps provide for programs and services such as computer classes or immigration services needs for clients for a month
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–>$3,500 covers our organization’s building space, wifi/internet, phones, and office supplies (paper) for one month so that we can hold educational classes and serve clients efficiently in the office

Change a life by becoming a monthly donor. Your donation will allow us to budget for programs and services vital to clients in need. You can set up your recurring donation through the link below.

Consider making a one-time or quarterly contribution to impact a life today.

Does the company you work with have a “match grant” or “grant” program?  Have you ever considered making a matching gift contribution to inspire others to give? Let us know at jamie@ashasrefuge.org. You could help double our impact by donating a matching gift of up to a certain amount.

(Click Here to Let Us Know You are Interested in Volunteering.)

II. Voluntarily serve with us.  Here are some ways you could serve:

Professionals

Help us train our newcomers; let us know what profession you are in or what talents and skills you may have that will help our newcomer clients (attorneys, doctors, nurses, counselors, social workers, teachers, employment specialists, artists, auto maintenance/repair mechanics, office, accounting, data collection and reporting, etc.).

Areas where we need help

Education

  • Interpretation/Translation
    • Spanish, Swahili, Kinyarwanda, Arabic, French, Dari/Farsi, Pashto, and other languages
    • Lead Teacher and Assistant Teachers Needed
      • English, ESL (need TESOL degreed individuals if lead teaching)
  • Reading, handwriting, conversational English mainly focused on adult current life needs
  • One-to-one tutoring, English conversation, handwriting, reading, and Math skills
  • Basic Computer Skills
    • Using a computer mouse, navigating keyboard basics
    • Getting familiar with the Internet for Education, Job, and Resource Searching
    • Learning how to set up and use an email
    • Attaching documents and replying to emails
    • Taking readable and clear document photos with phone and then sending them via email
    • Responding to emails professionally
  • Financial Literacy and Math Skills
    • basic and high school-level math
    • learning to count U.S. money
    • understanding banking, banking fees
    • budgeting and accounting for personal finances
    • understanding credit, consistent monthly payments, dealing with creditors
    • understanding the basics of interest
    • saving funds and budgeting for a large purchase such as a car
    • basics of how taxes work from employment checks
    • understanding common payroll deductions, insurance, Social Security, Federal and State Taxes, 401K
  • Employment Coaching: Help with resumes, locating jobs, dressing for success; connecting to employers, arranging transportation
  • Young Adult and High School
    • mentor young adults through college enrollment
    • teaching/tutoring high school subject tutoring
  • Drivers Education
    • Driver handbook Classes to prepare for written driver’s test
    • Getting to know the Car
    • Drivers Safety, child safety, car seats, seat-belts
    • Basic Car Maintenance
    • Understanding Auto Insurance, Purchasing Auto Insurance
    • Understanding Licensure, Tags, and Registration Processes and Laws
  • Cultural Orientation and Basic Life Skills
    • Common U.S. Laws and Rules (age for drinking and smoking laws/rules; ages for driving, ages for relationships, domestic violence, neglect of children/childcare laws and rules, etc.)
    • Getting to know the community (library, grocery and clothing stores, parks and recreations, suburbs of Memphis, general surrounding cities and states, government agencies such as DMV, Post office, etc.)
    • Weather: Tornados, 4 seasons
    • School procedures, communication with teachers, tutoring, and laws for all children in school
    • Employment system basics, being on time to work
    • Understanding personal U.S. documentation refugee/asylee status rights and pathways to U.S. permanent residency then U.S. Naturalization
    • Social norms for building relationships, politeness, respect, dealing with conflict
    • Good apartment living habits
    • Common social rules and laws about littering and trash pickup, volunteering, community service
    • Going to the doctor versus the hospital emergency room
    • Understanding Memphis transportation system: bus, taxi, Uber/Lyft
    • Hunting/fishing laws; care for animals

Transportation

  • Drive clients to and from appointments, classes, or job
  • Coordinate and help drive clients to clothes closets we partner with or store to help provide clothing needs
  • Drive clients to the grocery store, take them in the store, help them learn where to find the items they want, manage their money, and how to check out in the grocery line
  • Drive clients to medical appointments and stay with them to help them through the system, advocate for their needs while mentoring them to speak up for what concerns and questions they may have; communicate with our Asha’s Refuge team regarding follow-up needs for those appointments
  • Drive clients to the health department for immunization appointments, help them sign-in to complete forms, and then return them home

Trauma

  • Counseling / Mentoring
  • licensed therapist/counselors: partner with us to provide free or low-cost individual counseling
  • Talk Time: Licensed therapist/counselors: partner with us to provide free or low-cost group counseling
  • mentor women, mothers-to-be or parents
  • mentor men
    • mentor young adults
  • Provide ongoing Trauma Informed Training for Staff, community leaders, and volunteers by professional mental health providers
  • Community Engagement
    • Lead Talk-Time groups/socials:  bible study, ladies’ teas, men’s luncheons/coffees, youth events

Office Help

  • Answering phones, voice mail, responding to texts)
  • Helping greet and enroll clients for services
  • Filing, copying
    • Scheduling Appointments/Sending Appointment Reminders
    • Interpretation/translation assistance (let us know if you speak other languages that may be helpful to us)
    • Helping clients complete forms and applications

Other

  • Events
  • Coordinate events; connect to volunteers and staff
  • Set-up/clean-up before and after events
  • Help Decorate for Events
  • Help with Event Marketing and Donor Engagement
  • Refugee/Client Advocacy
  • Speak to agencies on behalf of clients with medical, housing, benefits, bill, or employment needs
  • Website Maintenance
  • Social media experience – SEO, maintenance
  • Refugee/Client Next Steps
    • Employment Concerns
    • Locating Homes / Home Set-up Processes
    • Internet /Phone Connection / Understanding Wi-Fi/Data
  • Handy Helpers
  • Be on our “handyman/lady” team – help with minor house/office repairs or needs
  • Be on our “Pickup Truck Driver Team” for Pickup Truck Owners/Drivers—Occasionally, we have donated furniture or appliances. You can volunteer to drive your truck. Our team will meet you at the pickup and delivery locations to help lift and do the hard work. You will help us in a mighty way to get items needed to clients. We will call you ahead of time to plan it.
  • coordinate the collection of donations, collect, organize, and sort donations – usually toiletries, household items, cleaning products, and nonperishable foods
  • Decorate our office – long time need, low budget, need help

Company Volunteer Programs

Does your company have a volunteer program with local nonprofits? 

Let us know at serve@ashasrefuge.org.

*** YOU CAN TAKE ACTION TODAY! ***

CLICK THE LINK BELOW TO LET US KNOW THAT YOU WANT TO HELP US RESTORE CONFIDENCE IN THE LIVES OF NEWCOMERS BY VOLUNTEERING WITH US!

Separating Facts From Fiction
Did you know there are over 100 different types of United States legal visas and processes where one could be legally in the United States (one immigration attorney services website suggests 185)?Just because a person does not fit the profile of what a person believes a legal immigrant should look like does not justify the person’s rights to be violated.  Ethnic profiling is a grave human injustice; it hurts people and is a violation of civil liberties.

“Lawfully Present Non-Citizens” may include:

     -> Permanent Residents (LPR/Green Card Holders)

     ->  Asylees (those displaced individuals in the United States who have been through an intensive court hearing with the United States immigration officials and have been approved to be lawfully present in the United States due to well-founded fear for their life if they were to have to return to their home country).  Asylees are individuals in the United States who have undergone intensive court hearings with immigration officials and have been granted lawful status due to a well-founded fear for their lives if they were to return to their home country. Many Afghans entered the United States through military flights and were subsequently required to go through a lengthy process that included 1 to 3 years of distressing and re-traumatizing court hearings. This process involved extensive vetting, medical screenings, and professional translation help during the interviews.

     ->  Victims of human trafficking

     -> Paroles, which could mean individuals temporarily in the United States due to wars in their home country, such as the Humanitarian Parolees from Ukraine

     -> Refugeeshave been displaced and thoroughly vetted by United States officials and processing centers in their home countries. This rigorous process can take an average of 10 years. Once invited to the United States, refugees are promised financial assistance, which currently amounts to $2,275 per person , to a sponsoring agency or approved private sponsor group.   Of this amount, approximately $1,200 is allocated to resettlement agencies to cover administrative costs associated with helping families settle in. Refugee travel is coordinated by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and the cost of these flights is charged to each refugee. They are expected to start repaying this travel loan six months after arriving in the United States. As a result, refugee families arrive with debt, but an opportunity to build credit.

Understanding the Usage of Already Minimal R&P Funds
The resettlement agency must use the remaining Reception and Placement (R&P) funds to secure an initial home for an individual or family.  Examples are transportation, housing deposits, the first month’s rent, utilities, trash pickup, and ensuring the client has a phone for critical communications regarding essential services. Additionally, these funds are used to stock the pantry and fridge with food and provide clothing, shoes, school supplies, bedding, furniture, and other initial household necessities for newly arriving families.  The current amount of funding is insufficient to cover the initial resettlement needs of families. It does not allow resettlement agencies to assist clients during their first 90 days fully. The resettlement agency continually applies for various grants and cash assistance programs, such as Refugee Cash Assistance (RCA) and the Match Grant program. However, not all refugees qualify for these programs, especially during their initial working days when they have not yet earned enough income to start their lives. For example, they may struggle to purchase a used vehicle for transportation to work, the store, or medical appointments. 

SHARE OUR CAUSE WITH OTHERS!! WITH A DONATION OF $250 OR GREATER, WE WILL SEND YOU THIS 16 OZ. LAGOM INSULATED TUMBLER WITH STRAW.

This 16 oz. Lagom Tumbler with Straw is the perfect fit for your beverage needs! With the Eco-friendly straw makes a real impact! This 16 oz Lagom Insulated Tumbler features a press-on lid with slide closure. The stainless steel straws provide a comfortable sipping experience and are eco‑friendly, environmentally responsible, and sustainable as they are reusable and dishwasher safe. Perfect for your morning coffee or tea – iced or hot!

Recap of What’s Going on Now and Our Need
Recently, the Reception and Placement (R&P) initial funding has been cut off to resettlement agencies, which can cause more newcomers to rely on community agencies for their initial resettlement assistance, such as Asha’s Refuge, Refugee Empowerment, Latino Memphis,  the Memphis Islamic Center, and others. The available funding and duration of services were already too low and too short for effectively resettling this group of displaced individuals. As resettlement agencies are forced to close their programs due to the abrupt halt in funding, families are being turned away, and many are coming to our Asha’s Refuge door for assistance by word of mouth.  Asha’s Refuge desperately needs funding to serve these individuals.  Please take action today by clicking the link below to join our mission of welcoming displaced individuals and providing them with vital services.

More Resources on How the U.S. Immigration and Migrant System Works
Listen to the following videos to better understand lawfully present “qualifying non-citizen” migrants in the United States who are often confused by government agency clerks/staff/supervisors such as the Department of Motor Vehicles, Social Security Office, Department of Health / Food Stamp Office, Health Insurance, Employers, HR Departments, Police Officers, general court staff, etc., and other American people:

The U.S. Immigration System:  Explained

https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/research/how-united-states-immigration-system-works

Brookings Institute’s US Immigration Policy:  Separating Fact from Fiction
https://www.youtube.com/live/TEzdlPs0ER4?si=PwDYAA38Mo9VtE9k

TEDX:  What does it take to be a refugee?  | Muhaddisa Sarwari
https://youtu.be/WXc24lB8Xwk?si=bjBuFtdKi48oxZeF

TED TALKS:  Don’t Feel Sorry for Refugees — Believe in Them!
https://www.ted.com/talks/luma_mufleh_don_t_feel_sorry_for_refugees_believe_in_them

TEDX: Humanizing the Refugee Crisis | Brian Sokol 
https://youtu.be/us8f_d31a7U

TEDX: Refugees:  A Human Perspective
https://www.ted.com/talks/naky_gaglo_refugees_a_human_perspective?utm_campaign=tedspread&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=tedcomshare 

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