New Beginnings, New Hope - Fresh Start Assistance for Recent Arrivals
We are proud to assist individuals and families in the refugee and recent immigrant community with fully customized, on-demand services. Visitors to our Independence Avenue offices, conveniently located in the heart of Kansas City’s African refugee community, are greeted with a warm welcome and an initial consultation to ascertain current and future challenges and needs and develop a tailored strategy for continuous progress. Available services include but are not limited to: Job Placement Financial Education and Groundwork, including opening a bank account, building credit, spending vs. saving, and more Vehicle Purchase Education and Guidance Driving Lessons and Driver’s License Acquisition Cultural Orientation and Social Awareness Parent Coaching, including educating parents on cultural norms and challenges unique to American childrearing compared to raising children in their countries of origin School Enrollment and/or Childcare for Children Educational Rights and Entitlements Advice Continued Education Referrals Entrepreneurship Advisory Service Community Involvement, Connections, and Outreach English Language Learning Citizenship Test Preparation Legal Assistance Referrals Green Card Application Assistance Tax Counseling and Filing Help …and More!

Long-Term Mentoring and Community Building
Many of our clients have suffered significant past trauma. We provide a safe space for gathering and strive to weave community where all are welcomed and supported in both their practical endeavors and their interior lives. The collective wisdom of our community members, gleaned through years of personal experience, is invaluable to more recent arrivals and to those who are well established, alike. Providing opportunities for connection and sharing of this wisdom is essential to our mission, with our youth in particular benefitting from mentoring by respected community members. In addition to facilitating a network of support, we connect the people we serve with counseling, social workers, or pastoral support as needed; provide guidance on emotional regulation through awareness and stress management; and encourage perseverance through obstacles. Healthy and rewarding relationships built on empathy, cooperation, and respect are modeled. Responsible decision-making at school, at home, and in the community is particularly emphasized for our youth. Finally, we help community members identify and accurately assess their strengths, interests, and values and encourage them to build lives that reflect these core elements. We help them find within themselves a NEW HOPE.

* New! * Golden Door Guides - American Partners on Resettlement Journeys
We welcome local volunteers who wish to partner with an individual or family on their resettlement journey. Channeling the spirit of the inscription at the base of the Statue of Liberty, these volunteers "lift [their] lamp[s] beside the golden door" of the United States to guide new arrivals on their American journey. This program varies in its implementation, as it is dependent on the wants and needs of both mentor and mentee(s). Visits, shared meals, introductions to favorite local attractions and amenities, invitations to gatherings of family and friends, and guidance through confusing or challenging situations are encouraged. Language barriers may admittedly lead to occasional awkwardness--but sentiments of love, compassion, and warm welcome need no translation!

After-School Program (Coming Soon!)
Our after-school programs will guide and mentor young refugees and immigrants from preschool through high school, weaving a comprehensive social, educational, and emotional learning curriculum into a safe, fun, and innovative program. Our students will develop academically, personally, interpersonally, and emotionally, leading to increased school attendance, improved grades, more mature decision-making, and eventually to high school graduation. Higher learning, whether vocational or academic, will also be encouraged.