Press Release: Catholic Charities Expand Services to Afghan Refugees
Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend to Expand Services to Afghan Refugees with Financial Support from St. Joseph Community Health Foundation
Fort Wayne, IN - Thanks to a generous grant from the St. Joseph Community Health Foundation for $50,760, Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend (CCFWSB) can help Afghan refugees who arrived in Fort Wayne last fall.
Due to the swift fall of the Afghan government and emergency evacuation, Afghans who fled at that time were not able to be processed through the normal refugee channels. As a result, they are legally considered “parolees” or “evacuees” and are required to apply for permanent residency in the U.S. within strict timelines.
Per federal regulations, Afghan citizens evacuated in August of 2021 and seeking asylum are required to apply within one year of entry, meaning the individuals being served in this program will need to complete the process no later than August of 2022. Extensions may be available but are not guaranteed. CCFWSB is working with 133 Afghan evacuees in Fort Wayne who will need these legal immigration services, but there are not enough organizations in Fort Wayne that can provide the necessary legal support.
“Immigration experts across the country are overwhelmed by the number of Afghan cases that need to be processed in such a short amount of time,” says Luz Ostrognai, Director of Immigration Services at CCFWSB. “This grant ensures those [Afghans] resettled locally, will have timely and proper legal services for their immigration case.”
To meet this overwhelming need, CCFWSB will be adding contract staff who specialize in immigration to aid local Afghan evacuees seeking to file for Asylum, Special Immigrant Visa (SIV), or applying to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status.
Expanded services will include conducting group orientations, providing individual screenings, consulting on legal pathways to citizenship, aiding in court proceedings and advising on family reunification options.
During the evacuation in 2021, most of these individuals were forced to leave close family members behind. There is not currently a program that prioritizes family reunification for Afghans, and because Afghanistan no longer has an American Embassy, it will be very challenging for family members to be reunited.
CCFWSB is grateful for the support of St. Joseph Community Health Foundation and proud to continue to further its mission to strengthen, improve, and sustain an inclusive community.
“Our sponsor, the Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ, came to northeast Indiana from Germany in 1868 to help local immigrants. They have continually responded to the call of refugees and immigrants around the world. Today the St. Joe Foundation carries on that mission of supporting immigrants and refugees in our community,” said Meg Distler, executive director of the St. Joseph Community Health Foundation. “We are proud to support Catholic Charities in their efforts to welcome our Afghan neighbors and help them on the path to permanent residency.”
For more information, contact Nicole Kurut, CCFWSB Mission Advancement Manager, at nkurut@ccfwsb.org
# # #
About Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend
Catholic Charities is a private 501 (c) 3 incorporated in the state of Indiana to act as the coordinating and administrative agency for the charitable activities assigned to it by the Bishop of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend; to plan for, initiate, direct, support and coordinate Catholic social-services programs for the spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical welfare of persons in need; to seek and determine the causes of social problems in order to better promote preventative social-action programs; to participate in community planning and organization, and work cooperatively with other individuals and groups in the field of social work. The service area for Catholic Charities includes the 14 counties of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, encompassing 2,236 square miles, with a population of 1,247,850. Currently, Catholic Charities has offices in Fort Wayne (Allen County), Auburn (DeKalb County), and South Bend (St. Joseph County), Indiana. In Fiscal Year 2020-2021, CCFWSB served almost 16,000 individuals at a fiscally responsible rate of 87 cents of every dollar dedicated to client services. The agency’s vision is to create Generation Zero: the first generation of children free from poverty. To learn more, visit EradicatePoverty.org
About St. Joseph Community Health Foundation
The St. Joseph Community Health Foundation is sponsored by the Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ and works to serve vulnerable populations in four impact areas: Prenatal & Infant Care, Nutrition & Food Insecurity, Access to Quality, Affordable Healthcare, and Refugees & Immigrants.