Local Refugee Care

Welcoming our Newest Neighbors
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 Afghan Refugees Current Needs as of Sept 24,2021

  • Housing is still a need. We are also recruiting volunteers that would be willing to host refugees in their homes for 1 week – 1 month. Dwellings do not need to be separate. Please have interested people reach out to Jane Register:  JRegister@wr.org
  • Volunteers willing to host refugees in their homes from 1 week to 1 month
  • Volunteers that have a rental unit (separate dwelling that is furnished) to temporarily house refugees while resettlement agencies finalize housing.
  • Welcome Meal delivery volunteers (typically given 24 hour notice)
  • Good Neighbor Teams (orientation on 9/29 at 7pm) 
  • After school tutors (orientation on 9/29 at 7pm) 
  • Conversational English volunteers (orientation on 9/29 at 7pm) 

Welcoming the Stranger Small Group Bible Study

A Welcoming the Stranger Small Group Bible Study. Monday nights at 7-8:30pm. Email nccc.lrc@gmail.com

 Afghan Refugees Need Our Prayer and Help

As many of you have seen, it has been a horrific couple weeks in Afghanistan. Many Afghan families have been resettled in San Diego over the past few months and many more are arriving in absolute crisis now. Our local Refugee Care Collaborative has been working with World Relief and the two agencies here (Jewish Family Services and Catholic Charities) resettling refugee families. They are currently receiving families from Afghanistan with often less than 24 hours notice.

That being said, they are desperately in need of tangible support, so we wanted to share opportunities with you to help.

  1. Housing Urgently Needed:  We have an urgent need for a short-term (free or low cost) or long-term (low cost) rental for an Afghan family of seven. They have been staying in a hotel but need help to find a 3 bedroom, preferably in El Cajon, but they will consider other locations throughout San Diego County. If you have: any leads, have an apartment rental, have a home available short-term or long-term, have an AirBnB or through AirBnB.org please let us know. Also, if you have other leads for future families coming at a later date we would like to know about them as well.  Please email Jane Register at jregister@wr.org
  2. Order Essential Items: Refugees are arriving with nothing to help set-up their households, and the limited money they receive will be fully absorbed by the high rents in San Diego. At the moment, they can only receive new items that are not furniture, but used furniture and other items may be needed at a future date. We will keep you posted. You can order items through:
    • Catholic Charities Amazon Wish List
    • Jewish Family Services Amazon Wish List  
    • At the moment, they can only receive new items that are not furniture, but gently used furniture and other items may be needed at a future date. We will keep you posted.
  3. Donate:  HERE  Your gifts will provide tangible evidence of God’s love to help save, resettle and rebuild their lives.
  4. Volunteer: If you know people in San Diego, please share these volunteer needs:
    • Catholic Charities:
      • English language tutors
      • Transportation assistants
      • Housing assistants
      • Resettlement mentors
      • Job coaches
      • Other needs such as help with school registration and driving to/from appointments etc.
      • Sign up to volunteer with Catholic Charities here or contact them at volunteer@ccdsd.org or (619) 287-9454
    • Apartment Set-Ups:
      • Help with apartment set ups (including trucks, vans, and muscle for donation pickup) email us: nccc.lrc@gmail.com
    • Translators: If you are Persian and have time to translate, please email Jane Register at jregister@wr.org
CALENDAR
 
Monday, August 30:  Prayer and worship from 7am-7pm in NCCC’s Chapel. You’re invited to stop in anytime. We will focus on Afghanistan, refugees and mission partners from 11am to 1pm.

 

Grateful for you joining us in caring for our new neighbors! 

Love,

Local Refugee Care Team

Refugee Care Collaborative Members

Types of Immigrants

  • REFUGEE – individuals who are unable or unwilling to return to their country of origin or nationality because of persecution or a well founded fear of persecution and has crossed an international border. Refugees are eligible for protection in large part based on race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion. They are outside the U.S. when they apply and are screened for resettlement.
  • What is a Refugee? Video
  • ASYLUM SEEKER – are like refugees except they submit their applications while they are physically in the U.S. or at a U.S. port of entry. They use a different process and agency for their application.
  • S.I.V. (Special Immigrant Visa) – Iraqi or Afghan people who were employed by Americans and resettled legally in the U.S.
  • P-2 Program (Priority 2 for Afghan Nationals) a new resettlement category  8/2/21
  • UNACCOMPANIED MINORS – an immigrant who is under 18 and not in the care of a parent or legal guardian at the time of entry.
  • MIGRANT – one who chooses to move in order to improve the future prospects for themselves and their family.
  • I.D.P. (Internally Displaced Person) someone who is forced to flee their home but remains in their home country.

REFUGEE NUMBERS AT A GLANCE: https://www.unhcr.org/en-us/figures-at-a-glance.html

Volunteer Resources

Cars, License, ID, Belts, Car Seats, Bikes, Bus, Train, Trolley

Department of Motor Vehicles  For Driving License or ID Card: Requirements, Drivers Handbook Instruction Permits, Appointments and Tests (translation services), Replacement Cards Vehicle: Title (Buy/Sell) or Licensing Other: Disability Placards, Address Change  Publications

Seat Belts – positioning and age requirements

Child Carseats expiration dates and proper use – be sure that the family knows when that is, also how to properly install and use the seat: here

Bike Safety (please review this when giving bikes – include helmet and good lock with instructions on proper locking too)  There is a PDF version that you can download and print out.

NCTD:  North County Transportation for Buses, Coaster (commuter train), Sprinter (light rail), Flex and Lift

MTS  San Diego Metropolitan Transit – Bus and Trolley

Immigration: Green Card (I-485), Naturalization/Citizenship (N-400) and more

(See also the LEGAL toggle below this one for more helps)

USCIS Immigration – for green card, citizenship, case status, etc

USCIS Green Card (after 1 year)

Legal Help SD Pro Bono

northcountycitizenship.org – Solana Beach Presbyterian Church Immigration and Citizenship Center

 

See also the LEGAL toggle below this one for more helps

Legal Help

San Diego Christian Legal Aid

(SDCLA): http://www.sdclegalaid.org/

Appointment Line:  (858) 230-2321. (office on Faraday in Carlsbad).  Including Immigration, Family Law, Evictions, Labor/Employment, Small Claims, and more. (for people of any religion/belief)

Three clinics

  • Church at Rancho Bernardo, 11740 Bernardo Plaza Ct, Rancho Bernardo 92128 (2nd Saturdays)
  • The Bridge Church (offices) at 4346 54th St (2d floor), San Diego 92115 (3rd Saturdays)
  • Tri-City Bible Church, 302 N. Emerald Dr, Vista (4th Saturdays)

Legal Aid Society of San Diego

(LASSD):  lassd.org

Lots of helps across SD County, including Immigration, Mental and Behavioral Health, SSI (Supplemental Security Income) and SSDI (Social Security Disability Insurance) Claims. Custody / Visitation / Divorce / Restraining Orders, CalWorks / CalFresh (food stamps), Federal Tax, Free Clinics, Housing: Eviction, Public Housing, Housing Discrimination, etc., Access to Health Care, and more.

North County Immigration and Citizenship Center

https://www.northcountycitizenship.org/

120 Stevens Ave, Solana Beach, CA 92075, 858-509-2589

Education Resources

Computers 4 Kids:  Discount priced laptop and desktop computers

ESL Links and Resources through Laubach San Diego

Grossmont Adult School  (Online or Classroom – El Cajon)

Grossmont Adult Health Occupation Center – El Cajon

East Region Adult Education (English as a Second Language, Automotive, Art, Welding, Upholstery, and more…)

AVID Program  Excellent program for refugee kids and youth to help close the achievement gap.

Mira Costa Job Training Programs

San Diego Electrical Apprenticeships http://sdett.org/career-opportunities/  (Inside Wireman or Telecommunications – Sound Tech.

College Scholarships and Loans Site

GED and Citizenship online free classes:  https://classroom.usahello.org/

Tutoring Helps

I would order the following programs:  Raz-Kids, Reading A-Z, Raz-Plus, ELL, READY Test A-Z, Writing A-Z  This program reads the leveled passage to the student. If while the student is reading independently and comes to an unknown word the program reads the word out loud to them. It will say the word as many times they need it to be successful.

 

Medical Resources

CA State Disability HERE

Job Search Resources

Employment Agencies

A good starting place for jobs is with employment agencies, They have different types of job targets depending on the agency.  They are often the door into permanent positions. The agencies are paid by placing people in jobs – so the right agency will work to do that.  Here are a few of the agencies we’ve seen be helpful (this isn’t a complete list and not a guarantee but is a resource list).  It is helpful for the refugee mentor/advocate to go along to help with the process.

Job Search Sites

North County Sites

  • North County Lifeline Inc. (http://www.nclifeline.org/) – Employment services, 200 Michigan Avenue, Vista, CA 92084, 760-726-4900 or 760-757-0118
  • North County Coastal Career Center (http://workforce.org/career-centers/north-county/north-county-coastal-career-center) – 1949 Avenida del Oro, Ste.106, Oceanside, CA 92056 – 760-631-6150. Also a Center at Encinitas Library 540 Cornish, Encinitas, CA 92024 760-631-6160 (call for hours).
  • Community Resource Center (http://www.communityresourcecenter.org/socialservices.html) – new “Back to Work” Program: creating a path to self-sufficiency comes through the Back To Work (BTW) program. The goal of this training program is to assist their clients with re-entering the workforce and finding full-time employment.Back-to-Work Thrift Store & Donation Center 1405 S. El Camino Real • Oceanside, CA 92054 • (760) 231-7909, Thrift Store & Back-to-Work Enterprise Information: 760-753-1156,
  • CalJOBS (https://www.caljobs.ca.gov/vosnet/Default.aspx) – Search the full-service employment center to find and view job openings, create and post resumés, look for training, and much more.

Until you find a Job

A work in progress – check back for more links soon.

We hope to develop a team that can offer a Career Hub like this one:  https://careerhubclarkston.com/

Housing Search and Rent / Utility Help Resources

Go first to northcoastcalvary.org/help for current rental and utility helps

  • San Diego Housing Commission (for Section 8 Housing):  http://www.sdhc.org/Rental-Assistance/Waiting-List-Applicants/ SDHC has a very long wait list – but sign up asap to get on the list.  If you apply in other states where the wait is shorter you would need to move for a year then can (usually) port your voucher back to CA.
About Cultures and Languages

•  N-Culture –  HERE

•  Helpful information about different cultures:  https://therefugeecenter.org/resources/cultural-background/

Global Recordings Network USA  HERE Audio recordings and more in various languages and dialects.

Miscellaneous Helps
AUNT BERTHA HELPS:  This is a good helps resource:  https://anthembluecross.auntbertha.com/
 
 
August 5, 2021 – Food and Diaper Distribution – Rock Church San Marcos details:  https://www.sdrock.com/events/21625/

UTILITIES:  SEE HOUSING SECTION ABOVE SOME RESOURCES ARE BECOMING AVAILABLE IN JANUARY BECAUSE OF THE ECONOMIC IMPACT FEDERAL FUNDS

UTILITIES Help paying utility bills – can call San Diego County: (619) 391-9790  / Utility Assistance. Phone appts on Mon or Weds  8a-1130 1p-3:30.p  you will need:  1. current SDGE bill,  2. proof of income 30 days for all working age adults (working or not) 3. CA Picture ID  and 4. Social Security Card.  Website:  HERE.

El Cajon Family Resource Center – government helps  www.sandiegocounty.gov/content/sdc/hhsa/facilities/east/family_resource_center_el_cajon.html

Diaper Banks all over San Diego County are a great resource for families Here

CalFresh – help putting food on your table  www.getcalfresh.org/

PHONE SERVICES (Compare these options: )

 

Additional helpful resources for volunteers