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In June, Just Neighbors held a clinic at its new Connections for Hope location in Herndon. The clinic, sponsored by the Giving Circle of HOPE, brought together nine immigrant clients and ten volunteers, along with three Just Neighbors staff. Here are snapshots of three of the cases at the clinic.
A female asylee from Somalia came with her husband and oldest son.
The son helped to interpret for the father. We began the process of filling out green card applications for each family member, including four additional children who were at home. The mother had fled Somalia and come to the U.S. alone to seek safety. After she was granted asylum, she applied for her husband and five children to join her. Meanwhile, she worked as a nursing assistant, saving money to fly her family here. Since the family has had asylee status for one year, they are eligible to apply for their green cards, which will get them on track to citizenship in the U.S.
A couple from Afghanistan attended the clinic with their daughter. As with the Somali family, we helped with this family's green card applications. This included reading a long series of admissibility questions such as "have you ever committed a crime for which you were not arrested?" and "do you plan to practice polygamy?" Luckily they answered "no" to these and many other questions, which are often difficult for a non-native English speaker to understand.
A man from El Salvador wanted to see about the possibility of him and his wife applying for their green cards. However, he was especially interested in obtaining green cards for his two youngest children so that they could afford to attend college. It turned out that the one relative who could petition for the children-- the oldest daughter-- was estranged from the family. We spoke with the man about the impact this daughter's petition could have and we remain hopeful that this will inspire the family to seek reconciliation. The man had also been the victim of a violent crime and wondered whether this would make him eligible for a U Visa. However, because the crime happened years ago and he had not contacted the police, we explained that the U Visa was not an option for him.
Around the Office
We are excited to share a short documentary about Just Neighbors as told from the perspective of asylee and former client, Jean-Claude Luhere. The documentary was created by student Chris Cottrell of American University. Watch the four-minute documentary here.
We are thankful for the MEGAXE fundraiser hosted by Azuka-Bom in Alexandria on July 18th. One hundred-fifty people (pictured above) attended the two-hour exercise class, raising nearly $2,000 for Just Neighbors.
We are grateful for funding from the Weissberg Foundation to support both general operating expenses and our Legal Assistant position. In addition, we are thankful for the Olender Foundation for support. Finally, we are thrilled to learn that in the coming year Just Neighbors will receive Community Impact Grants through United Way in Fairfax, Arlington, Loudoun, and Prince William Counties, as well as the City of Alexandria.
Temporary Protected Status (TPS)
The renewal period for Salvadorans with TPS has begun. Just Neighbors has been assisting TPS clients over the past month to renew their status so they can maintain legal status and work authorization in the U.S. Individuals from El Salvador with TPS have until early September to re-apply. Just Neighbors urges anyone who needs help in renewing their status to call us at (703) 979-1240.
Volunteer of the Month
We are proud to honor Kathryn Moss as our Volunteer of the Month for July. Kathryn had served as a fantastic volunteer for us two years ago and called us again in May to say she had some free time. Kathryn had finished law school and, as of last month, passed the bar. She has been an enormous help interpreting for clients and assisting with clients at both office locations, as well as translating documents. We wish her the best of luck as she starts a career with the Federal Government.
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