2023 Impact Report
July 2022 - June 2023
Director's Note
Megan Shepard
Greensboro Office Director
As I reflect on the past year, I am amazed by how much our team has grown, the many new programs to serve our neighbors, and, most importantly, all of the ways our community has continued to support our work to welcome refugees and immigrants.
The past year has brought many exciting new beginnings. In addition to moving into our new and expanded office space downtown, we started our new Immigrant Children’s Program to serve unaccompanied immigrant children with legal representation and know-your-rights presentations. We also received a multi-year federal grant for our new Communities Acting for Refugee Empowerment (CARE) initiative to support refugees seeking to improve their economic situation and gain professional skills. Additionally, we’ve hired a new Refugee Wellness Program Manager to address the mental health needs of refugees and immigrants with one-on-one sessions, family counseling, and group therapy at no cost to refugees.
Amid these new beginnings, our traditional work continues. We’ve added new positions to nearly every team as we rise to meet the continued legal needs of Afghan newcomers throughout the Triangle, resettle increasing numbers of refugees, engage growing numbers of volunteers and partners, and support new populations such as Ukrainians and a recent influx of Cuban and Haitian Humanitarian Parolees. Throughout these changes and growth, our community has continued to support and carry out our mission in tremendous ways - from donating household supplies and setting up homes for arriving families, to delivering food and practicing English. We are so incredibly grateful for you. Thank you!
Throughout these changes and growth, our community has continued to support and carry out our mission in tremendous ways.
[I felt] very, very, very, very happy.
Our New Neighbors
Resettlement
Hope & Opportunity
Simeon arrived to a refugee camp in Rwanda with his parents and siblings when he was just six years old. Now, nearly thirty years later, he and his wife and four children are finally beginning their new lives in Greensboro.
Simeon described his feelings during his first days and weeks in America as “very, very, very, very happy.” A big part of this happiness, Simeon said, was reuniting with his parents, siblings, and in-laws, who had also arrived to Greensboro from Rwanda over the past year. But another thing that made these first moments so special for Simeon and his family, he commented, was the abundance of support they received from their CWS case managers and volunteers. CWS volunteers helped the family with free temporary housing during their first weeks in Greensboro, made sure the fridge and pantry were stocked with fresh food and essentials, gathered furniture for the family’s new permanent housing, and provided regular transportation to school and family appointments.
Now, six months after their arrival, Simeon feels settled in. His family is enjoying their new home, the older kids are having fun at school, and he and his wife have jobs to support their family. Still, Simeon noted that their biggest challenge was coordinating their two jobs, school, errands, and appointments without a car. “If I don’t have a car, how can I manage my life? How can I manage my time?” But then Simeon smiled as he shared that his family had just received a donated minivan from one of our partners in Greensboro after being referred by their case manager.
Simeon is excited about the new life he and his family are building in Greensboro, and he looks forward to his next goals of earning his CDL and owning a home.
Welcoming Refugees
CWS Greensboro welcomed 321 refugees from 16 countries into lives of freedom, hope, and opportunity in North Carolina.
Refugees welcomed
CountrIES
Economic Opportunity
Our Employments Specialists work with refugees and immigrants for up to five years after they arrive in the U.S. to support their personal career goals and their family's financial well-being.
Our services include federal and state funded programs that enable our team to support clients with a variety of employment related services, including English language classes, vocational training, budgeting, interview training, and application assistance.
Job Placements
Average Wage
CWS Greensboro client (right) participates in a practice job interview with Employment Specialist, Mariana (left).
[Volunteering with CWS] is really welcoming people to your community, being their friend, helping them make that transition.
Our Community
Volunteers
Refugees often arrive with little to no English, limited familiarity with U.S. culture, and no financial resources. Their resettlement journey is long and full of challenges. Our volunteers make their journey easier. Throughout the past year, over 50 volunteers helped our new neighbors practice their English over Zoom calls, integrate into their new communities, and set up 61 new homes!
Volunteers
Home Set-ups
CWS Greensboro volunteers and staff at a volunteer appreciation lunch.
Being able to offer somebody the privilege of legal representation without the cost… it’s a big thing.
Our Work
Immigration Legal Services
Immigration Applications
New Citizens
Immigrant Children's Program
In June 2022, CWS received confirmation that the U.S. Office of Refugee Resettlement was opening a migrant children's shelter at the American Hebrew Academy in Greensboro. VERA Institute of Justice quickly contracted with CWS Greensboro to provide know your rights training and, in some situations, legal representation for the children who will be passing through this temporary shelter over the next few years.
Our Immigrant Children’s Program has provided over 700 children with Know-Your-Rights (KYR) presentations and is currently representing 20 unaccompanied children in their legal cases for asylum in the U.S.
NC-Immigrant Solidarity Fund
The NC-Immigrant Solidarity Fund (NC-ISF) is a statewide, grassroots effort to support undocumented and mixed status families facing financial hardship due to a recent ICE detention & deportation, emergency, or natural disaster.