MEDIA ALERT
Volunteers Support Local Refugees with Free Legal Clinic
Immigration specialists help refugees apply for permanent residency with legal aid
WHAT: Lutheran Family Services of Nebraska (LFS) will be partnering with Augustana Lutheran Church, volunteers and attorneys to provide free legal assistance to Omaha-area refugees, which will help them earn permanent resident status and advance in their path to U.S. citizenship. Refugees are required by law to apply for permanent resident status one year after being admitted to the United States. In 2016, LFS resettled 1,020 refugees from 16 countries. Additionally, LFS provides a network of support services beyond the first 90 days of arrival to refugees through its International Center of the Heartland (ICH).
ICH’s services, which include employment preparation, immigration legal services and providing direction for health, education and housing needs, are in high demand to these new Nebraska refugee populations. To help meet this growing need as more and more refugees become eligible for permanent resident status each year in Nebraska, multiple immigration specialists and attorneys with extensive training in immigration law are volunteering their time, and they will be providing these services completely free of charge.
WHEN: Saturday, July 22, 2017, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
WHERE: Augustana Lutheran Church, 3647 Lafayette Avenue, Omaha, NE 68131
MEDIA CONTACT: Lacey Studnicka, lstudnicka@lfsneb.org or (402) 699-1972
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About Lutheran Family Services of Nebraska, Inc.
Established in 1892, Lutheran Family Services of Nebraska (LFS) is a faith-based, not-for-profit, multi-service human care agency with locations across Nebraska and an office in Council Bluffs, Iowa. The LFS mission is to provide human care services that build and strengthen individual, family and community life.
As a multi-service organization, LFS demonstrates its mission through three broad service areas:
- Behavioral Health Services, including mental health counseling, sexual abuse/incest treatment, substance use treatment, and specialized counseling for children, adolescents, adults and families;
- Children Services, providing infant, international and foster care adoption services and searches, foster care, pregnancy counseling, maternal health care and family support services; and
- Community Services, providing refugee resettlement services, immigration legal services, AmeriCorps support and education and employment services for new populations.
2017 marks the 125th anniversary of LFS’ founding as two orphanages in Fremont and Omaha, Nebraska.
To learn more visit www.LFSneb.org.
