Creating Opportunities for Those Most Often Forgotten

June 15, 2008

Standing at Baggage Claim 5 in O'Hare, Naveen and his family—his wife, adult sons, daughter, and daughter-in-law—seem a little concerned, a little overwhelmed. But mostly they look tired. Since leaving the refugee camp in Nepal nearly two days before, they've been traveling constantly.

Now, as the sun sets at the end of an unseasonably cold March evening, they stand silently with Darwensi Clark and a few other Heartland Alliance representatives, waiting for everything they own to come out on the carousel, five heavy packages, wrapped in plastic, tape, and string.

Naveen's journey to Chicago from a tiny village of less than 500 in the mountain kingdom of Bhutan began when he was accosted by soldiers on a walk to his sister's house.

During the months he was held as an anti-government demonstrator, he swore he was only a simple farmer, despite being beaten and burned.

When he was released, he and his family fled to the border of India, then to Nepal. And for the next 18 years, they lived in a refugee camp, until becoming one of the first Bhutanese refugee families allowed to relocate to the United States this spring.

In the small world of refugee relocation services, families who have been living in a camp for more than a decade are among the hardest newcomers to integrate into American society—they've had no right to movement and little or no education, work experience, or normal socialization for years on end.

But Heartland Alliance's refugee and immigrant community services team are experts in serving families that have been "warehoused," as well as newcomers with medical conditions such as cerebral palsy or HIV. "As one of the larger resettlement organizations in Chicago, that's our main focus: the most vulnerable refugees," says Shana Wills, the program's director.

'Embracing the Excluded'

The emphasis throughout Heartland Alliance's programs is on serving and creating opportunities for people who have no other place to go, those whose circumstances leave them beyond the reach of typical social service programs—refugees with special needs, homeless people with both mental illness and substance-use issues, survivors of torture, ex-offenders out from prison. With services designed to be comprehensive, respectful, and effective, Heartland Alliance provides a chance for a safer and better life for people for whom society has no other answers.

"Core to our mission and our identity is remembering the forgotten, embracing the excluded, targeting the most marginalized," says Sid Mohn, the president of Heartland

Alliance. "We have a broad umbrella of programs that serve people living in poverty or danger, and we focus on the most poor and the most vulnerable among us."

A New Home for Refugees

Heartland Alliance's programs are multifaceted, recognizing that the well-being of participants isn't limited to addressing only one issue.

After leaving O'Hare, for example, Naveen and his family were driven to their new home, two one-bedroom apartments in the Edgewater neighborhood, furnished simply with the basics for living in the city, from bed linens to kitchen plates. After meeting an interpreter, they were finally able to get some sleep. In the morning, the process of acclimating to America began.

For refugees like Naveen and his family, Heartland Alliance offers classes in employment-based English, training programs in fields like horticulture or restaurant service, and help finding a job. The organization provides all newcomers with medical screenings, and if needed, mental health services. There are programs for the elderly, and children are enrolled in school and given a hand with everything from academic performance to life skills in a new country.

"We have outstanding youth programming," Wills says. "We ran a program that had the kids identify gaps in their understanding of living in this country, such as American food and nutrition, then investigate and report back to other youth who are new to this country. It's the kind of experience that helps them become future leaders in their community."

Pathways for Ex-offenders

A similar array of services is available for participants in a new program for women who have been arrested for prostitution. Research shows half of women involved in prostitution experience homelessness, 86 percent are survivors of some form of domestic violence, 74 percent have substance-use issues, and 50 percent exhibit mental health issues.

A year ago, Heartland Alliance created a pilot program—built on its long-standing program for homeless families—that helps former prostitutes access permanent housing, clinical therapy, leadership development, and employment services.

The idea for the program arose from an increased awareness of the number of ex-offenders in the populations served by Heartland Alliance's many programs and how a criminal record limits the options of anyone who has served time.

"When people who come to us have an extensive criminal background, it can have an impact on what employment they can find, what kind of housing is open, and even what services are available," says Maura McCauley, who directs supportive housing services for Heartland Alliance.

McCauley chaired an internal criminal justice committee a few years ago at Heartland Alliance that studied the issue of ex-offenders, finding that across six health outreach and

17 human care service programs, 62 percent of participants had been arrested and half had served time in jail or prison.

Since then, Heartland Alliance staff has created strategies to provide specialized aid to ex-offenders, and in some instances, launch new programs explicitly aimed at those who have a history in the criminal justice system, like the prostitution pilot program. "We already were serving this population. The work we've done recently helps us figure out how we can improve our role," McCauley says.

Healing the Wounds of Torture

The focus on the specific circumstances of Heartland Alliance's clients is apparent when you walk into the Marjorie Kovler Center of Heartland Alliance. Occupying a former convent in Rogers Park, the site is an oasis of calm, where visitors are greeted at the door and anyone can use the computer in the waiting room.

"We're totally focused on making this a welcoming environment and to have everyone who arrives feel dignified and respected," says Mary Lynn Everson, senior director of the Marjorie Kovler Center and refugee health programs.

To provide effective medical, psychological, and social services, the staff and clinical volunteers at the Marjorie Kovler Center are specially trained to provide the atmosphere and treatment that is appropriate for refugees or asylum-seekers who have been tortured at the hands of governments or rebel movements.

"Torture is meant to break the bonds with community and family, and control is completely taken away from them. So we let them know, for instance, that how much they reveal and when they want to tell us of their experience is completely in their hands," Everson explains.

"If it wasn't for the Marjorie Kovler Center, the people who come to this country would get maybe a piece here or there of what Heartland Alliance provides, but it's extremely unlikely they'd be receiving mental health services, and not services that are aimed so well at their specific needs."

A "Come-as-You-Are" Approach

The similarly respectful, nuanced approach that underlies Heartland Alliance's Pathways Home program meets the needs of homeless individuals diagnosed with mental illness and substance use disorders. Pathways Home offers a continuum of services, from a hot meal and a shower to housing with integrated services and 24-hour support.

"Unlike many traditional agencies, our services are not predicated on abstinence or required treatment—we're very come-as-you-are, and we're pretty pragmatic," says Ed

Stellon, the director of resource and community development for Heartland Alliance's mental health and addiction services.

And yet within three months of living in Pathways Home, two out of three residents make significant progress, taking medication and engaging in group or individual counseling.

"The relationship comes first," Stellon explains. "For us, housing is not a privilege; it's not something you have to earn."

Because of their expertise in serving this complex population, Stellon and his colleagues are frequently invited to train others who provide housing, mental health, and substance use services—both locally and nationally. Recently, Stellon consulted with the Chicago Police Department's Crisis Intervention Team on approaches to individuals who are having a mental health crisis and are using drugs or alcohol.

"I help them understand that this is more than a criminal justice event—and that a calm, supportive approach will go a long way toward resolving the situation," Stellon says.

Many of Heartland Alliance's programs are a crucial resource for social service systems because of their ability to serve individuals who have no other options. The U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants looks to the organization to place the most vulnerable new refugees, for example, and Heartland Alliance's program with former sex trade workers was created with the Circuit Court of Cook County and the Chicago Low-Income Housing Trust Fund.

"We've had a lot of success, but we know we still have a long way to go," says Mohn. "We continue to look for ways to serve the most poor, the most forgotten, the most in crisis. 

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