by Adam Delezenne
Next weekend a team of refugee clients, volunteers, and staff will run the Detroit Marathon to support and raise awareness of homeless refugees. In the picture is a part of our team of runners: (left to right) Kevin Piecuch, Marcia Gallegos, and Michael Kim.
Who are our Refugee Clients?
This is an issue that is often overlooked in the news when talking about immigration. Our asylum-seeking clients come from every continent in the world (except Antarctica or Australia). They bring stories of fleeing deprivation, abuse, or persecution in their home country. Most have escaped harrowing circumstances, either in the country they fled or on their journey to get to the United States. What they have in common is a desperation to find a better future for themselves and their families.
Under US law, any noncitizen present in the United States has the right to ask our government for asylum. Strict rules govern who can receive asylum. In the time between when they enter the country and when they are granted asylum, they are ineligible to receive any public benefits. The government provides no help for them to receive food, medical care, or housing. They also have to wait six months after making their asylum application to ask for a work permit. Before that, they are unable to be employed legally.
With no income and no government help, the question of how you provide for yourself and your family is a serious concern. Where do these people turn? They are forced to rely on family, friends, acquaintances, and organizations like the Southwest Detroit Immigrant and Refugee Center.
How can SWIRC help?
Right now, the only option for refugee and asylum seeker housing in Southeast Michigan is our partner, Freedom House Detroit. They provide a safe place for asylum seekers to begin building their lives in the United States and to access necessary services. Being one organization, they have only so many beds and not nearly as many as are needed.
We want to provide another option with our Safe Harbor Housing program. We will provide a safe and stable place where asylum-seeking individuals and families can land for a medium-term stay. We have purchased a large, once beautiful, home in Southwest Detroit from the Detroit Land Bank. The property at 329 W Grand Blvd is a huge home that will have space for several families and house a small-business incubator program.
Our hope is to provide basic needs for our guests there. The top two floors will be dedicated to flexible bedrooms with space for three or four small families. The first floor will house our small-business incubator. This program will be open to the public and secured from the residential part of the house. Even without permission to work, anyone from anywhere can start a small business in the United States and receive income from it. We want our guests to start small businesses and put their skills to work, creating a future for their families.
And, of course, we will also provide legal services from their asylum applications to becoming a naturalized citizen and all the steps in between.
We need your help to make it a reality!
This is an extensive renovation project that will reverse four decades of neglect and decay – we need to raise $600,000 to make it happen. To raise money for the renovation and the new Safe Harbor Housing program, we have a team of clients, volunteers, and staff running the Detroit Marathon. While our team has gotten a lot of support, we will need more to finish this project.
You can join our team by donating online, include “marathon” or “house” in the subject line.
We know it’s not just us pulling for this, and we need the help of our whole community. We need your help to cross the finish line!
The Southwest Detroit Immigrant and Refugee Center provides free and low-cost legal services to those who need them most in the Detroit area, with a focus on recent immigrants and refugees.
We were founded in 2014 by Kevin Piecuch, our Executive Director,
Donate to support justice for everyone
Volunteer to help serve our client communities
Visit one of our clinics if you need legal help
