A long history of caring for children in need
For over 40 years, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service has answered the call to provide hope and care to kids in need. Explore the history of Children and Family Services programs, a journey through our years of courageously serving the voiceless and most marginalized children seeking care in America.
1975 - present
Unaccompanied Refugee Minors Program
Funder: Office of Refugee Resettlement
Program Description: The URM Program helps unaccompanied refugee minors develop appropriate skills to enter adulthood and to achieve social self-sufficiency. The URM Program has two primary goals: 1. reunify unaccompanied refugee children with their parents or, within the context of state child welfare practice, with nonparental adult relatives; 2. help unaccompanied minors develop appropriate skills to enter adulthood and to achieve economic and social self-sufficiency through delivery of child welfare services in a culturally sensitive manner.
2014 - present
Transitional Care
Funder: Office of Refugee Resettlement
Program Description: Transitional care provides short-term foster care and group home services for the youngest and most vulnerable unaccompanied children who have recently arrived in the U.S., while planning for their futures takes place.
2014 - present
Long Term Foster Care
Funder: Ofice of Refugee Resettlement
Program Description: Family foster care and group home care for unaccompanied children without family sponsors and with pending applications for legal protection in the U.S.
2005 - 2010
Safe Haven
Funder: Office of Refugee Resettlement
Program Description: LIRS provided third party case coordination services to all ORR contracted shelter care facilities. The program supported upwards of 50 LIRS direct staff based in close proximity to the shelters they served.
2010 - 2011
Haiti Initiative
Funder: Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod, Annie E. Casey Foundation, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Program Description: LIRS worked with local Lutheran congregations, social ministry organizations and other community-based groups in Florida to support and protect Haitian children, residing in Florida, who were impacted by the January 12th earthquake.
2014
Sponsor Orientation Pilot Program
Funder: LIRS unrestricted funds
Program Description: This program provided culturally-informed orientation to sponsors of unaccompanied children to assist them in understanding the legal process, the social and educational services available in the community. The Sponsor Orientation Pilot Project had two components: (1) an Orientation to Family Reunification Process and (2) the Cultural and Legal Orientation.
2018 - present
Family Reunification Support
Funder: LIRS unrestricted funds
Program Description: LIRS provides post release support and services to families newly reunited after detention, increasing community preparedness for both the detainees and the communities where they will be located. The goal of the program is to prepare families with the education and skills to have successful reunification with minors and support the long term integration of parents and minors in their local community.
