Scenes from World Refugee Day 2023
Church World Service Harrisburg’s mission matches the famous words by Emma Lazarus inscribed on the Statue of Liberty, the classic verse that welcomes weary immigrants to America.
In effect, Church World Service Harrisburg, or CWS, is Lady Liberty’s golden lamp leading to the safety of America’s open door for refugees here in central Pennsylvania.
“Our arriving refugee clients are not walk-ins or undocumented individuals,” said Erika Juran, CWS Harrisburg’s development and communications officer. “They are individuals and families who have been carefully vetted and have an urgent need to arrive to safety in Harrisburg.”
Many people assigned to CWS Harrisburg have spent years waiting in refugee camps for the chance of resettlement, Juran explained.
“They are survivors of war, terroristic threats, torture, human trafficking, rape and persecution,” she said.
Just midway through its current fiscal year, the Harrisburg office has already welcomed around 300 clients, according to Alex Swan, CWS Harrisburg’s site director.
The center anticipates welcoming refugees this year from Afghanistan, Syria, Pakistan, Sudan, Somalia, Ivory Coast, Burma, Venezuela, Belarus and Nicaragua, among other countries. Family sizes average seven people, with an average of four children per family.
“Everyone has experienced trauma,” said Durre Sharif, CWS Harrisburg’s associate director of resettlement and engagement. “They all have surmounted the insurmountable.”
In recognition of June as Immigrant Heritage Month and World Refugee Day, CWS Harrisburg invites the public to its second annual World Refugee Day Block Party on June 22 in Harrisburg (details below). The free event will feature cultural dance and music presentations, a DJ, food trucks and family-friendly activities.
“All (of our clients) have lived experiences that have made them very resilient,” Swan said. “They all want to work hard and make a better life for their families.”
An appreciation dinner for CWS staff and volunteers hosted by clients from Syria.
Skills & Means
CWS is a global nonprofit organization founded in 1946 immediately after World War II to provide humanitarian relief and protection worldwide. Today, CWS operates in 30 countries.
The Harrisburg office began in March 2022, one of 25 Church World Service locations in the United States.
Since opening, the facility has seen its client list grow steadily. In its first year, the Harrisburg operation welcomed 90 clients. By September 2023, the annual tally grew to 110. This year, 440 clients are projected to arrive by Sept. 30.
Before they arrive, refugees are screened by the Office of Refugee Resettlement, a program of the Administration for Children and Families through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
The ultimate goal of CWS is to give clients the skills and means to attain self-sufficiency and become established in their new community.
“These incredible, special people we meet work so very hard,” Juran said. “I’ve worked for many places before this, and the vision of this place is so amazing.”
CWS Harrisburg works to support refugee clients as they settle through five programs, according to Juran.
The reception and placement program provides refugees initial welcome support and administers 23 federally required core services immediately upon an individual’s or family’s arrival and within their first 90 days here.
The community engagement program creates and administers plans addressing social health determinants. CWS’s community engagement team hosts events, supports advocacy, and equips and guides volunteer groups to partner with the Harrisburg office. Together, all parties work to administer core services, providing friendship as clients navigate through their new life in the community.
A matching grant program provides extended case management and employment assistance after a client’s initial 90-day resettlement period has ended. Support includes employment skills training, job referrals and family budget planning. Paired with community connections and volunteer support, this program helps ensure that clients attain needed skills for financial independence.
“Sometimes, we’ll run into former clients and see them hit milestones,” Swan noted.
The preferred communities program provides regular and intensive case management to clients determined as “especially vulnerable” for attaining self-sufficiency.
Finally, the refugee social service program provides short-term care continuum through “culturally and linguistically appropriate referrals and case management services” for eligible individuals living within a 100-mile radius of the Harrisburg office.
Meaning & Purpose
Despite its many successes, CWS Harrisburg faces challenges. The nonprofit is funded through federal and state grants, local foundations and private donations, but more is always needed, according to staff.
“Basically, the field of refugee placement is underfunded,” Swan noted.
Because of this—and because of a global humanitarian crisis—CWS Harrisburg has mounted an emergency appeal for donations.
“These donations will be put to work immediately to provide support of our clients’ housing and utility expenses, especially those with more vulnerabilities like single mothers and those with severe medical issues,” Juran said.
Likewise, the facility always seeks volunteers from the community to drive clients to doctor appointments and other tasks. Despite challenges, Sharif said that she is gratified helping CWS clients “rebuild their lives.”
“Happiness comes from meaning and purpose,” Sharif said. “We all feel so privileged to be here in this space and do what we do to help these people.”
CWS Harrisburg will hold its second annual World Refugee Day Block Party on June 22, noon to 3 p.m., at Maclay and N. 2nd streets, Harrisburg. To learn more about CWS Harrisburg and to donate, visit www.cwsharrisburg.org or call 717-358-9351.
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