Newspapers / The Charlotte Jewish news. / March 1, 2012, edition 1 / Page 20
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
The Charlotte Jewish News - March 2012 - Page 20 Grants That Help Resettle Refuguees By Karen Brodsky Refugees resettled by Carolina Refugee Resettlement Ageney rely on the ageney to support them in the first months after their arrival in Charlotte. Among the most vul nerable residents of Charlotte, the new elients look to CRRA to help them aeeulturate, get referrals to English elasses, apply for Soeial Seeurity eards, register their ehil- dren in sehool, learn to ride the bus and shop in a groeery store, and, most important, to find employment. A government grant (Reeeption and Plaeement-R&P) from the U.S. Department of State helps Casino theme party service that brings a Vegas style to your event • Corporate Events • Holiday Parties • Fund-raisers • Bar/Bat Mitzvahs • Birthday Parties Contact Alan Gottheim at 704.363.3706 Services provided by Temple Beth El Brotherhood, a non-profit organization benefiting Temple Beth El programming and community. CRRA to take eare of its refugee elients for the first three months after arrival in the U.S., whieh ineludes an apartment, furniture and housewares for the apartment, visits to the Health Department and Soeial Seeurity, initial food and personal neeessities, and help finding employment. If refugee elients are disabled, too old to work, or of sehool age, CRRA will help them apply for aid from the Department of Soeial Serviees in Charlotte. Some elients are ready, willing, and able to go to work, and CRRA ean usually assure they will help them find employment quiekly. To that end, CRRA is fortunate to have help from the U.S. govern ment in the form of Matehing Grant from the Department of Health and Human Serviees Offiee of Refugee Resettlement. Refugees who are enrolled in the Matehing Grant (MG) program typieally find work quieker and arrive at self-suffieieney faster than those who are not. A limited number of refugees whom CRRA resettles ean be enrolled in the MG program. The spaees available in the MG pro gram are determined by the gov ernment and by a eash mateh, whieh CRRA must raise. If CRRA were to raise more money for the eash mateh, it eould put more peo ple in the MG program and request more spaees for its refugee elients. What makes the Matehing Grant program so speeial? Why is it sueeessful in helping refugees to reaeh self-suffieieney faster? MG allows refugee elients to seareh for work, go on interviews, and bene fit from more intense ease man agement, eash assistanee, and rent for a longer time than those who are not enrolled in the program There are major sueeess stories among refugee elients who have been on Matehing Grant. A refugee from Burma began at a job at a very low level. CRRA eheeked his progress with the employer and was pleased to see that he was promoted several times. He is now in eharge of a shift in the faetory and helps other Burmese refugees gain employ- Jewish-themed. cB.mpst Hands-on funl Water playt What parents are saying*.. The was amazing, and my daughter had a wonderful time' Summc/i /^cwyiA 21 months thru rising K 9 am-1pm * Extended day option l-3pm Choose your weeks! June 4-8 * June 11-15 * July 30-Aug. 3 * Aug. 6-10 Register now at jpsonsardis.org/camp jps ment there. He ean support his family of five on his salary with out being a burden on Meeklenburg County. CRRA has one of the best out- eomes of any of the HIAS affili ates who have the Matehing Grant. CRRA has eonsistently employed about 85 pereent of the refugee families enrolled in the program. It is hoped that eaeh Matehing Grant family will beeome self-suffieient (as defined by the Offiee of Refugee Resettlement) when they are eol- leeting a payeheek that pays for rent and utilities and other basie needs on their own. Ultimately, the most sueeessful elients move out of the apartments CRRA ini tially rented for them to other quarters. They purehase ears and pay their insuranee. In addition to the eash mateh, CRRA must raise in-kind donations, sueh as—but not limited to—volunteer hours, volunteer miles, student intern hours, and furniture and house- wares donations. The eash eompo- nent of the mateh must be at least 20% of the equation and the in- kind eannot exeeed 80%. The Charlotte Jewish eommu- nity has been partieularly gener ous in donating housewares and furniture, both of whieh are eriti- eal eomponents of the R&P grant. CRRA relies on volunteers who donate their time and drive refugees to appointments, all of whieh eount toward the in-kind mateh for MG. To volunteer for CRRA, eall 704-535-8803 or email Dottle Shattuek at dottle .shattuek@earolinarefugee .o rg- The eash mateh is harder to raise than the in-kind mateh. The more money CRRA raises, the more refugee elients ean be enrolled in the MG program. In turn, CRRA ean request more availability for its elients. Visit www.earolinarefligee.org to learn more about the ageney. Please send eheeks in eare of Ellen Dubin to 5007 Monroe Rd., Charlotte, NC 28205. ^ JCC Tributes BUTTERFLY PROJECT FUND In memory of Allen Orland from Judy and Stan August, Lee and Jeff Bierer, Elaine and Miehael Denenberg, Tammy and Ken Golder, Risa and David Miller MINDY ELLEN LEVINE DAY CAMP FUND In memory of Rita Mond from Debra and David Van Glish ^ A five-star preschool***** p»«i.coi on Jpsonsardls.org
March 1, 2012, edition 1
20
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75