Church World Service
PROGRAMS
Ukrainian Support Services (USS)
Funded by the California Department of Social Services and the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), the program supports Ukrainians affected by the recent crises. The CWS OC team provides case management to help clients access public benefits and private resources, such as health insurance, free to low-cost housing solutions, and employment referrals. The OC Resettlement unit assists crises impacted households in 2023 with its multi-cultural and multi-lingual staff team that represent the ethnicities and nationalities composition of the target population. Case Management services include but are not limited to: Emergency housing Referrals to Refugee Health Clinics Food assistance and referrals to community food banks Referrals to SSA and help with applications for public benefits (CalWORKs, RCA, CalFresh, Medical) Help with children’s school enrollment and adult enrollment in ESL classes Community referrals to employment services, career development, ESL classes, transportation, social security card applications, DL/ID Help with identifying and navigating affordable programs for low-income individuals and families Referrals to CWS in-house Immigration services Referrals to relevant CWS and Community workshops In-house interpretation and translation services
Since the beginning of the program earlier this year, CWS OC served 465 Ukrainians through its USS program.
By Your Side: Legal Support for Immigrants
Church World Service (CWS) in partnership with the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) welcomes all people fleeing Ukraine as a result of the Russian invasion, including vulnerable population, refugees, immigrants, parolees and asylees. In the scope of By Your Side: Legal and Social Support for Ukrainians Project, we provide assistance to families and individuals by offering the following services: • Immigration legal services: o Temporary protected status o Family-based petitions o Asylum o Refugee o U4U Program o Employment Authorization Document • Social support services: o Housing and cash assistance o Food, electricity, transportation and other types of assistance o Referral to social and medical services o Assistance with applications for cash assistance, Cal-works, food stamps and Medi-cal o Assistance with social security card and driver’s license o Referrals to English classes and school enrollment
Since the beginning of project implementation in January 2023, Church World Service Orange County office (CWS OC) has served over 150 individuals, providing one-on-one initial consultations with clients, followed by screening, and detailed needs assessment. The services include support with Employment Authorization Documents (EAD) application, as well as Asylum and Temporary Protected Status (TPS) applications. Several family immigration applications are currently in process and will be submitted to USCIS later this year.
The response to project activities has been overwhelmingly positive in Orange County. CWS OC established partnerships with several social services agencies and community-based organizations with the goal of informing partners about project activities and establishing a referral network. Client-focused flyers in English and Ukrainian languages have been designed and disseminated among potential target groups and at each public event attended by CWS OC. In addition, CWS OC has been maintaining active presence on social media channels, reaching out directly to Ukrainian community groups and individuals with several posts a week, including those in Ukrainian language. Clients in need of immigration legal services feel supported by the project and grateful for the services available to them.
CONTACT
Church World Service
7441 Lincoln Way
Suite 250
Garden Grove, California 92841
Anna Dira
Phone: 7142964224