Refugee Social Services

East African refugees arrive in Minnesota needing emergency housing, assistance in filing for public benefits and finding permanent housing, enrolling their children in school, finding employment, learning about immigration requirements and services, finding a primary physician and dentist, and learning how to navigate the many systems with which they will interact as they become settled in MN. AICS provides all of these services in Somali, Amharic, Arabic and English. These trauma-informed services are labor intensive as all of it is foreign to these new arrivals and not linguistically or culturally accessible. AICS staff help families to understand the cultural norms and societal expectations in Minnesota, orient them to public transportation and provide information and warm referral for services not provided at AICS.

Services

Here at AICS, we have Family Assisters that assist refugee families with immediate needs and help them get connected with all the right resources. Some services that our Family Assisters provide include:

  • County Assistance Navigation
  • Childcare Assistance
  • Housing search
  • Interpreting
  • Reading mail
  • ELL enrollment 
  • Energy assistance 
  • Youth activities
  • Drivers Ed Classes
  • Community Engagement 
  • Elder Care

 

Our Mission is to support the resettlement of refugees in Minnesota by helping meet their basic needs so that they can reach their highest potential. 

** Clients in need of a Family Assister at AICS must be a Refugee who has been in the United States for 5 years or less.**