We provide newly arrived refugees with a safe home where they learn to cope with the stress of adjusting to their new life.
These refugees have survived persecution and many have spent decades living in a refugee camp. They come from Eritrea, Burma, Iraq, Congo, and Bhutan. They are widowed mothers, families who have lost children, and adults who have been tortured. All have had to flee their countries of origin and are being offered an opportunity to start their lives over. The down economy has made the hope of a peaceful and self-sufficient life even further away for these individuals and homelessness is a risk.
Welcome House provides a supportive learning environment that will help refugees cope with the stress of adjusting to their new life. Refugees will receive employment counseling and extensive orientation to life in Philadelphia and the US.
Refugees will move beyond the learned helplessness they acquired living camps and feel confident leading self sufficient lives. The goal is to help them feel they can become active members of their new community.
This project has provided additional documentation in a Microsoft Excel file (projdoc.xls).
