Chicago nonprofits helping asylum seekers build new lives in the U.S.
CHICAGO (CBS) -- As city officials continue working to provide temporary shelter to thousands of migrants who have arrived in Chicago over the past year, neighborhood organizations are rolling up their sleeves and doing the work to provide many other services.
Belmont Cragin-based Onward Neighborhood House has been helping recently arrived asylum seekers learn to speak English, alongside other students in the nonprofit's classes.
It's one of the ways Onward Neighborhood House helps people build new lives in the United States, including asylum seeker Greicer Pina, who came to Chicago from Venezuela along with her son and husband.
Pina arrived about a year ago on one of the first buses from Texas to bring migrants to Chicago, on the heels of the long trip from her native Venezuela. Right away, Onward went to work helping the family.
"They are a blessing for us, because they help with the children, with information, with all the things, with housing," Pina said through an interpreter.
"This is where they have someone that speaks the language, that look like them, that can then say 'What do you need?'" said Onward executive director Mario Garcia. "It's often the first time where there's someone where they can really … open up and unburden themselves about all the struggles they have come through."
Onward Neighborhood House traces its roots back to 1893, when a church pivoted to offering services to new immigrants. Now it's a welcoming center.
"It's a place that people feel trusted, in particular the new immigrants. They have trouble all the way from South America, where they have been seen as a commodity," Garcia said.
From the very beginning of the current immigration crisis, Onward Neighborhood House was on the front lines.
"We were there when the first two buses came," Garcia said.
Today, Onward Neighborhood House serves about 14,000 people, offering emergency help like food and clothing; long-term services like daycare, education, and citizenship classes; and even medical help.
"Whoever comes here that needs support, we're here for them," Garcia said.
Their support is transforming thousands of lives, like those of Pina and her family.
"Thanks to Onward House, we have now a place to live, we have an apartment. The social worker helped me to find a school for my son," Pina said.
Onward Neighborhood House is mostly funded by grants from the state and federal governments, but it also relies on donations from foundations, corporations, and people who just want to help.