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and the Nashville Adult Literacy Council provide
a variety of one-on-one and classroom tutoring to
non-native English speakers.
Offering Immigration Services
When refugees arrive in America, they receive
monetary assistance from the government to
adjust to their new life. That money is rarely
enough for a family, and it does not last long.
NICE offers cash assistance programs to help
their clients while they look for employment—and
helps clients find work as quickly as possible
while addressing barriers such as transportation
and childcare.
Access to affordable health care is necessary
for a family to achieve financial stability. If their
children are sick, parents can’t go to work to
provide for their families. According to Siloam
Health, foreign-born neighbors have higher
rates of being uninsured than those born in the
United States. That’s why free and affordable
medical services can be critical to help a family
stay healthy and achieve economic prosperity.
Siloam’s Nashville Neighbors program relies
on volunteers to walk alongside a new refugee
family for six months, teaching them basic
health lessons while building deeper
relationships and community.
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Unite d Way of Greater Nas h v i l l e
Supporting our Neighbors
through Education
NICE provides intergenerational, comprehensive
education from early childhood to high school.
While parents are learning English as a second
language, preschool and elementary-aged children
enjoy activities and lessons to promote school and
reading readiness. NICE partners with two middle
schools to explore art therapy, teach English
and work to mitigate the effects of interrupted
education and cultural and language-based
barriers. For high school students, NICE works in
the classroom to provide direct support services.
Our partners also support New Americans as they
learn to navigate the Tennessee school system by
offering professional development for teachers,
representing and advocating for our families
across the district and offering school orientation
for all new arrivals.
Teaching English as a Second Language
New neighbors who can’t speak, read or write in
English are going to struggle to find employment,
help their children in school, navigate the legal
system—and so much more. Conexión Américas
Understanding a complex legal system can
seem impossible, especially for someone who
struggles to speak the language. Our partners
empower our new neighbors by helping them
navigate citizenship, work authorization and
family reunification. We do this by offering Board
of Immigration Appeals-accredited services such
as completing and filing immigration forms,
interpretation, consultation services, immigration
case follow-up and notary public. Nations
Ministry’s citizenship journey program helps
refugees acquire green cards and eventually U.S.
citizenship by providing application preparation,
civics classes, interview coaching and more
to help refugees remain legal immigrants and
become U.S. citizens.
Advocating for Immigrant Rights
A major component of our work in supporting
new neighbors is making sure they know
their rights.
So many parents live in fear of deportation—
terrified that a trip to the grocery store could
mean permanent separation from their families.
With the help of experts and attorneys, Conexión
Américas helps families understand their
rights and create an emergency plan in case of
detention or deportation, complete with notarized
powers of attorney for care of their children if
they are separated.
U nited Way of Greater Nas h ville
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