Dear friends,
Thursday, February 6th was one of the hardest days I’ve experienced in my time at Mission Adelante. We had to let go of our entire refugee resettlement team– seven dedicated employees, who had worked, loved, and given their all to serve the 171 refugees we had welcomed over the last 12 months. As you probably know, on January 24th funding was abruptly cut specifically for the Reception and Placement Program, which used to help newly arrived refugees with housing, food and other necessities during their first 90 days in the country. For the last couple of weeks, funding for our other refugee services (Employment services, English Language classes, Health Care navigation, etc.) has been in limbo because of the general freeze on federal grants. On Thursday, we heard from the Kansas State Office of Refugees, informing us that they had still not been able to access federal funds to reimburse our January program expenses. In total, unreimbursed January expenses from all federal refugee programs we were contracted to execute exceeded $123,000. We have not counted out the possibility of receiving these reimbursements in the future, but without a guarantee, we were simply unable to continue incurring expenses for these programs at this full capacity.
The generous outpouring of support through the Love Mercy Initiative has been very important, allowing us to offer a modest severance package to our refugee team members and also ensuring that we can continue assisting newly arrived refugees with rent, food, and other basic necessities through their initial 90 days in the country. We are so grateful for this support! In the middle of this painful season, your generosity has been a beautiful picture of the love of Christ.
Mission Adelante will continue some ongoing services to refugee families, though with a reduced capacity. Our English Language classes for refugees will continue on Monday evenings and, in some manner, on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. We will continue offering walk-in hours, staffed by volunteers and staff, to help with practical needs, resources, and questions. And, we will continue to provide some support in the search for employment opportunities and with healthcare navigation, as we are able. Many of the refugee families we have welcomed have become part of the Mission Adelante church community, where they are now connected with a supportive and loving community that will help them find their way in this new land.
In the coming weeks and months, Mission Adelante will certainly need your support, whether through volunteering, praying or through financial contributions. We’re thankful you’re in this with us!
Sincerely,
Jarrett Meek, Founder/Pastor/Executive Director
Some of the members of our Resettlement Team