Cultural Services for Immigrants and Refugees

Minnesota provides many resources to help newcomers to America adjust to life in here.

Below is a list of services that encourage immigrant and refugee participation. Many provide translation and interpreter services.

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1. African

   African Development Center (ADC)
   Provides support to African-owned businesses. Offers financial literacy education to Africans living in Minnesota. Seeks out new opportunities in home ownership for African immigrants.

   Somali Education Center
   Provides bilingual instruction. Also provides tutoring in math, science, English, and other subjects for children in kindergarten through the first year of college, their parents, and other members of the Somali community.




2. Asian

   Hmong American Partnership (HAP)
   Helps Hmong adults with computer and English language skills. Helps them find and maintain jobs. Works to prevent the involvement of Hmong youth in drugs and crime, while helping to improve their academic achievement. It helps Hmong parents understand and adapt to U.S. parenting systems. It also supports the elders who experience loneliness and loss of purpose in their resettlement in the United States.

   Hmong American Mutual Assistance Association (HAMAA)
   Provides MFIP-related services and work placement assistance to the Hmong-Americans in the Twin Cities. Helps Southeast Asian immigrants become homeowners, reduce the truancy and delinquency of Hmong youth, and improve employability, career development, and academic skills of youth.

   Hmong Cultural Center
   Promotes the personal development of children, youth, and adults in the Twin Cities through Hmong cultural education. Provides resources that enhance cross-cultural understanding.

   Hmong National Development, Inc. (HND)
   Works with local and national organizations, public and private entities, and individuals to promote educational opportunities, increase community capacity, and develop resources for the well-being, growth, and full participation of Hmong in society. A regional listing of Minnesota-based Hmong organizations is provided.

   Karen Organization of Minnesota
   Provides support for Karen refugees in Minnesota. This includes social services, employment counseling, and outreach services.

   Lao Family Community of Minnesota
   Helps Hmong families overcome barriers to self-sufficiency. Helps individuals who have lost their jobs due to plant closings or who were self-employed (including farmers and ranchers) and are now unemployed.

   Southeast Asian Refugee Community Home (SEARCH)
   Helps African and Southeast Asian refugees become self-sufficient and integrate into American society while retaining cultural values and traditions. They offer employment services, refugee social services, immigrant youth intervention services, and health services.

   Vietnamese Social Services of Minnesota
   Dedicated to maintaining the identity of the Minnesota Vietnamese community. Addresses the basic economic, educational, and health needs of refugees and immigrants statewide.




3. Latino

   Comunidades Latinas Unidas en Servicio (CLUES) - Latino Resource Center
   Recognized as a leading source of culturally-specific materials for the Spanish-speaking community. Works to prevent alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs abuse in the Hispanic community. The center is located in Minneapolis and St. Paul. It has certified staff in the drug prevention field.

   Chicano Latino Affairs Council (CLAC)
   Advises the governor and the state legislature on the issues of importance to Minnesota's Chicano Latino community. Serves as an information and referral agency for Chicano Latinos to connect to government agencies and community-based organizations to address their concerns, which range from immigration and education to discrimination and social welfare.

   Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Minnesota
   Provides training, technical assistance, workforce development, homeownership counseling, financial literacy, and other resources to Latino individuals and entrepreneurs.




4. Multi-cultural

   Catholic Charities Migration and Refugee Services
   Services to Spanish-speaking individuals and families include employment services for refugees and asylees through Project RISE (Refugees in Search of Employment), case management, and refugee resettlement services.

   Center for Victims of Torture (CVT)
   Helps torture survivors regain control over their lives and heal from symptoms of torture, which may include mild to severe physical, mental, and spiritual suffering. Each survivor works with a team of care providers including doctors, nurses, psychologists, social workers, massage therapists, and physical therapists.

   Centre for Asians and Pacific Islanders (CAPI)
   Assists Southeast Asian and East African immigrants and refugees in becoming self-sufficient and contributing members of the community. The agency's employees collectively speak 10 languages and offer services from several Minneapolis locations.

   Hennepin County Office of Multi-Cultural Services
   Delivers accessible, efficient, and cost-effective services to their community's multicultural residents. This includes information about health, housing, and social services for immigrants and others who are recent arrivals to this county. Coordinates multicultural service delivery across county departments and in collaboration with community partners.

   International Institute of Minnesota
   Provides a center for information, develops fellowship, promotes the welfare of foreign-born populations and their families, and preserves and stimulates intercultural values.

   Immigration in Minnesota
   Offers a comprehensive overview of immigration to the state. The website includes a history of immigration, contributions by immigrants, and specific information about Latino, African, Asian, and other immigration groups.

   Jewish Family Service of St. Paul
   Provides services for the unemployed and underemployed. Also provides services to adults, families, and children needing better coping skills and to refugees and frail elder. Major programs include counseling, a vocational improvement program, senior services, resettlement services, and bilingual information and referral.

   Minnesota Council of Churches
   Provides programs for refugees. These include housing, employment services, assistance with citizenship, and education.