Nearly half of the clients AWE serves are foreign-born survivors of human trafficking. Immigrants are especially vulnerable to human trafficking, and every year the US government identifies thousands of foreign-born victims. AWE is the largest provider of services to foreign-born survivors in Maryland. Most of the survivors we serve are children and young adults who urgently need financial support and medical and mental healthcare. While trafficking survivors are generally eligible for public benefits like Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), many survivors are unaware of their eligibility, or have difficulty accessing them due to bureaucratic obstacles and the complexities of their immigration status. Helping survivors navigate the systems is critical component of our work, but also very challenging. Clients enrolled in AWE’s trafficking program are eligible to receive public benefits using what is known as an Eligibility Letter issued by the Office of Trafficking in Persons (OTIP). The letter certifies that the client is a trafficking survivor and therefore eligible for services like case management and public benefits. However, to apply for benefits and access medical care, a survivor must also have a non-working Social Security Number (SSN). But to get the Social Security Number, they need to apply for and receive a formal letter from the Department of Social Services explaining why they need the number. They can then use the letter from DSS, along with their Eligibility Letter to apply for the Social Security Number at the Social Security Administration. While these steps may look straightforward on paper, the process can take a long time. Alma* is a minor trafficking survivor who lives with her younger sisters and her mom, Iris.* Alma urgently needed a Social Security Number so she could access public benefits and receive medical and mental health care. So, Alma’s mother and I (Alma’s caseworker) began the long and complicated application process. First, we gathered documents to submit to DSS so that they could write a letter that we could take to the Social Security Administration. To get the letter from DSS, we had to prove that Alma was eligible for a Social Security Number because she’s a trafficking survivor. However, most government agencies haven’t worked with foreign-born trafficking survivors, and they’ve never seen an Eligibility Letter. Without a lot of advocacy efforts on our part, DSS might reject the case and we’d have to start all over. Alma’s mother and I went to DSS in person to explain the uniqueness of the case. After a lot of back and forth, DSS provided the letter we needed, and we headed to the Social Security Administration. We’d already jumped through many hurdles, but we were prepared to advocate all over again. However, this time, the Social Security Officer took the letter, typed a few notes, and handed us a receipt. “Your card will arrive in two weeks,” she said. Alma’s Social Security Number application took less than 15 minutes. Iris and I were so surprised and started crying from excitement. We’d finally experienced a small win. Afterwards, Alma, Iris, and I celebrated over dinner. A week later, Iris texted to tell me that the Social Security card had arrived in the mail. With her Social Security number, Alma’s benefits application was approved. Additionally, she was enrolled in the Maryland Child Care Scholarship Program, which allows her to access before and after school programming. As small as the non-working Social Security Number may seem, it holds so much relief for survivors and families like Alma’s, and allows them to begin rebuilding their lives.

One chilly morning in November, Rosaline* came to AWE’s office. She was seven months pregnant, recently arrived in the US, and sleeping on a sofa at the small home of a relative of a friend who needed her out immediately. She needed healthcare, immigration legal assistance, food, and – very urgently – housing. AWE enrolled Rosaline as a client and over the next 24 hours we scrambled to find emergency housing for her. We contacted shelters, volunteers and churches trying to find a safe and comfortable place for Rosaline. We also gave Rosaline a gift card so she could buy food. The next day she called me in the afternoon. She was buying groceries at an African grocery store, and she’d just run into a childhood friend from her home country of Cameroon named Alice*! When Alice learned that Rosaline had recently arrived in the US, she told her, “You need to go to AWE. They will help you.” Rosaline explained that she had in fact gone to AWE the day before, and then asked me, “Do you know Alice?” “Yes!” I laughed, “I know Alice!” Alice is a former client who came to AWE years ago as a pregnant woman herself. She had lived in AWE housing, participated in AWE’s Day Program and received holistic case management services. Rosaline handed Alice the phone and we spent a few minutes catching up. Then Alice said, “Rosaline can come stay with me in my home.” I spoke with Rosaline to see if she was okay with this plan, and she said she would be very happy to stay with Alice while we worked on finding other options. Later that day, I messaged Alice and thanked her for offering Rosaline emergency housing. “I am honored to do this,” she said. “AWE did this for me, let me do this for AWE.” During Rosaline’s first week as an AWE client, she attended the first prenatal care and testing appointment of her pregnancy. She also received groceries, diapers, clothing, and items for her coming baby from AWE, and she attended ESL and other classes as a part of AWE’s Day Program. Over the next few weeks Alice opened her home to Rosaline, gave her bed to sleep in, and welcomed her into her home, while AWE worked with Rosaline to secure long-term housing. We are so grateful to Alice for her willingness to open her home, and the reminder that our big world is really, sometimes, very small in the most wonderful and surprising ways. *Names changed to protect client privacy.

Last spring, the federal government formally brought the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE), and all associated programs and exemptions, to an end. Many of the exemptions implemented at the start of the pandemic were put in place to make it easier for people to access public benefits like the Supplement Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Medicaid. These benefits became even more critical to low-income individuals and families due to inflation, rising food costs, and employer-tied health insurance. The expiration of Public Health Emergency resulted in drastic decreases in monthly food and cash benefits, restrictions on Medicaid eligibility for immigrants, and the reinstating of pre-pandemic application requirements such as redeterminations and mandatory eligibility interviews. These factors made benefits access and retainment significantly more difficult for AWE clients, while also further complicating the process for all benefits applicants across the state, regardless of immigration status. In light of these changes, AWE’s Food Access and Outreach Coordinator spent the second half of 2023 collaborating with other Maryland-based SNAP community-based organizations to advocate for a more equitable benefits application process that is person-centered and straight-forward. AWE also organized meetings with multiple Department of Health Services (DHS) representatives, including Maryland’s new DHS Secretary Rafael Lopez, to discuss the issues that we and our clients experience daily. As a result of these meetings, AWE’s Food Access and Outreach Coordinator was invited to contribute to DHS’s new website dedicated specifically to language access, which is currently under development. She was also asked to lead a presentation on immigrant benefits eligibility to twelve hundred DHS staff members at a DHS statewide training. Additionally, the government recently decided to waive the mandatory interview requirement as part of the application process, removing a significant barrier for those with limited English proficiency and access to technology. While these accomplishments may seem small, they are already demonstrating a substantial impact on benefits access for our clients. In 2024 we are expanding our Food Access Program to include a Johns Hopkins University Source Scholar and a part time food access and outreach assistant. These changes will allow us to increase our capacity and reach more people. AWE is committed to advocating for our clients and working to ensure people can access the benefits and nutritious, culturally appropriate food they are entitled to.

‘Tis the season, and at AWE we are busy preparing for our annual holiday event! For many AWE clients, this will be their first holiday season in the United States. Many are far from family and friends, and they don’t have the resources and support to celebrate. Each year, AWE hosts a holiday party and gift distribution event, in the hopes of creating a sense of community and celebration for our clients. With the help of volunteers, we turn AWE’s community room into a holiday ‘shopping center’, with gifts lined up along the walls. The event is a potluck, and volunteers, clients, staff, and partners are invited to share a meal, make holiday crafts, play games, and celebrate the holidays together. Ocan, an AWE client, had only been in the US for a few weeks when he attended our 2022 holiday event. “We were very new [to the country] at that time, and we did not know what to expect at the holidays” he recalls. “The event was a very nice surprise for us.” This year we hope to provide gifts for every asylum seeker and trafficking survivor enrolled in our services. However, we are serving more clients than ever before, as the need for our services continually grows. This means that we hope to provide gifts to more clients than in previous years. We rely on generous donations from supporters, partners, and community organizations to provide these gifts. This holiday season, help bring holiday joy to AWE clients by donating gifts or volunteering at our holiday gift event and potluck. Please contact Rachel Braver at rachel@asyleewomen.org for more information about how to donate gifts, or Jane Keller at jane@asyleewomen.org to volunteer with us. You can also shop from our Amazon Holiday Wishlist . Wishing you a very happy holidays from all of us at AWE!

By Rachel Braver AWE has organized a 5K Run and Walk fundraiser every year for the last ten years. Originally part of the Baltimore Running Festival, we began independently hosting the race at the beautiful Herring Run Park during the COVID-19 pandemic. The race is a fun opportunity for clients, staff, and volunteers to come together and support the organization. Historically, however, race turnout has been low. But this year, we’re hoping to change that. Late last fall, AWE enrolled a client named Ocan in our services. Ocan, who fled political persecution in Uganda, began accessing many of our services, and quickly became a familiar and welcome face at the office. He started attending our Day Program, began receiving medical care through our partnership with the HEAL Refugee Health and Asylum Collaborative , and moved into housing through our partnership with the Asylum Seeker Housing Network . One day at an AWE community lunch, Ocan sat by Laura, AWE’s Executive Director, and talked about his love of sports. He mentioned that he used to organize races for the Ugandan government and pulled up photos from some of the races he organized. Many of the races were attended by tens of thousands of people from across East Africa. When Laura told him about AWE’s annual 5K, he quickly asked how he could help. Over the last few months, Ocan has participated in AWE’s 5K Planning Committee. He’s been critical to our race planning efforts - helping AWE identify race sponsors, suggesting pre- and post-race activities, measuring the race path at Herring Run Park, and creating detailed lists of ways we can make the race a success. Ocan has high hopes for the 5K this year and in coming years. “Maybe this year we can get the mayor to come, then next year the governor, and the year after that the president.” His long-term plan for the race? “My dream is that the AWE 5K will be so big in five years, we will have to shut down a whole street for the race.” Not a runner? Ocan says it doesn’t matter. “You don’t have to run, just come and be a part of AWE. To me and to AWE, running is not the important thing - the important thing is people coming together. Come support AWE because AWE supports others.” AWE’s 5K is set for October 21st, and with Ocan’s help, we think it’ll be our biggest race ever. We hope you’ll join us! Sign up for the race here:

By Laura Brown Last autumn, Pierre* showed up at AWE. He’d fled persecution in Central Africa, taken a flight to South America, and made the long and dangerous journey to the US/Mexico border. Once in the US, he found his way to Baltimore, where he’d heard there were resources for ayslum seekers. Pierre didn't speak English and had never been in the US. He didn't have money or a place to live. So, AWE contacted the Asylum Seekers Housing Network (ASHN) to see if they could help. ASHN provides housing for asylum seekers at a large home in Northwest Baltimore-called the Reservoir Hill House of Peace (RHHP) . A ministry of the North Baltimore Mennonite Church, RHHP is an intentional community for people of all cultures and faiths, including asylum seekers. ASHN and AWE have partnered for years, and dozens of asylum seekers have found shelter, safety, and community at RHHP Baltimore has a well-documented shortage of affordable housing. The challenges of accessing housing are compounded for asylum seekers who are usually barred from working in the US for months and sometimes years. Many resort to overcrowded, unsanitary, and unsafe spaces without the protections of a lease. ASHN provides transitional housing to asylum seekers referred by AWE. With stable housing, clients can focus on applying for asylum and taking care of their mental and physical health. All residents receive case management services from AWE, and toiletries, clothing, and groceries. They also receive a stipend from ASHN to help them meet their basic needs and begin saving for a place of their own. ASHN interviewed Pierre and agreed he was a good fit for residency at RHHP. AWE helped him move in a few days later. Pierre has quickly acclimated himself to life in his new home. He helps with renovations to the house, attends services at the North Baltimore Mennonite Church, explores the surrounding neighborhoods on foot, and plays basketball and soccer with other residents. The number of asylum seekers in the US is growing rapidly, as record numbers of people are forced to flee violence, conflict, and persecution in their home countries and seek protection in the US. Many, like Pierre, make their way to Maryland with no connections and few resources. Although AWE’s capacity to provide housing is limited, organizations like ASHN make it possible for many asylum seekers to find stability, safety, welcome, and community in their new country. *Name changed to protect our client's privacy. Donate here and help asylum seekers access safe and affordable housing!

By Beth Watkins and Laura Brown July 10, 2023 “Hola! Mi amigo!” We hear these words often around AWE, particularly on Day Program mornings as clients arrive for classes or during lunch when staff, clients, and volunteers share a meal together in our community dining room. But during AWE’s Day Program celebration last month, the words stood out, as Andre,* a client from Central Africa who doesn’t speak Spanish, greeted his Central America classmates with the Spanish phrase, a handshake, and a hug. Over the last several months, Andre has built relationships with other AWE clients from all over the world through AWE’s Day Program. Despite speaking different languages and coming from different cultures, countries, and backgrounds, they’ve developed friendships and connections, helping one another navigate their new lives in America. AWE’s Day Program runs three days a week and includes a range of classes, activities, and workshops. Classes include ESL, parenting, and digital and financial literacy, and are taught by volunteers, staff, and clients participating in AWE’s client leadership program. Other activities include field trips, public transit orientations, community gardening, therapeutic bodywork, group therapy, community celebrations, and library tours. In between classes, AWE staff, clients, and volunteers share a hot lunch. At the end of each season, we host a Day Program celebration. Clients receive certificates recording the hours they attended class, and awards for those who attended the most. This spring celebration was particularly special – clients and their children enjoyed food in our courtyard garden, took pictures together, and congratulated each other on their achievements. Clients didn’t cluster together in language groups. Instead, they intermingled, joked with each other in shared English or the bits of Spanish, French, and other languages they’d picked up from one another. Everyone happily posed for pictures with a client who has hearing and visual impairments, and limited ability to communicate, and whom the AWE community has warmly embraced. When a Cameroonian mother of nine month-year old twins left early to attend a medical appointment, clients took turns holding and feeding the babies in her absence. A male 19-year-old Honduran client pushed one of the twins in a stroller until she fell asleep. Community is one of AWE’s core values, and something we talk about a lot. We believe that by connecting with one another, we’re able to achieve more than we could alone. Through our Day Program and other services, we strive to create a safe and welcoming space for people all ages, ethnicities, cultures, and backgrounds to create community with each other while accessing the support and resources they need to navigate a new country and culture. *Name changed to protect the privacy of our client.

June 11, 2023 By Beth Watkins, Program Director In 2022, as AWE looked for ways to expand our community connection services, the Community Mentor Program was born. The Community Mentor Program provides AWE clients individualized, ongoing connection and interaction with a member of the larger community and gives them an extra layer of support on their journey to stability and self-sufficiency. Sibyl Snow, a longtime mentor to refugees and the AWE volunteer who helped kickstart the program, believes that at its heart, mentoring is about human connection – a caring that goes both ways. Mentoring is important, Sibyl says, because “no one should feel alone on their journey.” Nasreen, an AWE volunteer and community mentor, knows what it’s like to be alone in a new country, and deeply appreciated the people who took her in as family while she was making the US her home. That experience made Nasreen want to be a community mentor at AWE. Nasreen and her mentee, Alina, have spent a lot of time together over the past few months – picnicking, driving practice, career planning, and exploring Baltimore with Alina’s two children. One of Alina’s favorite experiences with Nasreen was visiting an art museum and getting lunch together. It was a “classy and aristocratic time,” recalls Alina. Last November, Nasreen invited Alina to her home to experience her first Thanksgiving with Nasreen and her family. Alina describes the experience with emotion: “When you are alone in the US and don’t have your family it is so hard, but [Nasreen] makes me feel I have a family here and I’m not alone.” Nasreen believes that being a community mentor is about reaching a level of comfort with your mentee, so they feel comfortable reaching out for help. Nasreen enjoys helping Alina understand her new home and navigate a new country and culture. For example, when Alina began driving in the US, she didn’t know how to get gas, as station attendants pump gas for drivers in her home country. So, she called Nasreen, who happily walked her through the process. “I am really so happy to know this amazing woman in my life,” Alina shares. Another AWE community mentor, Nma Okafor, is an immigrant herself and understands how difficult it is to transition into a new country. She makes it a priority to check in on her mentee often, and when they get together, they spend most of their time talking, practicing English, and connecting. Margaret Colleluori, a longtime AWE volunteer, mentors a young woman who lives outside AWE’s normal service area and is extremely socially isolated. They spend a lot of time talking about American life – holidays, work culture, and even dating. Laura Speer was excited for the chance to use her Spanish and help a new member of our community feel welcome. Laura, her mentee, and her mentee’s daughter spend time at her mentee’s home and practice English. The experience has helped Laura better understand what the asylum and immigration process is like for families and why AWE’s work is so important. While the Community Mentor Program is just beginning, we look forward to expanding it over the coming months and supporting more AWE clients as they acclimate to their new country and rebuild their lives in Maryland. We’re so grateful for our community mentors, and the many, many others, who help us welcome our newest neighbor's home.