Nonprofit Showcase: Carolina Refugee Resettlement Agency

“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,” are words we all recognize, scrawled across the Statue of Liberty at Ellis Island.

This search for freedom is something we consider inherently American, and one of the main reasons refugees seek the security of our nation.

As a reaction, resettlement agencies work to help those in need find their way to the land of the free.

One of these being the Carolina Refugee Resettlement Agency (CRRA), a 501(c)(3) organization that works as a part of the United States’ Refugee Resettlement Program.

The Mission

The CRRA believes that all refugees and asylum seekers deserve a chance to create successful, new lives in the USA.

Their mission is to welcome new arrivals and make them contributing and successful members of American society by:

• “Providing resettlement services to refugees and asylees who are escaping violence, persecution, and repression, without regard to their race, religion, nationality, ethnicity, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group.
• Connecting refugees and asylees to other service agencies in the Charlotte area.”

History

Started in 1996, the CRRA is an affiliate of the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS). Together, they’ve settled more than 3,000 refugees from 40 countries into the Charlotte metro area.

Recently, CRRA has resettled over 300 people from Bhutan, Burma, Iraq, and Somalia.

The goal of CRRA is to embrace Charlotte bound refugees, easing their transition from their troubled past to life in America.

No matter what nationality or religion, CRRA is here to help!

How They Help

Before a refugee sets foot in Charlotte, CRRA will furnish an apartment and stock it with food so that they have a safe place to call home.

After new arrivals reach Charlotte, CRRA picks them up from the airport and brings them to their new living space.

New arrivals receive help with tasks like obtaining social security cards, registering their children for school, and attending classes for English as a Second Language. The employment counselors will also match people with jobs they qualify for, so that they can provide for their family.

With additional grants and donations, CRRA is able to provide even more for clients as they settle into their new lives.

No matter what your nonprofit organization does, ExpressTaxExempt will always be here for your Form 990 filing needs. If you’re on a calendar year, your deadline is May 16th, 2016!

We’re thankful for the work Carolina Refugee Resettlement Agency does to help new Americans seeking safety!