Empowering the lives of newcomers
God Is Good provides a wide-range of services and programs that help meet the need of refugees, immigrants, and asylum-seekers. We arrange for housing, food and clothing, and case management. We also provide education, employment training, health services, and more. Our goal with each service and program is to provide our clients with the tools and information they need to be successful in their new life in America. Eligibility for services ranges from 90 days to up to 5 years after arrival in the United States.
Reception and Placement
During the first 90 days of a refugee’s arrival, a God Is Good Foundation case manager works with the newcomers to meet basic needs such as housing, furniture, food, and clothing.
God Is Good also coordinates other case management services such as health screenings, school enrollments, social security appointments, transportation and interpreters.
We provide 15 cultural orientation classes which cover topics such as the Importance of English, US Laws, Healthcare and more.
English Language classes are taught and focuses on what a refugee would need to know to help them find, achieve and sustain employment.
Since most of our refugees do not drive, God Is Good Foundation offers a Driver’s Education class with video practice sessions.
Employment Services
Employment services are available to all refugees for their first five years in America and it is crucial to promoting their self-sufficiency. Our employment services include: individualized mapping of employment goals and skills, resume writing and interview prep, employment skills training, assistance with job placement, follow up with employers and job upgrades.
God is Good introduces refugees to the US workplace culture through orientation topics which cover how to find a job, applications and interviews, employer expectations, time management, proper hygiene, punctuality, as well as American verbal and non-verbal communication styles.
Cultural Orientation
Our CORE classes are designed to teach practical English language skills as well as the skills needed to help newcomers adjust to life in the U.S. These include completing job applications, writing checks, filling a prescription, reporting a problem to the landlord, and interviewing for a job.
Led by God Is Good Foundation staff and volunteers, CORE classes meet three mornings a week at our office. Students are divided into groups based on English proficiency so that all students are studying at an appropriate level.
In addition, all clients complete a 4 day Cultural Orientation training in which they learn basic information about life in America. Topics include Housing, Transportation, Community Services, Budgeting and Finance, US Laws, Cultural Adjustment, Education, Employment, Health, and Safety.
During their first 90 days clients also receive an in-person bus training as well as intensive training on Employment readiness and financial literacy.
Mental and Emotional Wellness
For Refugees: Given the diverse backgrounds and beliefs of refugees, our mental wellness programs aim to respond to the mental health concerns of refugees in a way that is linguistically appropriate and culturally sensitive.
This program is necessary due to a growing number of refugees who have experienced trauma before arriving to this country.
All adult clients are screened for mental wellness upon arrival. Once mental health needs are identified God Is Good works with local mental health partners to address these needs or provides linkage and referral services.
For Caregivers: God Is Good Foundation also knows that the mental and emotional wellness of those who provide care to refugees is important. We seek to promote self-care among providers and to reduce the incidence of emotional burnout sometimes known as “compassion fatigue.” God Is Good works with local agencies to provide resources and trainings to community partners on best practices in providing the refugee community with mental and emotional wellness services.
Women’s and Youth Programs
God Is Good Foundation provides services tailored to the unique needs of both women and of youth.
Our Women’s Program, Bloom, is targeted at increasing the ability of both women and girls to gain confidence, promote economic self-sufficiency, education and empowerment and provides supportive resources and referrals for community services.
Our youth program, Infinite, provides services that assist refugee youth with gaining the skills to make a successful transition from childhood to adulthood with the recognition that refugee youth face the significant challenge of simultaneously navigating two distinct cultures.
Infinite provides youth cultural orientation, school tours, homework help, summer fun, integration activities and more.