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Our Story
Our Origin Story
Our efforts to "welcome the stranger" started in 2014 by founding a Legal Clinic that helps various types of voluntary & involuntary migrant newcomers with their individual legal ​process to remain in the United States. To this date (2024), We've been able to serve 1,060 families or individuals in these situations.
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Our Purpose
We partner with area churches to follow Christ’s call to Welcome the Stranger by providing key resettlement resources for immigrants & refugees in South Chicago & Northwest Indiana. Together, we advocate for both voluntary & involuntary migrant newcomers by providing legal & resettlement services, volunteer mobilization, & spiritual guidance so that they can build lives of grace & self-sufficiency.
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Lebanon
Since 2017, we've taken 4 trips​ to Lebanon partnering with Kids Alive Lebanon, a group supported by the Lebanese church welcoming the stranger in their context (Syrian refugees). Our hope with these trips is to cast vision & inspire us in our context to welcome the stranger better by seeing these issues as a global issue effecting everyone.
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Resettlement Services
We offer resettlement services to a variety of families coming from dangerous places. Our first family we served was from Iraq who we helped to settle in Valparaiso, Indiana in 2017. We were also a part of helping 50 Afghans be resettled after the fall of Kabul in 2021. We're very thankful for our partnerships with other organizations that allow us to serve vulnerable peoples in this capacity.
Volunteer Mobilization
In 2018, The Welcome Network started mobilizing a network of families, spanning from Valparaiso, IN to Oak Lawn, IL. These volunteers hosted newcomer families for weeks or months at a time while we also came alongside with legal aid.
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In 2020, with the partnership & vision of local churches, we purchased a home with 3 units in Lansing, IL that has allowed us to temporarily house asylum-seeking families from Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mexico, Ukraine, & Venezuela.
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Crisis Response
We’ve engaged in crisis relief (Afghans leaving Afghanistan in 2021, Ukrainians leaving Ukraine in 2022, & Venezuelans fleeing from Venezuela from 2023-Present) through a variety of means: resettlement services, family hosting, clothing drives, & more.
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Our Heartbeat
Volunteering is the heartbeat of The Welcome Network. It's how we breathe life into our project. We invite you to sign up for us. Whether it's coaching English, offering a ride, friendship, offering meals, temporary family hosting, & job networking.
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Together, we hope to foster a culture of dignity & belonging for our Father's Kingdom.
