ABOUT US
Limitless is a platform to help integrate refugees into the Charlotte community. We want to create a simple, all-in-one resource hub for refugees and new immigrants to access information about the community. We want to continue the resettlement process and pick up where the federal agencies leave off. Federal resettlement agencies really focus on financial and legal resettlement help for refugees, and we found that there was a gap where refugees weren’t getting as much cultural integration or mental support afterwards. We want to create an initiative that steps in to pick up that work and sustain support for the refugees.
We have partnered with the Carolina Refugee Resettlement Agency to broaden our reach and help as many refugees in the area as possible. We believe in the importance of community and the power of integration to make the Charlotte area stronger as a whole. Accepting and welcoming refugees into our area benefits all parties involved as newly arrived refugees are extended community support and the local community familiarizes itself with its new neighbors.
Being a Refugee
Who Refugees Are
A refugee is a person who has been forced to leave their country in order to escape war, persecution, repression, political turbulence or natural disaster. The people holding a refugee status can become permanent residents and can become citizens.
Refugees are often confused with asylum seekers or immigrants. While these groups' needs are equally important, there are clear distinctions.
Asylum seekers flee from persecution or violence whereas refugees have been directly given refugee status. The root cause of emigration differentiates refugees from immigrants. Refugees leave for a reasonable fear while immigrants can leave for any reason.
Challenges Refugees Face
> The language barrier restricts refugees from communicating with others.
> Minimum-wage jobs are often all refugees can settle for.
> Refugees can struggle accessing higher education as they are tied with supporting their families.
In addition, refugees face stigma when they enter the country, due to their differences. Refugees can be ostracized for their cultural differences and belittled for their characteristics.
Moreover, refugee support organizations focus on supporting the financial and occupational needs of refugees, while their psychological needs are largely neglected. Refugees can experience PTSD because of their traumatic experiences in their homelands or in refugee camps. Moreover, refugees can experience depressive symptoms as they resettle, while refugee children are even more susceptible.
The Importance of Refugees
Some oppose that accepting refugees causes several issues for society, ranging from taking jobs from "real" Americans to ruining American culture. However, refugees offer a wide range of benefits to society. They stimulate the economy as more and more people are entering the workforce, they bring novel skill sets and knowledge from their homeland, and they enrich community culture.
The Integration Process
Physical Journey
The journey to a better life can be long and dangerous. Some refugees are fortunate enough to walk or drive to a neighboring country, while others may have an ocean standing in their way. Most places in the world allow refugees to come without any aid or documentation, but there is always a risk of being intercepted in which case they may be forced to return to their homeland.
Finding a Home
Reasonable Fear
Legal Acceptance
Settling into the Community
Refugee agencies will help the clients find housing, set up their lodgings, enroll in school/courses, and locate healthcare.
Refugees flee from their countries due to fear of persecution for reasons of race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership in a particular social group. War and ethnic, tribal and religious violence are leading causes of refugees fleeing their countries.
Refugee cases are taken by federally appointed refugee resettlement agencies who help them apply for permanent residency and all other legal procedures.
Other volunteer organizations step up and offer donations and services to further acclimate the newly arrived refugees with their community.