DOJ-accredited Immigrant Legal Services Center
Planning to launch in the spring of 2027!
Our Department of Justice (DOJ)-Accredited Immigrant Legal Service (ILS) Center will launch in the spring of 2027, and we need your help to make this happen! Your gift will provide critical support for program development and service delivery capacity as fee-based revenue increases to a level sufficient for long-term sustainability, generally within three years. Would you consider becoming a patron of this new initiative to help refugees and immigrants in the Greater Louisville area receive the help they need?
The Reasons Why
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One of the most pressing concerns that most immigrants have is legal representation. Whether it is a desire to adjust their own status by applying for permanent residence or citizenship; petition for a relative to join them in Louisville by immigrating from their country of origin, or something else, the flourishing of immigrants in the United States requires legal assistance. Yet legal assistance is often costly. And because immigrants are new in our country, they often struggle to pay the legal fees associated with the above applications.
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To address this need, Refuge International is launching a Department Of Justice-accredited Immigrant Legal Services (ILS) center. The goal of this center is to offer greater access to high-quality, low-cost immigration legal services for immigrants across Greater Louisville. Though similar centers are currently operated by Catholic Charities and Kentucky Refugee Ministries, the ILS center at Refuge International will be the first of its kind in Louisville to be operated by a privately funded, church-based nonprofit.
The ILS will fulfill our mission by enabling us and our church partners to love immigrants by meeting one of their greatest felt needs, i.e., legal assistance. The ILS will be staffed by two DOJ-accredited legal representatives while other supplementary services will be offered by volunteers from local churches.
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The establishment of a DOJ-Accredited ILS Center is no small lift for our organization. It will mean the hiring of two additional staff members to serve as Site Director/Legal Rep and Secondary Legal Rep for the new center. Before the doors can open, significant training and networking among community partners and immigrant communities will be necessary. Dedicated space will need to be prepared in our office. Consequently, we are looking for some key patrons who would be willing to make significant investments in this worthy endeavor. If you would like to become a patron or have questions, contact Refuge executive director, Matt Reynolds (mattr@refugeintl.org).