Advocacy for Refugees, Immigrants, and Limited English Speakers (RIL)
The RIL Team includes multilingual staff members who work at two levels – assisting individual clients on-site and in the community and working for system improvements.
The RIL Team assists survivors who are refugees, immigrants, and limited English speakers through utilizing the survivor’s strengths, experiences, and skills. The team collaborates directly with survivors as well as working for systems change. These efforts are aided by RIL team members’ understanding of cultural barriers and ability to communicate with their clients in their language of origin.
Services for Individuals
The RIL Team conducts one-on-one meetings with clients in order to:
- Ensure language access needs are met
- Advise on immigration cases and implications
- Provide emergency shelter for survivors and their families
- Provide emotional support and psychoeducation on legal options, safety planning, and crisis intervention
- Aid in meeting immediate needs such as housing, education, and employment, and in connecting clients to agency and community resources
- Refer clients to WC&S legal services for court and legal support
- Assist clients in filing Protection from Abuse Orders (PFAs)
Within the Agency
The RIL Team provides advice and internal trainings to improve clients’ experiences.
Systems Change
The RIL Team participates in coordinated efforts to change how systems respond to and serve RIL survivors of domestic violence. These efforts aim to eliminate barriers and ensure collaborative research, outreach, education, and training in systems like medicine, social services, and language access.
Partnering Organizations
We are so grateful to work with the following organizations to bring services to RIL clients in the Pittsburgh area.
- Jewish Family and Community Services
- Immigrant Services and Connections
- Pittsburgh Action Against Rape
- Casa San José
- Latino Community Center
- Dormont Library
Related Healing and Supportive Services
