News release from Crime Victim Care of Allen County:
Crime Victim Care (CVC) receives funding to promote mental health & wellness in refugee & immigrant community.
The Lutheran Foundation has granted CVC $92,000 to provide free mental health counseling and support groups to local refugee and immigrant families in 2016.(July 30, 2015) – Crime Victim Care of Allen County (CVC) will continue to provide free mental health services to refugee and immigrant families in Fort Wayne through their Community Support Program.
Currently, CVC has a partnership with the IPFW Community Counseling Center to allow free counseling for refugee and immigrant families both at CVC and IPFW. Graduate students and contracted therapists provide free individual and group support. The RHS-15 (Refugee Health Screener-15), developed by Pathways to Wellness, has been implemented as an assessment tool used in referring individuals to the program.
Around 19.5 million individuals worldwide are refugees according to the UNHCR Global Trends Report. Children account for over half of the refugee population. Catholic Charities has reported in Fort Wayne, over 3,500 refugees have been resettled since 2001. Although there are 19 countries represented in our refugee community, 87% of individuals are from Myanmar (formerly Burma).
The Harvard Program in Refugee Trauma reports an average prevalence rate for trauma among refugees as 33% across existing studies. In Allen County, there is need to treat the underlying traumatic stress resulting from war, violence and other conditions from refugees’ homeland. Moving to a new country/culture can exacerbate this stress and lead to other emotional and behavioral disorders including depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress, and drug and alcohol abuse.
By providing free individual and group support, families will be able to seek services when needed.
For more information about Community Support Programs, please contact Jordan Crouch, Outreach & Prevention Manager, Crime Victim Care of Allen County at jcrouch@cvcin.org or 260 484 1414 ext. 5.
About Crime Victim Care of Allen County
Crime Victim Care of Allen County is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to bring wholeness to immigrants and refugee families who experience brokenness due to violence, crime, mental health, addictions, abuse, and neglect. The healthy integration of non-English speaking immigrants and refugees as contributing members of society is the agency’s vision. This is implemented through an array of services. Crime Victim Care emphasizes the importance of providing culturally competent services and language services are provided for clients.
- Family Support – CVC contracts with the Department of Child Services and SCAN with the purpose of preventing and addressing abuse and neglect of children. Case workers and counselors often bridge cultural barriers with the intent of preserving a family unit and protecting the children.
- Victim Advocacy -The CVC Victim Advocate walks immigrant victims of crime through the legal system and connects them to legal and local resources, to help stabilize their lives.
- Alcohol Addiction – An addiction program provided with interpreters, serving mostly Burmese individuals referred by Criminal Division Services, with group and one-on-one sessions to support recovery, educate on laws, and on the medical consequences of alcohol abuse.
- Community Support – A partnership with IPFW Community Counseling Center allows CVC to serve immigrant and refugee individuals with free mental health counseling provided by Master Level therapists, both in individual and group settings.
For additional information: Irene Paxia, Executive Director, 260-484-1414 (x7), ipaxia@cvcin.org; www.cvcin.org.
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