Hospitality to Refugees

Migrant Refugee Program

For several years SPR had a well-received program that served new refugees from several countries. The program centered on home visits which provided mentoring for the refugees and volunteer opportunities for SPR members, including families with small children. Building on it, the Vestry and the Faith In Action Team are supporting a Refugee Program centered on the new migrants our city is struggling to serve and house.

As you probably know, a shelter in Pilsen (Todo par Todos) run entirely by volunteers was forced to close and had to scramble to find housing for its 100 residents by Sept. 3. Those who could not be housed by that date were to be sent back to be sheltered at a police station. On that date, shelter volunteers moved Ronald Castañeda, a migrant from Venezuela, to a studio apartment that he is renting from SPR members Bob and Sheila Bator. He has a job at a catering company that involves a (gulp) 2-hour commute.

Your help is needed to help Ronald maintain his housing, remain employed, become fluent in English, help meet his living expenses, and become familiar with the many resources available to him in Hyde Park.  (Note: He expects a cousin who is also a migrant to come to live with him.)

Each year, St. Paul & the Redeemer partners with various organizations to help resettle refugee families in their new life in the U.S. We provide home furnishings, a stocked pantry, and months of one-on-one mentorship. (Check out this Sun-Times story about the first family we co-sponsored in 2016.) To volunteer as a home visitor or mentor, please contact Sheila Bator.