Our Mission
is to provide a supportive community in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont for the basic physical, emotional, vocational, legal and financial needs of asylum seekers and refugees until they become financially independent and are moving toward a safe and stable future.
Our History
Established in 2020, the Northeast Kingdom Asylum Seekers Assistance Network (NEKASAN) is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that is part of a Vermont/New Hampshire Asylum Seekers Network and a US/Canada Border Collaborative.
We are asked to receive asylum seekers who are being held in detention centers or homeless shelters on the border or in major cities across the US. Asylum seekers have previously been sent from the border and bussed with no warning or preparation. We are in collaboration with other Asylum Seekers Assistance Networks in Vermont and New Hampshire (ASANS) to provide hope and community through housing and employment opportunities. Asylum seekers have fled persecution in their own countries by government sanctioned violence, or gang violence due to tribal membership, religious affiliation, political activity, or sexual orientation. They have undertaken long, arduous journeys to reach our border.
Once here, guests stay with host families or in rental apartments, and receive monthly stipends. We help them obtain Medicaid and connect them with primary care. We also connect them with immigration lawyers who often offer their services pro bono but may require a retainer. The US government requires asylum seekers to write a document establishing the “credible fear” that caused them to flee their home countries. If they are unable to write this in English, we hire a translator. While they wait for permission to work in this country, our volunteers, when necessary, tutor them in English and translate for them at appointments. Volunteers also socialize, play sports, join entertainment events, and practice-drive with them in preparation for their road test to obtain a driver’s license. We have paid for courses in Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning as well as Dental Assistant, and we help guests gain certification for professions they worked in their home countries. Some of our former guests have relocated to find work and some remaining guests with work permits are working locally and have become financially independent.
We look forward to welcoming more guests!
