COMMUNITY SUPPORT PROGRAM HELPS SOMALIS LIVING IN LYNN AND SURROUNDING TOWNS

COMMUNITY SUPPORT PROGRAM HELPS SOMALIS LIVING IN LYNN AND SURROUNDING TOWNS

The Refugee and Immigrant Assistance Center and Family Continuity in Peabody have come together to provide families with a Community Support Program (CSP). The program helps Somalis and other refugees and immigrants who live in the North Shore access needed health care. Bilingual/bicultural staff assist health care providers better understand the cultural, psychological and social circumstances that impact these patients. They assist with interpretation and offer on-going support to the family.

Many of the individuals and families that have benefited from this program are Somali Bantu who came to Lynn under the U.S. Department of State’s Refugee Resettlement Program. Lynn is now home to some 150 Somali Bantu families.

Many refugees coming to the United States have endured war, hardships and struggles before arriving. Once they are here, there are new challenges. Adjusting to a new culture and a new life can be overwhelming. The CSP helps to ease this transition. Clients who need this assistance are referred into RIAC’s Community Support Program from local health centers. All clients must be receiving Mass Health.

For more information about the program contact:

Nimo Egal
781-593-0100 extension 14
20 Wheeler Street, 4th floor
Lynn, MA 01902