Accompaniment

Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity coordinates the following programs in California to walk alongside people targeted by the immigration system:

• Nueva Esperanza Accompaniment Teams (NEAT) – supporting newly arrived immigrants
• Friends Afuera – writing letters to immigrants in detention centers

Scroll down to learn more about each program!

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Nueva Esperanza Accompaniment Teams (NEAT)

Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity’s Nueva Esperanza Accompaniment Team (NEAT) program trains San Francisco Bay Area congregations to form a team to walk alongside recently arrived immigrants for six months. The teams support the immigrants’ self-sufficiency by introducing them to local resources. By working toward families’ goals together, we create sanctuary, safety, and friendship in the community. 

• To learn more about families and congregations who have accompanied them, read our NEAT Stories or watch our video: “From Root Causes to Sanctuary”  
• If you are interested in participating in NEAT, you can form a team through your congregation! Please review our introductory materials to get started.  
• Individuals, congregations, and organizations can also partner with NEAT by offering:
  • Hosted Housing – Host a family in your home, in-law unit, or apartment building for free or reduced cost for 3-6 months.  Watch our Hosted Housing Intro video to learn more about our hosted housing partnership with New Anchor 
  • Sponsorship – Sponsor a family at the border so they can be released from detention and start their lives.  See our Sponsorship FAQ 
  • Strengthen accompaniment in your region: If you live outside the San Francisco Bay Area, IM4HI can provide consultation and training to organizations or congregations interested in strengthening their own capacity to provide accompaniment.  Please fill out our Accompaniment Training Interest form if you live outside the San Francisco Bay Area and would like to be trained in our accompaniment model

Questions? Comments? Ready to start? Contact our NEAT Coordinator, Kelly Younger: kyounger@im4humanintegrity.org

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Friends Afuera: Letter Writing & Commissary Donation

Friends Afuera is an IM4HI program that connects volunteers with immigrants in ICE detention facilities in California. 

Letter Writing:

Immigrants in detention are isolated from the community and their families. Through writing letters monthly, we hope you learn about the conditions within detention centers, make a friendship with an immigrant, and grow as an advocate to release them and close detention centers. Currently, we write letters to immigrants in Adelanto and Mesa Verde Detention Centers. 

Watch Video Tutorial: Letter Writing

Commissary Donation: 

Each detained immigrant has an individual commissary account that family and friends can deposit money; they depend on this money to buy necessities such as phone calls, legal print documents, toiletries, and more.  We ask that you send a monthly donation of the suggested amount of $30 – $60 a month (or whatever amount you can afford).

Watch Video Tutorial: Commissary Deposits

Additional Friends Afuera Resources:

• View “Detention into Death Sentence” to hear about the experience of detained immigrants during the COVID-19 pandemic
• View “United in the Fight for Liberation” to hear a statement for Black Lives Matter from immigration inside detention.
• Article on the cost of necessities inside detention: CNBC News

Questions?  Comments?  Ready to start?  Email <friendsafuera@im4humanintegrity.org> to contact us!