Nueva Esperanza Accompaniment Teams (NEAT)

NEAT Celebration, February 2020. Nueva Esperanza Accompaniment Teams celebrating a year together

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. 

We are creating beloved community. Since 2015, we have accompanied nearly 300 people from all over the world. We accompany recently arrived immigrants of all immigration statuses, sexual orientations, and gender identities. We have accompanied people from Cuba, Haiti, Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon, Eritrea, Egypt, Mongolia, Philippines, Afghanistan, Brazil, Laos, Honduras, Nicaragua, Cambodia, Guatemala, Mexico, El Salvador, Venezuela, Colombia, Argentina, Russia, Ukraine, Fiji, Vietnam. All are welcome here.

  • To learn more about families and congregations who have accompanied them, read our NEAT Stories or watch our video: “From Root Causes to Sanctuary”. Also check out this SFIC video to hear what you can do in San Francisco to support newcomers.
  • 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 us by offering:
    • Hosted Housing – Offer temporary respite housing by hosting a newcomer family in your home, in-law unit, or apartment building for free or reduced cost for 1-3 months . Click HERE to learn more.
    • Sponsorship: Sponsor a family at the border so they can be released from detention and start their lives.  See our Sponsorship FAQ 
    • I-134A Supporters: You can help us reunite NEAT families with their loved ones by becoming an I-134A Supporter. This new government pathway allows us to bring Venezuelans, Cubans, Nicaraguans, and Haitians to the United States in a simple and clear-cut way, so they can reunite with their loved ones. Click here to learn more

Nueva Esperanza Accompaniment Teams (NEAT) 2019-2020 appreciation video

Questions? Comments? Ready to start? Contact our NEAT Coordinator, Nadia Tavera: ntavera@im4humanintegrity.org

NEAT baby blessing, June 2022
NEAT gathering