Project Renew Reaches out to
New Immigrants to Create Home Ownership

Fort Wayne is the second largest city in the state of Indiana. Over the past 10 years, the city has experienced a growing number of immigrant families residing in the area. There is a large Spanish speaking populace, as well as large Burmese and Muslim populations. Fort Wayne is home to the largest number of Burmese outside of the county of Burma. According to the latest study done by the United Way, The New Hoosier: Allen County Immigration Project, there are also a substantial number of immigrants from Russia, Paraguay, Ukraine, Afghanistan, Iraq, various African countries, the Balkans and Asian Pacific Islanders.

Project Renew realized that in addition to English language training, these families needed help assimilating to American culture. Immigrants who have recently moved to this country have a whole new system of living to learn and understand, which includes politics, policies, cultural norms and customs. In response to this, Project Renew designated one staff person to work on addressing these issues part-time.

The International Outreach Committee. Project Renew developed and implemented the “International Outreach Committee” (IOC), a unique method of working with the immigrant and refugee populations. Representatives were recruited from various immigrant populaces to serve on the IOC. These representatives act as liaisons and educators to their communities, providing important information and training to immigrant families.

There are 18-20 people on the International Outreach Committee, which has been meeting every month for almost one year. The overall goal of the group is to help the entire community of Fort Wayne prosper. The IOC is broadening opportunities for immigrant families by making information and services known to them in a reliable and systematic way and providing them with a safe place to discuss and learn about the issues that they face as immigrants in this country.

The IOC is helping people who have issues of trust with financial institutions to feel more comfortable in seeking these services. Information and support is available for families who have had little or no banking experience. These families are learning important information about lending services, banking systems, credit structure and the pitfalls of predatory lending.

With help from IOC members, Project Renew held a Home Ownership education class in Burmese. We successfully graduated 6 Burmese who are all now on the track towards homeownership.

On the committee are representatives from Paraguay, Costa Rica, Burma, Vietnam, Sierre Leone, Gambia, Kenya, Mexico, the Democracy of Congo and Iraq. Some IOC members are part of a sub-committee, which provides services to Project Renew such as translating materials and creating brochures and outreach materials. Some committee members, as well as citizens of our immigrant population, have been hired contractually by Project Renew to provide translation and interpreting services for our pre-purchase education courses.

Project Renew has been awarded a federal grant from the US Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Refugee Resettlement, which will provide $50,000, every year for three years to support the work conducted through the IOC.