Journey to Hope and Opportunity
Each year, thousands of unaccompanied children cross our borders, fleeing violence, abuse, and neglect. After traveling as much as 1,500 miles to reach safety in the U.S., they are temporarily taken into custody by the U.S. Border Patrol, which is not designed to provide the emotional and medical supported needed by unaccompanied children, who have no one to advocate for them.
The next step in their journey takes them to a short-term shelter, such as our Passage of Hope, which operates in partnership with the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Refugee Resettlement.
After their grueling journey, we help these children be children again. In a nurturing environment, we provide what they have been missing — enough food, clothing, and the opportunity to play and learn.
We provide clinical, therapeutic, educational and case management services while working to link them with family members or other sponsors in the United States. Our goal is to provide these courageous children, who have experienced incredible trauma, with the support, nurturing and care that they need to move forward with their lives and to thrive.
Preparing for the Next Step
As part of our program, we help reunite the children with the family members or other sponsor they are searching for. We make sure that their new homes will be safe and nurturing by conducting home studies of those who have been waiting for them to arrive. While waiting for a permanent place to live, the children learn about American culture, they learn English, and they attend school. At Passage of Hope, children move from danger to safety, from fear to hope.