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My work: Get a folder ready with all the necessary paperwork that clients will need to sign once they come here (ex. promissory notes for the plane ticket loan, client's rigts in our agency, etc.).
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Catholic Charities: Get the apartment ready with food, furniture, rent paid, house supplies set up. Contact any relative or friend of the client who lives in the U.S.
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Clients arrive to O'hare International Airport. Case manager (usually with translator), picks up client and drives them to their new apartment (a relative can do this too). Thorough introduction to how the apartment functions is given (how lights turn on, how to use the stove, etc.). Clients learn how to call for an emergency.
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Case manager visits clients after 24 hours. Paper work is signed and an action plan is created. This details what the clients goals are in this country, what they plan to do, and details what help Catholic Charities will give them.
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Clients get their vaccinations.
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All work-eligible adults start attending ESL, cultural adjustment, and job training courses at Catholic Charities.
Case manager applies for clients' social security cards, public benefits like SNAP and medicaid, and makes another visit to their apartment. -
My job includes taking clients to the Social Security office, Department of Human Services for public aid, and any necessary doctor's appointments
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Any children are enrolled into school by their second week in the country (provided they are medically cleared).
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Clients are exploring their neighborhood. Their public aid benefits have started arriving, so they can go grocery shopping and shopping for any of their other needs. My job includes helping them enroll in an ESL class near their homes, taking them to shops for clothes and household items, and attending to any specific needs of each individual or family.
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Adults begin discussing some job options and have a resume created by the Job Development team.
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Social security cards have been recieved, and now job applications are sent out to employers. 30 Day Home Visits are conducted in order to ensure that a family is physically and emotionally acclimating to their new environment.
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Adults recieve formal business attire and begin interviewing for jobs. Job club and cultural adjustment classes end with a graduation. Most adults start attending ESL classes from outside organizations. Medical cards have come in and any necessary doctor's appointments are scheduled.
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One adult usually gets a part time job.
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Clients call if they need any specific assisstance. After two years, clients' cases are closed unless there is an exceptional need.
