Bilingual International Assistant Services is excited to announce two new regional partnerships to further expand our Naturalization Services for Elderly Legal Immigrants and Elderly Refugees program in Southern Missouri. Legal Services of Southern Missouri (LSSM) will begin providing program services in the Cape Girardeau/Sikeston area, and Hand in Hand Multicultural Center (HIHMC) will do the same in Springfield. Both organizations are committed to assisting low-income Missourians in accessing needed legal services and both have been operating in this space for many years. We look forward to extending services through these partners to foreign-born seniors downstate. LSSM and HIHMC join Jewish Vocational Service (JVS) of Kansas City as project partners with Bilingual International.
Our citizenship program, funded by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DH1930A0001), works with older foreign-born adults who struggle disproportionately with the process and who have been unable to benefit from traditional classroom instruction. Participants must be 60 or older, have lived in Missouri for at least five years, and be Lawful Permanent Residents. Once enrolled in the program, Bilingual International and our regional partners assist participants with citizenship filings, interpretation, eligible waivers, individualized citizenship tutoring, assistance with Medicare (as eligible), and representation at USCIS by Department of Justice accredited representatives or attorneys.
This long-running and successful program enjoys rare bipartisan support from the Missouri Legislature and has, to date, “graduated” over 1,000 U.S. citizens in its ten years of operation by Bilingual International Assistant Services. For more information, or to refer a participant for services, please contact us at admin@bilingualstl.org or call (314) 645-7800 x203.
Hand in Hand Multicultural Center (HIHMC) has been serving Southwest Missouri populations since 2000 with a mission of empowering individuals, ethnic and minority families, disadvantaged, and at-risk populations to become healthier and enable individuals to contribute actively and productively to their communities. Much like Bilingual International, the nonprofit began in a corner of the founder’s home and has expanded to provide a wide array of services including professional counseling, health education, interpretation/translation, and social services at low or no cost. HIHMC’s two bilingual Department of Justice accredited representatives will be assisting with project services.
Legal Services of Southern Missouri (LSSM) is a not-for-profit organization founded in 1976 that serves low-income and elderly persons in 43 counties across Southern Missouri. LSSM services are free to clients in the understanding that all people, regardless of income, deserve equal access to the legal system. Naturalization program participants fit securely within this target service demographic, and LSSM will be providing access to several project attorneys in Southeast Missouri in addition to assisting participants with other project needs.