ReEstablish Richmond works to assist refugees

ReEstablish Richmond, an organization founded by Patrick Braford in 2010, connects refugees to resources within the Richmond community to assist in their integration.

Braford became aware of the challenges refugee families faced when he met several from Myanmar through the Tabernacle Baptist Church and he decided to strive to improve the resettlement process and support the agencies that served them.

“[Braford] began to sort of understand that refugees that come here through the refugee resettlement system, while they are entitled to a certain amount of benefits and services upon initial arrival, those services are really time sensitive and immigration status sensitive,” Executive Director Kate Ayers said. “Only people with specific refugee or special immigrant visa status could receive these services and only for a certain amount of time.”

ReEstablish Richmond was formed to fill in the gaps of the services provided to refugees, Ayers said. The organization works in collaboration with resettlement agencies, government services, faith communities and volunteers to connect refugees to life-building tools and resources, according to its website.

“When [refugees] first arrive, they’re in shock, and maybe traumatized and everything's new,” Ayers said. “So they might need basic things like getting their kids enrolled in school and learning where the grocery store is, but then like, a few months later, they’re maybe ready for a job.”

ReEstablish Richmond does not receive federal funding for resettlement; instead, the organization relies upon local grants from foundations, individuals and religious organizations. It also relies upon its volunteer engagement program, which was recognized at the national level by Points of Light and for which it was awarded the Service Enterprise Certification in 2020.

The organization did not see a large drop-off in numbers of volunteers who attended their training sessions during the pandemic and continued to train and match them one to one, Ayers said.

“We need volunteers to do everything from delivering things to client homes, to helping people move, to helping us make videos and photography for events all the way out,” Ayers said. “Most of our volunteers, though, are matched directly with clients.”

ReEstablish Richmond, which receives referrals from the community, evaluates whether clients can be placed in one of the organization’s programs or programs offered within the community. In cases in which the organization elects not to refer the clients to one of those programs, it will match refugees with a volunteer to help them integrate and achieve their goals.

“So the goal might be to learn English or to develop a resume or to navigate the healthcare system or to get a driver's license,” Ayers said. “We just started a youth tutoring program, so we're always looking for people who are interested in meeting with young people who have significant gaps in their education.”

Aside from volunteer engagement, ReEstablish Richmond offers several programs including transportation independence, through which refugees can learn to navigate public transportation; and health and wellness, through which clients can garden and harvest food through the community gardens at places such as Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden.

ReEstablish Richmond also offers programs in economic empowerment, allowing clients to attend a series of financial literacy seminars and pursue a job certification course, titled the Heela Beginner Course, which is offered to those who want to learn to become a seamstress. At the completion of the course, the organization helps connect refugees with jobs locally in the Richmond region.

“Just this past year, we were able to start a new group called our Makers course, which are graduates of [the Heela Beginner Course], who are talented enough to make their own goods to sell,” Ayers said. “We’re working on helping them determine like do they want to start an Etsy shop or sell it to shops around town?”