Solutions in Hometown Connections Wins Major US Government Grant Competition

September 28, 2023

The office of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced today that it has awarded its 2023 CARING Grant to Solutions in Hometown Connections (SHC), a nonprofit based in Riverdale, MD that serves immigrant families. 

The Community and Regional Integration Network Grant (CARING) of $276,575 will support SHC’s work with refugees, asylees, SIVs, and other immigrant families, particularly those who need literacy-based instruction. SHC’s existing English Language and Citizenship Preparation programs empower women with limited formal education who often encounter hurdles in accessing English programs, workforce opportunities, and citizenship preparation.

According to co-founders Merritt Groeschel and Kate Talbot, this grant will allow SHC to expand the citizenship preparation program, part of comprehensive offerings that envelop vulnerable immigrants in an inclusive community, fostering growth and integration.

SHC will work with subawardee Lutheran Social Services of the National Capital Area to provide legal services for naturalization through this program. 

Since 1917, Lutheran Social Services of the National Capital Area (LSSNCA), a human services and immigration relief and refugee welcome agency, has accompanied those in need throughout Maryland, Virginia, and the Washington D.C. metro area to foster resiliency, self-sufficiency, and access to opportunities. We look forward to working alongside SHC by providing legal services to their eligible clients and preparing and submitting their applications for naturalization while accompanying them as they become United States citizens.

Founded in 2017, SHC has provided supportive programming to more than 2,000 newcomers and is a partner organization of the Maryland Office for Refugees and Asylees, administrating the state’s Refugee Family Engagement Program.

Contact: 301-615-1034 or info@shconnections.org