DASH Network exists to glorify God by providing care to one of the most vulnerable populations in our community: individuals and families seeking asylum.
What makes people seeking asylum especially vulnerable?
- Within the current US immigration system, people seeking asylum – an international human right and legal status – wait an average of 1-2 years* to receive a work permit while their case is being processed by the government.
- Those seeking asylum are also not eligible for the majority of governmental assistance such as housing, Medicare/Medicaid, Unemployment, etc.** This differs from our country’s refugee program (read more about that, here).
- This creates a 1-2 year gap where individuals and families seeking asylum cannot legally work and are not eligible for government assistance.
- Because of this gap, asylum seekers are extremely vulnerable to homelessness, food insecurity, human trafficking, and other forms of exploitation.
DASH Network is a community that welcomes and loves people who are seeking asylum with the Love of Christ by offering housing, food, friendship, and equipping. Learn more by clicking the buttons below.
**Pregnant women and children can receive WIC benefits and some residents with disabilities are eligible for limited assistance.
*Under current federal regulations, asylum seekers have to wait 150 days from when they file their asylum application with the government. It can take as long as 2.5 years from when the asylum seeker entered the United States to receive a work permit if the asylum seeker was unable to file their asylum application right away. Therefore, depending on what point an asylum seeker is at when they enter DASH, residents regularly spend 1-3 years in the DASH program.