Overview

HANDS - Hope Affiliating Nationalities Determining Success is a nonprofit organization that connects helping hands to ALL of our refugee families with impartiality, to families and individuals that are in need of educational, vocational, and general support. We serve them by offering a safe space and services that supports their well being, and opportunities for gaining knowledge. Hands does this through a variety of services and methods of assistance including workshops, videos, trainings, one-on-one appointments, skills-development, and other things that enhance families’ ability to engage within our community.

Our Vision

HANDS Hands envisions a future where those that has left their country to come to America are met with a plethora of people and resources that help them to comfortably and successfully join their new home. We believe that helping refugees move forward begins with knowledge of American societal norms and regulations and also on American society being knowledgeable of refugees culture. Our main goal is to provide the resources necessary for our refugee community to become more self-sufficient, get enrolled in school, and have overall financial independence.

The HANDS mission is organized around the idea that we are all stronger through our ties to the community and ability to count on a helping hand in our times of need. The mission is inspired by the importance of bridging the gap between our communities and refugees but we aim to build programs and resources that will be helpful for all. We understand that people excel the most when a sense of responsibility and accountability is combined with the necessary access to information to put that conscientiousness into action. This is why HANDS is dedicated to providing trauma-informed education to both American society on its newcomers and the newcomers to American society on their new community. It is through this empathetic approach and mutual understanding that our newcomers will be part of the enriched American society in the future.

The importance of being well-informed and savvy to succeed in the American system is clear. Everything from transportation, translation, school enrollment, handling taxes and miscellaneous registrations requires specific and important knowledge that must be known to avoid serious problems. In recent years we have seen the importance of communities having a strong and positive relationship with institutions such as law enforcement. We see a future where strong partnerships between law enforcement, faith-based organizations, and more create a mutual understanding and respect between more members of society.

Our mission

HANDS Believes that people deserve a better life, a healthy environment, with equity and equality. Families are given opportunities to be more involved in society and for their voices to be heard. We want refugees, our clients, to have and live the life they want for themselves and for their children to grow up in security and with boundless dreams. Each particular client has their own different needs, and the population we serve is very diverse, so we consistently strive to be open-minded about how we can best make our communities a home for refugees.

We will lend a helping hand to refugees now, so that we can build a better tomorrow together.