We are very excited to announce that our partnership with the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DH1930A0001) has been approved for an additional three years! With this funding, we will continue our innovative Naturalization Services for Elderly Refugees and Elderly Legal Immigrants program, currently in its tenth year. Since 2009, we have helped secure U.S. citizenship for over 1,000 Missouri seniors.
Our program supports foreign-born seniors, who have been legal residents of Missouri for 5+ years. The process of securing citizenship can be daunting for older foreign-born adults, especially those suffering from multiple health conditions that inhibit their ability to benefit from traditional classroom instruction. We work with seniors from the start of the citizenship process all the way through the Oath Ceremony by providing Department of Justice Accredited support in filing necessary paperwork, securing applicable waivers, requesting accommodations, and organizing tutoring for the citizenship exam and interview. We operate the program statewide out of St. Louis with hubs in Kansas City and Sedalia, and are looking to expand the program’s reach in the coming year under Project Coordinator Liliya Joseph. The program is scheduled to serve 250 senior clients in the coming fiscal year.