INDIANAPOLIS — With immigration a major topic heading into the November election, a non-profit that helps people navigate the system is celebrating a milestone.
On Wednesday the Immigrant Welcome Center held an open house to for its new location at 2049 North Meridian Street.
The center was established in 2006 and for the first time, it has its own location.
Most recently it operated out of the Central Library, but they believe their new permanent location will help further expand their services.
“Many of our immigrant neighbors are wanting to access to legal services, to learning English language classes in a way that is more meaningful to them, and they are able to do that by walking into this building,” said Gurinder Kaur, the welcome center's CEO.
The center helps immigrants like Milor Joseph get acclimated into the city.
“Immigrant Welcome Center help him to find housing, food, work, everything they need and fill his application for asylum,” said Yvenique Bathard, who translated for Jospeh still working to learn English.
They both are from Haiti and moved to Indianapolis for better opportunities.
“When you don’t know where you are going and when you don’t have someone who can help you to find your way it’s very very difficult,” said Bathard.
She moved to Indianapolis four years ago and got connected with the Immigrant Welcome Center through an internship at Ivy Tech.
She’s now a natural helper for the center who helps bridge the gap for immigrants like herself.
“More than 17% of Marion County residents say that they speak a language other than English at home,” Kaur said. “The need for the community is continuing to grow and we are continuing to evolve to meet that need.”
Kaur said the center is the only one of its kind across the state.
Click here to learn more about their services.
