survivors of torture

St. Louis has emerged as a hub for immigrants, particularly those entering the country as refugees from war-torn nations. Consider these statistics:

• More than 120,000 foreign-born people, representing 90 nationalities, live in St. Louis.
• In the past decade, St. Louis has experienced a 40% increase in new immigrants, nearly double the national average of 22%.
• St. Louis has the largest non-native population of Bosnians in the world.
• Refugees who have experienced torture or war trauma account for up to 9,000 immigrants.

People who arrive in St. Louis as refugees who have survived torture face multiple challenges. They may have lost contact with their families. Their surroundings are completely foreign and they likely do not speak English. The path to citizenship is difficult.

Typically, survivors of torture also experience trauma resulting from their experiences and require mental health assistance.

Places for People's Faith Team provides services and assistance to refugees who are survivors of torture. These services include coordination of all mental health needs, including therapy and psychiatric visits; assistance obtaining appropriate benefits; assistance with housing; links to resources, including groups providing assistance with citizenship; translation services; and legal assistance.

Last year, the Faith Team provided services to 304 people from 33 countries.

Read a client's story which speaks to the value and success of this approach.

Read about how the Faith Team worked with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to make the U.S. Citizenship interview less traumatic for eight survivors of torture in April 2013.