Client Story

When most of us think of an immigrant in the United States, we probably do not picture someone like Rusty.  Rusty, a Caucasian with a huge white beard, came to Just Neighbors off the street.  Rusty had mental health issues and said that he had no family or friends to assist him.  At first we thought there was nothing that we could do for him other than refer him to service providers in the area (many of whom, we would later learn, already knew him).  As we listened to Rusty's story and tried to sort fiction from fact, we realized he had a case after all.

February 2009

Client Story

Silvia came to Just Neighbors last summer because she had simply had enough.  Although she had tried staying at a homeless shelter, her nine year old son's medical condition made this challenging.  Silvia even lived out of her car with her son for several weeks, which also proved futile.  She has endured many years of beating and mistreatment, and finally decided to call the police for help.  Her husband was arrested and convicted of domestic abuse.  Silvia, who is from Central America, was referred to Just Neighbors through a domestic-abuse counselor, and because her husband is a Legal Permanent Resident (LPR), Just Neighbors was able to file a petition for Silvia based on the Violence Against Women's Act (VAWA).

January 2009

Client Story

At our December clinic in Falls Church, we had a client, Eve, scheduled from the Congo.  When Eve arrived at our office that evening, she did not come alone.  Trailing behind her were her children.... all eight of them, ages 2-12!  Although Eve's appointment could easily have been a chaotic nightmare,  it instead became a moving experience for the volunteers involved.

Since our small lobby was already crowded with other clients, we scrambled to figure out how to accomodate Eve and her family with minimal disruption.  We settled on conducting her interview in our conference room and brought in board games and books for the children. 

Dear Friends, 

This year has been one of great accomplishments for Just Neighbors and also of unprecedented need among the immigrants we serve.  In 2008 we received over twice as many calls for immigration legal assistance by low-income immigrants in Northern Virginia compared to 2007.  Thanks to the hard work and generosity of volunteers throughout the community, our attorneys have responded to this need effectively, serving a larger number of clients with more time-consuming cases. 

The year ahead, however, promises new challenges.  The difficult economic climate has resulted in more immigrants unable to pay for private attorneys with their critical issues of escaping from situations of domestic violence, uniting with their families, and securing authorization to work.  Just Neighbors will continue to work with the community to meet these escalating needs.  We look forward to working with you to serve our immigrant neighbors.

Client Story

During this holiday season of gift-giving, I remember a client family- the Wang family- whose delivery of gifts to our staff last month touched us all.