Philadelphia Partnership for Resilience Collaborative at Nationalities Service Center - Since 2012, Nationalities Service Center (NSC) has led the Philadelphia Partnership for Resilience (PPR) program serving survivors of torture in the Greater Philadelphia region, building capacity for mainstream providers to serve this population. We are currently the only survivor of torture program within a 95-mile radius and have served an average of 300 survivors from over 42 countries annually. Under this proposed project for FY 2022 through FY 2027, PPR will screen 1,500 individuals from immigrant, refugee and asylee populations and will provide services to 325 primary survivors of torture as well as their families (secondary survivors/dependents). These services will include intensive case management, basic needs support, legal, social, housing, employment, education, group, mental health and health support, and therapeutic interventions through art and wellness services. Nationalities Service Center (hereafter NSC) NSC will provide program
oversight, case management, social services and mental health and wellness supports to enrolled survivors. Through comprehensive case management services, we will seek to increase self sufficiency and well-being for survivors through engaging with resources both internally and externally. NSC will provide pro bono legal representation and direct legal services to a majority of survivors of torture (SOT) clients in a wide array of immigration legal matters.
The PPR will also increase capacity to provide services to this vulnerable population by creating awareness of the needs of the SOT community through collaboration and partnership with the local community and various service providers through training, mentorship, and technical assistance. We will work with immigrant and refugee service providers, legal service providers, mainstream service providers, ethnic and cultural community-based organizations, faith-based communities, and the local community at large to serve and to welcome survivors in our region. NSC will evaluate our impact to survivors and providers, to continue to improve in
delivering both immediate and long-term care to all survivors of torture in Greater Philadelphia and beyond. With continued funding from ORR, PPR will achieve the following goals:
1. Improve awareness and identify gaps in accessing services for SOT consistently through resettlement networks, health care providers, social service agencies, and community organizations to help survivors reach their full potential for well-being.
2. Provide holistic, strengths-based, trauma-informed, and integrated services to address legal, health and mental health, and social service needs to SOT to help them be on a path to live stable, productive, and meaningful lives.
3. Establish ongoing capacity building efforts and strengthen collaboration with local service providers across multiple sectors to reduce existing barriers, expand services, and provide more integrated care for all SOT.