Services for Immigrants and Internationals

Immigrant Services and Connections (ISAC)
ISAC helps individuals and families with various needs to connect to valuable community services, strengthen their natural supports and increase self-sufficiency.

• Watch more about ISAC - English
• Watch more about ISAC - Swahili (Kiswahili)
• Watch more about ISAC - Spanish (Español)
• Watch more about ISAC - Nepali (नेपाली)
• Watch more about ISAC - Arabic (عربى)

DHS Director’s Action Line

• Palm Card (English)(PDF, 149KB)
• Palm Card (Español)(PDF, 25KB)

Meeting Space
As part of its efforts to support I&I residents of Allegheny County, DHS makes meeting space available to I&I community groups in the lower level conference rooms of the Human Services Building. Please contact the I&I Initiative for more information:

I&I Initiative Program Manager
(412) 320-4681

Food Assistance

• Food Assistance Resources
• Food Assistance Brochure (English)(PDF, 1MB)
• Food Assistance Brochure (Español)(PDF, 1MB)

Health Care

• Health Insurance Marketplace - Federal Health Insurance Marketplace
• Squirrel Hill Health Center - Provides healthcare services in various languages, interpretation assistance and application/language assistance services.
• Medicare
  • Apply for Medicare Online
• Underinsured or Uninsured? A Guide to Health Care Resources in Allegheny County(PDF, 608KB)
• Birmingham Free Clinic - Serves uninsured and other medically vulnerable groups.
• The Birth Circle - Provides labor support and information about pregnancy, birth, and early parenting.
• East Liberty Family Health Care Center - Offers community-oriented, whole-person quality health care for all.
• Catholic Charities Free Health Care Center - Provides primary health care at no charge to those who are unable to afford adequate health insurance or are otherwise in need.
• Salud Para Niños (Health for the Children) - Provides culturally and linguistically appropriate primary care for children and families in a bilingual setting.
• Medline Plus - Health information in multiple languages.
• EthnoMed - Health information in multiple languages.
• Immigrant and Refugee Health: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Health Resources: U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI)
• Provider Information and Local Resource Guide(PDF, 554KB)

Public Benefits

• County Assistance Offices (PA Department of Human Services) - Apply for benefits by visiting or calling your local County Assistance Office.
• COMPASS - Online information and application system for public benefits.
• Housing Resources
• Immigration and Public Benefit Eligibility: An Overview(PDF, 973KB)
• Social Security

Employment Services and Career Development

• Finding a Job or Getting Trained
• Career Development Center (CDC)
• Carnegie Library: Job and Career Education Center (JCEC)
• Vibrant Pittsburgh
• Financial Literacy Resources: U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI)
• Global Talent Bridge
• Higher
• IMPRINT

Job Development Services for Refugees

• Acculturation for Justice, Access and Peace Outreach (AJAPO)
• Jewish Family & Children’s Service (JF&CS)

Employment-focused Literacy Classes

• Goodwill of Southwestern Pennsylvania
• Jewish Family & Children's Service (JF&CS)

• Allegheny Health Network, Mental Health Services
• Peer-Led Behavioral Health Support Groups
• DHS Drug and Alcohol Services Brochure (English)
  • DHS Drug and Alcohol Services Brochure (Español)(PDF, 881KB)
• DHS Mental Health Services Brochure (English)
  • DHS Mental Health Services Brochure (Español)(PDF, 507KB)
• Squirrel Hill Health Center
• Squirrel Hill Psychological Services (SHPS)
• Snapshot: Immigrant and Refugee Mental Health
• Mental Health of Immigrants and Refugees
• American Psychological Association (APA): Immigration
• Effective Mental Health Referrals
• Harvard Program in Refugee Trauma
• Refugee Health Technical Assistance Center (RHTAC)

• Afterschool Program Guide(PDF, 315KB)
• The Alliance for Infants and Toddlers, Inc.
• Caring Across Communities: Addressing Mental Health Needs of Diverse Children and Youth
• DHS Office of Children, Youth and Families (CYF) Brochure (English)(PDF, 1MB)
  • DHS Office of Children, Youth and Families (CYF) Brochure (Español)(PDF, 1MB)
• Strategies for Engaging Immigrant and Refugee Families
• Working with Refugee Children and Families: Update for Mental Health Professionals
• Summer Guide for Immigrants and Internationals(PDF, 645KB)

Family Support Centers

• Latino Community Center

School-based ESL Programs

• Pittsburgh Public Schools (PPS): English as a Second Language (ESL)
• Nine Line Informational Flyer(PDF, 786KB)

Citizenship

• Acculturation for Justice, Access and Peace Outreach (AJAPO)
• Allegheny Intermediate Unit (AIU)
• Literacy Pittsburgh
• Jewish Family & Children's Service of Pittsburgh: Immigrant Services & Refugee Resettlement
• A Guide to USCIS and the Process of Citizenship
• Welcome to the USA

Legal Assistance

• Acculturation for Justice, Access and Peace Outreach (AJAPO)
• Jewish Family and Children’s Service: Immigrant Services & Refugee Resettlement
• Neighborhood Legal Services Association
• PittLaw Legal Clinics for the Public

Resources below cover the immigration process, as well as best practices and interactive scenarios for demonstrating how home visitors can provide culturally competent care and services to immigrant and refugee families.

• Understanding Cultural Humility: Working Across Cultures(PDF, 2MB)
• Caring for Immigrant and Refugee Families(PDF, 631KB)
• Overview of the Immigration Process(PDF, 2MB)
• Categories of Migrants Recognized Under U.S. Law(PDF, 156KB)
• ACAC International Welcome Center: Our GRACE Mission Story(PDF, 1MB)
• Scenario: Congolese Family(PDF, 146KB)
• Scenario: Latino Family(PDF, 239KB)
• Scenario: Nepali Family(PDF, 239KB)
• Scenario: Syrian Family(PDF, 120KB)

• National Institutes of Health
• National Center for Cultural Competence (NCCC)
• EthnoMed

• Developmental Supports
• DHS Office of Developmental Supports Brochure(PDF, 773KB)
• DHS Office of Developmental Supports Palm Card (English)(PDF, 221KB)
• DHS Office of Developmental Supports Palm Card (Español)(PDF, 303KB)

• Jewish Family & Children's Service of Pittsburgh - Informational Flyer(PDF, 85KB)
• Pittsburgh Action Against Rape (PAAR)
• Center for Victims
• Women's Center & Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh
• Alle-Kiski Hope Center
• Crisis Center North
• Domestic Violence Resources: U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI)

Glossary of Important Terms(PDF, 144KB)

Local Immigrant and Refugee Populations
Information and personal interviews with local immigrants and refugees.

Immigrants and Refugees in Allegheny County: Scan and Needs Assessment(PDF, 790KB)
Learn about the immigrant and international populations of Allegheny County.

Pennsylvania Refugee Resettlement Program
Recent statistics about the ethnic groups that are being resettled in Allegheny County, as well as other regions in the state.

Cultural Orientation Resource (COR)
Informational videos and background information for refugee groups in the U.S.

Immigrant Profiles and Demographics
Current and historical immigration figures, including demographic, educational, linguistic, and other characteristics of the foreign-born population in the U.S. developed by the Migration Policy Institute.

The Refugee Project
Interactive map of refugee migrations around the world since 1975 from the United Nations.

U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI): Explore the Issues
Get the facts and learn about refugee experiences in the U.S. and throughout the world from the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI).

Below find resources and information about providing and utilizing language assistance services.

• DHS Language Access For Contracted Provider Agencies(PDF, 6MB)
• Foreign Language Access: Tips and Resources(PDF, 389KB)
• Language ID Charts
  • Small Language ID Chart(PDF, 430KB)
  • Large Language ID Chart(PDF, 465KB)
• Language Access Requirements, Title VI
• LEP.gov
• Language Access Checklist for Organizations
• US Department of Justice Language Access Publications
• Language Access Assessment and Planning Tool

Promising Practices and Policies

• Migration Policy Institute
• Promising Practices in Language Access, Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees(PDF, 6MB)
• Promising Practices for Increasing Immigrants' Access to Health and Human Services
• Language Access 2.0: Sharing Best Practices, Improving Services, and Setting Future Goals

• LGBTQIA+ Immigrants and Internationals Cultural Resources for Providers in Allegheny County(PDF, 976KB)
• Videos sharing the stories of LGBTQIA+ refugees living in the United States:
  • No Place for Me: the Struggles of Sexual and Gender Minority Refugees
  • As I Am: Understanding the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity of Refugees

• Goodwill Industries of Pittsburgh
• Literacy Pittsburgh

• Acculturation for Justice, Access and Peace Outreach (AJAPO)
• Jewish Family and Children's Service
• Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR)
• The Refugee Resettlement Program
• United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)

National Resettlement Agencies (VOLAGS) with Local Affiliates

• Ethiopian Community Development Council
• Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society
• U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants

• Allegheny County Area Agency on Aging (AAA) Brochure (English)(PDF, 1MB)
• Allegheny County Area Agency on Aging (AAA) Brochure (Español)(PDF, 833KB)
• Department of Human Services (DHS) Area Agency on Aging (AAA) SeniorLine
• Northern Area Multi-Service (NAMS) Center: Support for Seniors
• Jewish Family and Children's Services: Elder and Senior Care
• LifeSpan Inc. - Resources and Services for Seniors