MINNEAPOLIS - ST. PAUL

Helping people survive and recover from forced displacement

MinistriesOpportunities
aRE YOU SEEKING ASYLUM IN THE USA?

Click on an option below to learn more.

Our Mission

Our mission is to help asylum seekers in Minnesota survive and recover from forced displacement.

Our vision is to see the church journeying with forcibly displaced people so that we all grow in God’s hope and belonging.

I will go on from Jonathan House to live my life. It’s my desire that many asylum seekers after me would have the same welcome and love that you have shown me.” - Jonathan House resident

Ministry Context

Minnesota has a well-deserved reputation as a good place for refugees to land. A network of organizations welcome refugees through the U.S. Refugee Resettlement Program and administer federal assistance, and communities of faith often join them to help provide welcome. Many displaced people, however, including those seeking legal protection in the U.S. through asylum, fall outside of these formal supports. Though asylum seekers are resilient and resourceful, the safety and stability they seek is often elusive. Government policy prevents many of our asylum-seeking neighbors from working to provide for themselves or receiving government benefits, and there are no large-scale solutions to provide for their basic needs.

Our team engages in ministry in three areas:

1. Jonathan House

Helping people survive...
- Safe, stable shelter for an average of 1-2 years
- Basic needs including food, transportation, and connection to community resources

Helping people recover...
- Holistic, personalized, support in goals toward long-term stability
- Healing through supportive community life

Asylum seekers in Minnesota can find our list of resources here and inquire about housing here.

2. Minnesota asylum network

A network of asylum seekers and the organizations and faith communities that support them, connecting and collaborating for the greater good of asylum seekers. Join our quarterly meetings for information and connections.

3. Tending the Soil

Our team is committed to tending the soil in the local church to grow solidarity with displaced people. For us, partnering with the church isn't peripheral; partnerships of mutual blessing are how we believe God has called us to carry out our mission.

Contact us about presentations, trainings, and consultation in your congregation’s efforts to be good neighbors to asylum-seeking refugees.

Thankfully, I didn’t have to be on the street. With shelter, I have actually been able to move forward. My stress and worry level decreased.” - Jonathan House resident

2023 Ministry Report

Click the image to download a copy of our Jonathan House 2023 Ministry Report.

Needs & Opportunities

  • VOLUNTEERS AND CHURCH PARTNERS
  • Learn more about volunteering with us.
  • Church partners are invited to learn, pray, and collaborate.
  • We especially need partners for quarterly supply drives.
  • INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
  • Communication
  • Resident Support
  • Community Life and Recreation
  • Long-term OPPORTUNITIES
  • We are looking for 3 new missionary team members in the areas of development and church partnerships, Jonathan House operations, and resident support.

    Contact us for more details.

Inquire about service opportunities below.

You accept people as family. Jonathan House encourages me in my faith. You enter with me into my problems to pray with me. My life is because of God, by his protection and care through all the difficulties. God is the One who kept us safe; He is the One who did it.” - Jonathan House resident

Stories from Our Ministry

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I Am Every Asylum Seeker

This powerful video offers a look into the asylum seeker experience in the USA. This is a chance for you to gain important insights into an often misunderstood and misrepresented people group that has no voice of its own in the public square.

Final comments referring to the Minneapolis/St. Paul context of the Refugee Highway.

Duration: 5 minutes.

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IAFR is a member of the ICVA Network.

IAFR | 1400 Van Buren St. NE, Suite 200-244| Minneapolis, MN 55413 | info@iafr.org | 612.200.0321

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