Causes

Human services Gender equity & justice Violence prevention

Posted by

Vanisa T.

Executive Director

Our mission

Our Mission
Tapestri is dedicated to ending violence and oppression in immigrant and refugee communities using culturally competent and linguistically appropriate methods. As advocates for immigrants and refugees affected by domestic violence, sexual assault, and exploitation, Tapestri uses education, community organizing, direct services, and advocacy to improve the lives of those it serves.

Our name, Tapestri, symbolizes the different threads of society coming together to form a safe cover to protect its many-colored communities.

What we do

Domestic Violence Program
Services We Offer Survivors
Tapestri's Domestic Violence Program supports immigrant and refugee victims during and after experiencing domestic violence. Through casework, crisis counseling, legal advocacy, and referrals to culturally-sensitive, pro-bono attorneys, we help our clients build safe, self-sufficient lives
* Casework
* Crisis counseling
* Legal advocacy
* Referrals to culturally-sensitive, pro-bono attorneys
We directly provide legal advocacy, such as assistance in obtaining Temporary Protective Orders, and connect our clients to partners who help with legal matters, including child support and custody, divorce, and immigration proceedings. We provide linguistically-appropriate services to our refugee and immigrant clients in 15 languages. We walk our clients through whichever parts of the criminal justice system best serve their needs, assist them with connections to partner organizations (such as Georgia Asylum and Immigration Network and Atlanta Legal Aid Society), and support their learning about American culture and how the American criminal justice system works. We work to move our clients from crisis to stability and empower them to clearly make safe life decisions for themselves.

Every year, we conduct scheduled interpreter trainings which educate a minimum of 60 interpreters. Trainings are accredited by the American Translation Association (ATA). In addition to the languages listed below, we have interpreters available who speak the following languages: German, Haitian Creole, Italian, Kirundi, Kurdish, Lingala, and Tshiluba. If a language which is not listed here is needed, Tapestri will work to find an interpreter who can translate the language.

Human Trafficking Program

Services We Offer Survivors
Our Human Trafficking Program provides access to crisis counseling, housing assistance, physical and mental health care, legal and immigration assistance, English Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) and vocational skills training, and translation and interpretation services. Our goal is to provide individualized case management support to help our clients move from crisis to stability and beyond.

Training for Service Providers
Additionally, we train mainstream social service providers, community-based service providers, and community-based groups on human trafficking prevention and awareness.

Engaging Men
Preventing violence before it begins is key to building sustainability safe communities. Our Men's Program encourages men to critically explore their cultural beliefs and dynamics that promote or enable violence. Experts conduct trainings and workshops on identifying healthy relationships and boundaries, the root causes of violence, and finding healthier ways to express emotion. Men are an essential component in the prevention of violence.

The Family Violence Intervention Program
Tapestri Men's Program, a Family Violence Intervention Program, is a court-mandated course certified by the State of Georgia. Our 24-week program is available to all men and includes interpreters for men who do not speak English.
Our Men's Program is available to:
* Refugee men in the United States less than 5 years: Free
* All other men, including other immigrants, refugees in the US more than 5 years, and native-born men: On a sliding scale

Unaccompanied Minors
Children at Risk
Tapestri works with unaccompanied children as well, described by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as unaccompanied alien children (UAC). These are children who have no legal immigration status at the time and who enter the U.S. without parents or legal guardians. Once the U.S. government becomes aware of them, these children are transferred into the custody of the U.S. Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR).
How They Are Helped
These children are at especially high risk of human trafficking, exploitation, and abuse because of their age, separation from parents and relatives, and the often-hazardous journey that they take to the U.S. These minors come to the U.S. through a variety of means and for a variety of reasons, including rejoining family in the U.S., escaping violent communities or abusive family members in their home countries, or finding work to support their families back in their home countries.
Tapestri's Role
The majority of these unaccompanied children are cared for through a network of state-licensed, ORR-funded care providers. These care providers pitch together to provide shelter, classroom education, health care, socialization, vocational training, mental health services, family reunification, access to legal services, and case management. Tapestri works with these children once they are reunited with their family sponsors. Our services center on case management, access to legal services, and family reunification as a contract service provider through DHS.