United States — On October 3 2017, AsylumConnect launched a Generosity campaign to help expand their lifesaving resource catalog for LGBTQ asylum seekers who come to the U.S. fleeing persecution in their home countries based on their sexual orientation or gender identity.

“Under the current hostile administration, our ability to point queer asylum seekers towards safe, LGBTQ-friendly resources is more important than ever,” said Katie Sgarro, AsylumConnect Co-Founder & President.

The catalog enables LGBTQ asylum seekers to safely integrate in their new home through providing a platform for them to access resource information and referrals to meet their needs in key areas, including: housing, legal, food, medical, mental health, social support, employment, and education.

The catalog was piloted in Seattle, WA. In February 2017, it was migrated from a static site to a dynamic web application and the product was scaled to Philadelphia, PA. To-date, LGBTQ asylum seekers have called this catalog “highly recommended” and “easy to use”.

AsylumConnect is excited to announce that they are partnering with One Degree, a technology-driven nonprofit that helps low-income families access resources to achieve social and economic mobility, to build a national version of the AsylumConnect catalog.

The new catalog powered by One Degree will offer an improved design and user experience. It will be expanding to all U.S. cities, starting with New York City, Washington, D.C., and San Francisco by November 2017. The new catalog will also introduce added technical functionality, like allowing users to search by keyword and location, create a free user account, or filter resources by gender identity, sexual orientation, and age.

“With the support of One Degree, we’re now taking a new, improved version of our groundbreaking resource nationwide,” Sgarro explained, “By donating to our crowdfunding campaign, you can help us to ensure LGBTQ asylum seekers in the U.S. are able to find safety.”

For more information, visit the Generosity page here or contact the creator below.

Media contact: 

Katie Sgarro, AsylumConnect Co-Founder & President
katie@asylumconnect.org
401-258-5857