Around 100 refugee and asylum-seeking families currently live in Saco, many of whom are facing barriers to housing, mental health services, and access to basic needs. A system of support is key to ensure these new Mainers are provided a safe, solid foundation to begin life in their new home.
The York County Cares Fund, a donor advised fund with the Maine Community Foundation, provides financial support to organizations and programs that help the Saco refugees and asylum seekers with access to care, support for basic needs, and community engagement. Their mission is to help members of this community find acceptance and integration into their new country so that they can experience happiness and fulfillment in their lives. Supported organizations provide services including meals, mental health care, transportation, and language instruction.
Leah Macomber, founder of York County Cares, is a Saco resident and connected with Spurwink’s ShifaME Program after learning of its services for refugee children and their families who are at disproportionately high risk for adverse health outcomes due to the trauma and stress of war, violence, poverty, and the ongoing stress of resettling and adapting to a new home in Maine. ShifaME is one of only six Trauma Systems Therapy for Refugees (TST-R) providers in the country, and the only provider in Maine. Along with TST-R, ShifaME recognizes that community engagement is key to building a healthy and stable foundation in a new country. Leah shared, “the York County Cares Fund found shared values of healing and community-building in ShifaME’s work to provide trauma-informed mental health care to asylum-seeking children and families in Maine.”
For many immigrants and refugees, recreational activities and sports are more than just games – they’re a lifeline to familiar comforts and healing. Recently, support from the York County Cares Fund enabled a ShifaME Cultural Broker to pay for swimming lessons at the Biddeford YMCA for a family with eight children living in one motel bedroom. The father shared how the lessons have been an important opportunity for the children to make positive connections in the community and have helped them emotionally regulate and manage the challenges of their small, shared space. Additionally, funds from York County Cares helped purchase equipment for these lessons, like swimsuits, swim caps, and towels, without which the children would not have been able to participate. As Leah shared, “swimming is such an important life skill, especially if you’re living in Maine. Every human deserves a life that is safe.”
The York County Cares Fund is facilitating invaluable support for the refugees and asylum seekers in Saco, and Spurwink is proud to partner in this work to provide the community with mental health care and community engagement opportunities.
To learn more about the York County Cares Fund and the full list of recipient organizations supporting the Saco refugee and asylum seeker community, please visit the York County Cares website.
