ORIS’s diverse team combines new expertise in case management, and youth development with cultural and linguistic skills that meet new Americans where they are and help each family and individual meet their goals. ORIS works with new Americans long term, as they strive to learn English, find employment, understand American healthcare, banking systems, etc. We recognize that many new Americans will take years to fully adapt to the systems that govern basic needs in the US, even under the best conditions.
ORIS’s Offices are located in Manchester, Concord, NH as well as Worcester, MA. These cities are each hubs for national refugee resettlement, with individuals and families arriving from Bhutan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Iraq, Somalia, Burundi, and many other countries. New arrivals receive short-term cash assistance and, in most cases, are placed in jobs within the first eight months in the USA. However, the process of sustainable integration requires a long-term commitment and a complex understanding of the economic, social, cultural, and linguistic challenges of creating a home in a new country. ORIS is a provider of continued integration services and a bridge to economic opportunity.
The Somali Bantu Community Association (SBCA) formed in 2005 by a group of Somali Bantu refugees living in New England. The group was funded by the US Office of Refugee Resettlement and assisted refugees to integrate into American culture. In 2011, SBCA reformed in New Hampshire as the Organization for Refugee and Immigrant Success (ORIS), a 501(c)3 non-profit corporation. The original mission expanded, and the staff and board diversified. Today, our staff and board represent nine countries and are fluent in sixteen languages. The power of ORIS lies in its cultural understanding, linguistic expertise, and first-hand knowledge of the immigrant experience.
In 2019, ORIS and New American Africans merged, expanding ORIS’s footprint from Manchester into Concord, NH. New American Africans operated in the Concord area from 2004-2019 with a mission to give newcomers the support and resources they needed to succeed in their new home. Staff and Board members from New American Africans joined the ORIS team. In 2022, ORIS opened it’s office in Worcester, MA. ORIS had long collaborated with new American community leading in this city, and is looking forward to strengthening these ties as we build our formal presence here.
Please reach out if you would like to partner with us to serve refugees and immigrants.
