Heartland Alliance for Human Needs & Human Rights helps people living in poverty or in danger to improve their lives and realize their human rights. For more than 120 years, Heartland Alliance has provided hope, opportunity, and solutions--through both services and advocacy. Our work spans across four key areas [housing, health care, legal protections, and economic opportunity], creating paths from crisis to stability and on to success.

Heartland’s Refugee Youth & Family Services provides support to refugee families and their children through cultural orientation, academic support, social activities and prevention education. It also provides services designed to integrate refugee youth into the mainstream community. RICS annually resettles more than 150 individuals in Chicagofrom places like Bhutan, Burma, Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Congo-Brazzaville, Cuba, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Iraq, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, & Uzbekistan. RICS serves an additional 500 refugees through a variety of services including cultural orientation, adjustment counseling, employment, job readiness and placement services, as well as medical case management, family literacy, and English language training for adults.