Pennsylvania
FY25 IMPACT REPORT
(Oct 2024-Sept 2025)
Honoring a History of Welcome
For more than two centuries, Pennsylvania has been at the forefront of welcome for individuals and families fleeing persecution and violence. From Anabaptists fleeing religious persecution, to Vietnamese, Cambodian and Laotian families displaced by war, and Cuban neighbors seeking freedom, our region has been a place of refuge for individuals and families needing safety.
CWS has been honored to carry that legacy forward, providing hope and home to thousands of refugees and immigrants in our region since opening our Lancaster office in 1987. In 2022, we opened the Harrisburg office to expand our resettlement capacity, in response to the increased arrivals that followed the Afghan evacuation in 2021. During every major global crisis or humanitarian challenge, CWS has answered the call, advocating for our core values of diversity, human dignity and welcome.
Valentina Ross
DIRECTOR
CWS Pennsylvania & Lancaster
Alex Swan
DIRECTOR
CWS Harrisburg
years of welcoming refugees in Pennsylvania
A Region United in Welcome
Joseph's Story
Fueled by his own unwavering determination and guided by his mentors’ encouragement, Joseph forged a path from a refugee camp to Penn State University.
CWS Lancaster
Mohammad's Story
From new arrival to business owner, within one year Mohammad built a thriving auto garage that serves fellow refugee families and CWS staff alike.
CWS Harrisburg
An Unprecedented Year
For the first time in our history, CWS will not be resettling new refugee neighbors in Pennsylvania in the coming year. Our hearts break for the families who will not find the safety they desperately need.
Yet, our nearly 40‑year history has never brought challenges as profound as those we have faced over the past year. Program terminations, changes to federal immigration policy, and increased immigration enforcement have generated fear, uncertainty, and deep disruptions for refugees and immigrants across the country.
While the past year has been filled with heartache and adversity, our staff and our community have continued to show up and care for our neighbors together. You stepped in when staff were furloughed and later laid-off; you stepped up at rallies and protests; and you continued to demonstrate our welcoming heritage, providing over 10,000 hours of volunteer support in the last year alone.
volunteer hours
Initial Welcome
new neighbors found safety here
individuals sponsored by local groups
Before the refugee resettlement program was suspended in mid‑January, our Lancaster and Harrisburg offices together welcomed 475 new refugee neighbors to safety in fiscal year 2025.
As federal contracts were terminated, local volunteer groups stepped in to sponsor families who were still eligible to travel to the United States (due to their Special Immigrant Visa status). Our offices worked closely with these families and volunteers, enrolling them in our employment and case management programs as quickly as possible to ensure wrap-around support – and helping 68 vulnerable allies find safety.
Integration for Long-Term Success
For families who have already reached Pennsylvania, the journey toward stability, healing, and belonging is only just beginning. Our integration programs ensure that families have the tools and resources they need to thrive, not just survive – and it’s where we see whole families achieve their dreams.
This past year, 372 of our newest neighbors stepped into their very first jobs in the United States. Employment Specialists in Harrisburg and Lancaster helped them learn English, craft resumes, prepare for interviews, and take those brave first steps into the workforce—moments of hope that bring not only financial stability, but a sense of agency and power.
new neighbors got their first job
neighbors received wellness support
cultural food pantries opened
And the work of healing continues beyond employment. Our health and wellness programs ensure that families recovering from trauma have a safe place to turn. Last year, 115 individuals received intensive case management, health navigation, and mental‑health support.
And when hundreds of newly arrived families became ineligible for SNAP benefits due to federal restrictions, our Lancaster and Harrisburg teams mobilized quickly, expanding food pantry operations to provide culturally relevant meals and prevent deepening food insecurity.
Legal Services to ensure Rights
At the same time, immigration policy has grown increasingly chaotic, and the need for immigration legal support has never been more urgent. CWS Lancaster Immigration Legal Services staff provided 919 legal consultations, filing 626 applications for legal permanent residency and 126 applications for citizenship, helping families feel more secure during a time of increased immigration enforcement. Staff in the Immigrant Children’s Program represented 195 children in immigration legal proceedings, with clients ranging in age from 2- to 17-years-old and provided 150 know your rights trainings for children detained in Office of Refugee Resettlement shelters.
But we’re not stopping there.
Through an extension of CWS Lancaster’s Department of Justice Recognition, CWS Pennsylvania has expanded Immigration Legal Services to Harrisburg, widening our capacity to provide vital services at the local level and providing an affordable, trusted alternative to private law firms.
legal consultations
permanent residency applications filings
citizenship applications filings
2-17 year olds represented
Know Your Rights trainings for detained children
