Syria is considered by the United Nations as one of the worst humanitarian crises of our lifetime, with over 6.6 million refugees worldwide and 6.7 million people internally displaced. In 2013, the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Population, Refugee, and Migration announced that Syrian refugees would be resettled in the United States. Suzanne Akhras, SCN’s Founder and Executive Director, put out a call to action to her community and started to bring awareness about what refugee resettlement entails in the United States.”
— 2012-2014
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The Beginning
The news came that the first refugee family arrived in Chicago in January of 2015 and Syrian Community Network was born. Initially, SCN matched refugee families with mentors who could help them navigate new systems, language, and culture. And donations largely went towards direct rental and food assistance.”
— 2015
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The Advocacy
Shortly after founding the organization, Suzanne led a rally in D.C. with six Syrian refugees from Chicago and other refugee and interfaith organizations in front of the White House to demand an increase in Syrian refugee allowances. SCN continues to advocate for refugees and immigrants at the local, state, and federal levels. Join our advocacy efforts!”
— Summer 2015
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The Chapters
As pushback for resettling Syrians came from governors across the country, SCN wanted to ensure that there was welcoming in other critical cities too. Chapters began in Atlanta, San Diego, and Tucson to help connect families there with mentors and resources. Those chapters have now become their own nonprofits or merged with other local groups. Check out the amazing work of the former Atlanta chapter, now Ethaar.”
— 2015-2019
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The Programs
SCN began formalizing programming for families in 2017 with Case Management services. In 2018, the Education program began serving youth. And in 2019, we started our Immigration program to offer free legal services to community members. These programs seek to meet the evolving needs of our community. Learn more about each program under the Programs tab.”
— 2017-present
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The Future
We strive to meet the evolving needs of our community and are always working to understand what those are and building pathways of support. In 2019, staff and members of the Board of Directors came together to expand our mission beyond Syrian refugees to include all immigrants, refugees, and asylees who seek our services. Our community voted to retain our name to honor the families who first arrived, but we look forward to supporting the refugee and immigrant community in Illinois and beyond.”
