United Refugee Services of Wisconsin, Inc. (URSW)

The United refugee Services of Wisconsin, Inc. is a nonprofit organization founded in 1984 by the Asians refugees (Hmong, Lao, Cambodian) in the Dane County area. The organization is governed by a Board of Directors with representation from many different Asians and refugees groups. Other non-Asians/refugees Directors who represent other community organizations have also served as members of the Board of Directors.

Mission

To provide diverse services to Asians, refugees, asylees, adn their descendents, living primarily in Dane and Rock Counties, enabling full participation in mainstream American society while preserving cultural and traditional values.

To accomplish our mission, we

* Enable our clients to integrate successfully and participate fully in the larger community while retaining an appreciation of their cultural heritage.

* Assist our clients to meet immediate and long-term housing, education, English-language usage, health care, and employment needs through direct services and by developing partnership with educational and other service providers.

* Interpret to the larger community an awareness of the cultural and social heritage of our clients.

* Serve as an advocate for our clients and client-related issues and as a liaison with the larger community.

We are dedicated to assist all refugees (majority groups are: Hmong, Laotian, Cambodian, Vietnamese, Kosovar-Albanian, Somolian), former refugees, and their descendents to solve practical problems encountered when resettling to Wisconsin, mainly to the Dane and Rock Counties.