Daily Work

Daily Work is Expanding Our Services to Support New Afghan Arrivals

We are focusing our strengths on our community's current needs

In a moment, at 21 years old, Samander’s life changed forever

With just two weeks to prepare, he learned that he was to be evacuated from Afghanistan along with his mother, father and siblings. If you yourself are a US-born citizen, can you imagine leaving everything you know and fleeing half-way around the world? Samander is just one of the more than 1,200 Afghan evacuees who now call Minnesota home.

While our state has resettlement processes, things have been complicated by the sheer numbers of Afghan people and how quickly they arrived, creating tremendous gaps and needs in our community.

This summer, Daily Work entered a contract with the State of Minnesota to aid these new arrivals. Our understanding was that evacuees would have strong supports for basic necessities, housing, language classes and more, and that we would be able to focus on employment services. But this was not the case.

The summer and fall were a whirlwind. To address the needs, our services expanded to find additional resources for paying past-due rent, providing interpreters, help in passing driving tests, transportation assistance, and other essentials. We hired Mahdi Sarbaz, an Afghan arrival himself who speaks several languages, to help meet increased demands.

Heading into the final quarter of 2022 our state contract has ended, but our commitment has not. Daily Work has a roster of clients seeking assistance – and referrals keep coming, both from within immigrant communities, and from other agencies that are still overwhelmed.

Daily Work’s relationship-based model means we collaboratively strive to advance the work and life prospects for our job seekers. We help them initially in their employment search, and remain in partnership on a long-term journey continuing to help as emerging needs arise. We are their network. Their emotional support. Their local guides.

We wish you could meet every one of our job seekers – their stories are amazing and resilience is inspiring

Your donation is more critical than ever, both to ensure that Daily Work can meet its additional financial commitments, and to ensure that our newest Minnesotans can get good jobs and build thriving lives. Contribute to Daily Work on November 17th – or on any day – at GiveMN.org or through our website. Thank you!

Until 12/31 gifts up to $20,000 will be matched 2-to-1 to triple your impact!

Thank you to Our Matching Gift Sponsors!  Tom & Nancy Arata • Sally Gilchrist & Randall Ban • Margaret Hibberd • Elizabeth & John Hinck • Imogene Hoff • Les & Janet Johnson • The Justin and Susan Kelly Foundaition • George & Kathy Kolstad • Dave & Linnea Krahn • Harry & Martha Mueller • Dave & Judy Nass • Steve & Nancy Nerheim • Chris Peterson • Chuck Regal • Vern & Birgitta Rice • Mark & Alison Savin • Maryellen Skan & Peter Thiel • Marie Stodolka • Christ the King Local Mission Partner Team 

"When we first came here, it was so difficult to think about the future. Now everything is clear, and I'm happy to see all of my opportunities to support my family and continue my education."  ~Samander

More in Our Newsletter

About Daily Work

We specialize in assisting job seekers with complex needs and/or facing systemic barriers to employment. Using a person-centered, relationship-based approach, we meet people where they are to help get them where they want to be. We are one of the few employment-service providers focused on serving immigrant communities.

Daily Work is not providing one-way services; we strive to build a shared, inclusive community rooted in empathy, learning and exchange, and collective care. Our holistic, relationship-based approach is more effective at serving those who fall through the cracks in public agency and employment service organizations because they need aid in multiple areas, require ongoing customized assistance, or benefit from culturally responsive services.

National studies have found that culturally grounded, strengths-based community support programs improve employment outcomes, reduce social isolation, and boost overall health and well-being for marginalized peoples.

Some service providers cannot deliver personalized approaches due to restrictions based on funding, employability, skill level, program affiliation, and more. Since Daily Work is almost entirely funded by individual gifts and private foundation grants, it means we can offer unique services and work with job seekers in ways that best suit their needs.

Thanks to our generous funders and volunteers, Daily Work connects people to meaningful employment, and builds community and thriving lives. We appreciate you!

Contact

julie@daily-work.org
(651) 204-3043
Contact page at daily-work.org