Lexington Observer interviews Bruce Neumann, President of the Board of LexRAP
LexObserver: What is LexRAP, and what does the organization do?
Bruce Neumann: LexRAP is an organization of volunteers in and around Lexington that work with refugees and asylum seekers from a wide variety of places who land in Lexington or surrounding towns. LexRAP does a variety of things for people based on their situation and needs. Our work includes helping to find housing, learn and practice English, and navigate bureaucracy. That can mean assistance with registering for MassHealth, making physician appointments, getting a driver’s license, or registering kids for school and tutoring them where needed. In a few cases, kids have arrived to the area after living in a refugee camp for several years and are dealing with a lot. The work is sometimes challenging and difficult, but also joyful to see the difference you’re making in people’s lives.
LO: You mentioned “refugees and asylum seekers.” What is the difference?
BN: A refugee is recognized by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and is only allowed to come to the U.S. after an extensive vetting process by the U.S. government. Once a refugee is approved to enter the U.S., they have already been authorized to work in the country. From a legal standpoint, they arrive ready to work.
An asylum seeker is someone who flees their country because of fear for personal safety, finds a way to the U.S., and claims asylum. Although the U.S. approves asylum seekers to be in the country, they must wait many months before getting work authorization. That can be a challenge, as generally speaking, both refugees and asylum seekers are eager to work, eager to start supporting their families, and eager to start making their way in the U.S.
LO: How long are you involved in helping each refugee or asylum seeker?
BN: When we take somebody on, we generally make a commitment for a long term. So, that means helping until they are at a point where they don’t need us anymore – our goal is to establish people as fully independent. Usually, within two years, our relationship has shifted from heavily involved to friend and occasional adviser.
We particularly love helping people to understand what they can do with their skills and background, and then supporting their goals with a grant or loan. We’ve had a couple of women who have gone to nursing school whom we supported both financially – by paying for prerequisite courses – and emotionally and mentally throughout the application process.
One man under our care was working as a bellhop at a hotel, but before he came to the U.S. he’d had some mechanical work experience. We paid for him to attend school, and now he is working at an area automotive dealership as a mechanic.
LO: How did LexRAP get started, and what role do you play?
BN: In 2016, Marianne Boswell (former board president and current board member) posted on the Lexington list serv that she had an extra bedroom and bet others did, too, and was offering it to refugees from Syria who were fleeing due to the ongoing civil war. A few residents got together to see what we could do. We invited people from various refugee organizations to talk with us, to help us understand the process of helping refugees and asylum seekers and associated complexities.
My wife and I were in that first meeting and have been very much involved ever since. Today, I am President of the Board, succeeding Marianne, and my wife and I, who are empty-nesters with extra bedrooms, continue to host refugees and asylum seekers through LexRAP.
A woman from Uganda lived with us for two years while she got her feet on the ground, a couple from Jamaica for two years – we helped the wife with rent while she attended nursing school, which she has now completed. And about 2.5 years ago, two young Afghan women came to live with us. One eventually went to Texas to get her Master’s degree and the other is currently at college in Eastern New York, though they still call our house home.
LO: How many people has LexRAP helped over the years?
BN: Since our inception, we have helped about a hundred refugees and asylum seekers from different countries, including Afghanistan, Cuba, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Rwanda, Syria, Uganda, and Ukraine. LexRAP is an ongoing organization with a lot of people under our care, but many of our members also get involved in shorter-term projects, such as helping the 30 migrant families that arrived at a shelter in Lexington last October.
LO: What do we want to know about refugees and asylum seekers?
Every story is different. From the country they come from, to the decision they made to leave, their journey here, what skills they bring in and language ability…there’s a lot of media coverage that unifies people from a certain large region as all of one sort, but that is not true. Everyone has their own story. Refugees and asylum seekers bring a richness to our community and I hope that more people will recognize that and welcome them.
The other thing that is hard for a lot of people to grasp is there are two parts of the experience. One is relief: I am here and I am safe (or reasonably safe). The other is: I wish I didn’t have to leave my home country, which might include worry about relatives back home. It’s a two-sided sense of joy in safety and ongoing pain about their experience. The trauma abates, but we periodically see glimpses of it.
LO: How can people in Lexington support LexRAP?
We welcome volunteers and donations, but our biggest hurdle is housing. We’re always on the lookout for someone who would be willing to host someone in their home for a few months to a couple of years.
To learn more about LexRAP, sign up to volunteer, or make a donation, visit https://lexrap.org