Finding Help Shouldn't Be Another Barrier: A Resource Guide for Haitian & African Immigrants in Chicago

Navigating the U.S. immigration system is hard enough. Finding the organizations that can actually help — ones that speak your language, understand your community, and won't add to the confusion — can feel like a full-time job on top of everything else.

Click here >> A Resource Guide for Haitian & African Immigrants in Chicagoland

That's why we built this.

Alongside Season 6 of Change Agents, the Podcast, which follows Haitian, African, and LGBTQ+ asylum seekers as they navigate the complexities of the U.S. immigration system and the growing threats to their safety and status,  Reparations Media and Change Agents, the podcast, has launched a free resource guide specifically for immigrants and refugees from Haiti and the African diaspora living in the Chicago area.

We don't just document these systems. They help people navigate them.

Click here >> A Resource Guide for Haitian & African Immigrants in Chicagoland

What's in the Guide

The guide is organized around what you actually need and covers:

• Legal services, assistance & aid — including deportation defense, DACA, and Know Your Rights resources
• Health, wellness & nutrition
• Housing & shelter
• Education, employment & career development
• Family, culture & community
  Many of the organizations listed offer interpretation and translation services in Haitian Creole, French, Swahili, Arabic, Portuguese, and more.

Click here >> A Resource Guide for Haitian & African Immigrants in Chicagoland

Who's Listed

The guide includes Chicago-area organizations with demonstrated records of serving these communities, including:

Haitian American Museum of Chicago — a cultural hub offering Know Your Rights workshops and referrals for free immigration legal consultations, with interpretation in Haitian Creole and French.

Heartland Human Care Services — provides immediate support like housing and advocacy alongside long-term stability through job and financial training, with interpretation available in all languages.

HIAS | JCFS Chicago — offers immigration and citizenship services to refugees and newcomers, including legal help, family reunification, and case management across multiple Chicagoland locations.

Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR) — partners with member organizations on programs that strengthen and empower immigrant communities across Illinois, with a 24-hour deportation and legal defense hotline: (855) 435-7693.

Illinois Immigration Information — a statewide hub of reliable immigration information and legal guidance, with resources available in Arabic, French, Haitian Creole, Portuguese, and Swahili.

RefugeeONE — helps refugees fleeing war, violence, and persecution rebuild their lives with safety, dignity, and independence; interpretation available in 40 languages.

United Africans Organization — supports and empowers African immigrants and refugees across Illinois, with services in Afrikaans, Arabic, French, Kikongo, Spanish, and Swahili.

World Relief Chicagoland — builds welcoming communities through advocacy and programs that support people who have been forced to flee their homes, with services in Arabic, French, Portuguese, and Swahili.

Click here >> A Resource Guide for Haitian & African Immigrants in Chicagoland

Why This Matters Now

Across Chicago and the Midwest, immigrant and refugee communities are navigating an increasingly hostile policy environment while trying to access services that were never designed with them in mind. The stories in Season 6 of Change Agents put faces and voices to what that reality looks like — and this guide is our attempt to make sure those stories don't end at the episode.

If you know someone who needs these resources, send them the link. If you work with an organization that should be listed, reach out to us at [email protected].