User:Yussuf Mursal

يYussuf Mursal a Somali Bantu who is a refugee resettlement case manager in Milwaukee, WI USA. He was born in Kamsuma Somali. The Biblical imperative to “welcome the stranger” is carried out daily by Catholic Charities’ Refugee Resettlement Ministry. One case manager, Yussuf Mursal, knows what it means to be welcomed and to welcome people to a new land. In 1991, Mursal, a Somali Bantu, fled the tribal and civil wars in Somalia to the neighboring country of Kenya. He spent 14 years in Kenya, finished his high school diploma and studied psychology for two years before emigrating to the United States and settling in the Milwaukee area. In April 2005, Catholic Charities hired Mursal to work in the agency’s Refugee Resettlement program. Current resettlement clients include refugees from South East Asia, Burma, Somalia and Liberia. Mursal notes, “I enjoy working with people from different cultures, especially helping families adjust to a new environment.” Mursal is especially welcoming because his ability to speak three different languages means he can speak to his clients without a translator. Catholic Charities’ Refugee Resettlement program staff, all of them either emigrants themselves or first generation Americans, collectively speak over 12 languages fluently. Staff includes a supervisor and six case managers working in both Sheboygan and Milwaukee Counties, and a host of parish volunteers. Resettlement clients are assigned to Wisconsin by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops based on referrals from the U.S. State Department. Because refugees arrive with little more than what they are wearing, the resettlement case manager is critical. Catholic Charities’ staff help secure housing, furniture, household goods and clothing – all things that need to be in place prior to the arrival of a refugee family. The staff also secures parish volunteers to assist. Many of the arriving families have spent time in refugee camps and arrive with existing health concerns. Mursal and the other case workers see that client families are connected with a County case worker and registered for Title 19 medical coverage. The case worker then accompanies clients on medical appointments and meets weekly with the families for the next six months – to help adult clients find employment, register children in school, familiarize families with public transportation and money management; grocery shop, enroll in English as a Second Language programs, and work through the myriad of challenges adjusting to new cultures, traditions, and climates. After helping the family acclimate themselves during the first six months, Catholic Charities’ case managers continue to provide advocacy and support for the next five years, on a monthly basis. The goals are that families become selfsufficient, feel welcomed, and be able to navigate day-to-day life in a new country.Strike-through text

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