Partners | Miami Valley Immigration Coalition

Partners & Their Projects

Many partner organizations in the Greater Dayton area collaborate through MVIC including those listed on this page.

Dayton Immigrant Transit Assistance (DITA)

DITA is a project begun by the Miami Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship’s Immigration and Refugee Justice Action Group. It has provided support to immigrants as they travel through the Dayton (mostly at Greyhound bus station with some exceptions) area. We offer items that may be useful on long journeys such as food and beverages, hygiene products, over-the-counter medication, clothing, diapers and wipes, and toys. DITA also provided some information to assist travelers with ticketing and bus transfers and communicated with other groups in the Facebook bus assist network. Early in the pandemic DITA shifted its efforts completely away from transit assistance toward the MVIC emergency food and supply efforts. In March 2021 DITA has begun greeting buses again with food, toiletries, and other supplies.

For more information, contact:

Maureen - omearamf@udayton.edu

Dayton Rapid Response

The Dayton Rapid Response is a community group that aims at supporting our immigrant community. The group was formed in response to ICE raids in northern and eastern Ohio. Their purpose is to provide support by:

informing the immigrant community of their rights
organizing preparedness sessions
creating a web of communication to spread information quickly in the event of a raid or if someone is in distress

organizing a pool of volunteers willing to provide monetary support, time (transporting people to immigration courts, ICE reporting, or medical appointments), emergency housing, and supplies in the event a raid occurs in our community.

For more information, contact:

Gabriela Mosier - gabrielapickett@yahoo.com

Martha Jeanette Rodriguez - marthajeanetter269@gmail.com

Cross Over Community Development (COCD)

Cross Over Community Development (COCD) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit that was created to support immigrants and refugees in re-establishing high-quality lives by providing hands-on support, facilitating connections, developing resources, and promoting full participation in their new communities. Initiatives like their ESL classes, a newly forming worker cooperative and the Family Navigation Program, which provides referrals to education, healthcare, legal services, advocacy, and assistance resources in the Miami Valley, are evidence that they believe “in the power of community and networking to strengthen the dignity and self-sufficiency of immigrants and refugees living in the Dayton area.”

Be Hope Immigration Center

Be Hope Immigration Center exists to provide hope to our immigrant neighbors. [They] seek to empower the immigrant community in Dayton and partner with existing agencies to strengthen the immigrant service network.

Currently, partially accredited representatives offer a Refugee Entrepreneurship and Leadership Program which brings together curriculum, programming, and expertise from community partners to address refugee professional development needs.

For more information, contact:

Molly Brunk - mollybrunk@behope.church

For more information, contact:

Catherine Bitwayiki at catherine@crossovercd.org and (937-559-7195)

El Puente

Visit their website or follow them on Facebook

El Puente currently provides support to Hispanic families with the common challenges they face as they integrate into our community. First, strengthening the academic achievement of students in Kindergarten through 6th grade with an after school program; Second, providing tools to the family to support the learning process of their kids, with parent involvement and educational training in several areas like technology, nutrition, women issues, English classes, etc. During the Pandemic we were able to assist our community with gift cards to Kroger for groceries, food boxes from the Dayton Food Bank, and organizing and providing vaccination opportunities for Covid-19

Brunner Literacy Center

Brunner Literacy Center offers free English language tutoring to adults.

Call or email for more information ctruax@brunnerliteracy.org or (937) 567-9600.

Leaders for Equality and Action in Dayton (LEAD)

LEAD brings together large numbers of people across racial, denominational and economic lines to make a difference in our neighborhoods and local decision making.

For more information, contact: LEADDayton@gmail.com or see https://www.leaddayton.org

Miami Valley Unitarian
Universalist Fellowship

We covenant to affirm and promote the Seven UUA Principles:

The inherent worth and dignity of every person;
Justice, equity and compassion in human relations;
Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations;
A free and responsible search for truth and meaning;
The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large;
The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all;
Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.

Lower Miami Church of the Brethren

For more information, call:

937-263-5111

Lower Miami CoB partners within the Coalition as a Sanctuary church. The congregation first declared sanctuary and housed a Guatemalan family for a year in the 1980s and a Bosnian refugee family in the 1990s. In response to a call from MVIC in 2019, Lower Miami renewed its commitment to providing sanctuary. Hospitality space has been prepared for migrants in need in cooperation with MVIC’s Sanctuary and Asylum Working Group. As a small, diverse, open and affirming congregation, Lower Miami opens its doors to all.

Catholic Social Services of the Miami Valley (CSSMV)

Individuals granted refugee status overseas through the United Nations, the U.S. Dept. of State, and the U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security can be admitted to the U.S. for resettlement under a special visa. National voluntary resettlement agencies such as the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) are guided by the U.S. Department of State to provide resettlement services to help refugees gain self-sufficiency as quickly as possible after arriving in the United States. As an affiliate of USCCB, Catholic Social Services of the Miami Valley (CSSMV) is the portal for refugee resettlement services in the greater Dayton area. Refugees arriving in Dayton receive supportive services from CSSMV’s refugee resettlement program including placement in initial furnished housing, a cultural orientation overview, employment assistance, and linkage to community resources such as referrals to ESOL classes and medical services.

Valens Solutions

Valens Solutions serves our at-risk immigrant and underserved populations by personally navigating resources required to achieve basic human needs, increase quality of life, achieve independence and promote equity and justice.

African Christian Community Center

The African Christian Community Center, a nonprofit organization, was founded by Director Mugo Kiswile in 2008 to meet needs of African refugees in Dayton. ACCC’s services include English (ESOL) classes, family mentoring, tutoring, transportation, job skills, a soccer team, and other help navigating the new lifestyle and landscape of life in the U.S.

For more information, contact: 937-610-8798 or see https://www.facebook.com/africanchristiancommunitycenter/

A Dayton-based non-profit created to help immigrants to overcome language and cultural barriers in accessing healthcare services by providing multilingual health education, medical scheduling, discharge information follow up, medication reviews, medical transportation scheduling, medical interpretation, medical translation ,computer literacy and Cultural competency training for healthcare professionals.

Ebenezer Healthcare Access

For more information, contact: Jean de Dieu MUKUNZI at mukunzijd@ebenezeri.com or phone 937-580-8817

Hispanic-Latino Ministry at

St. Paul UMC

For more information, contact:

Pastor Susan at saintpauldaytonnews@gmail.com or (937) 586-8578

Latinos Unidos

Works to advance Latino youth, family and community by providing individuals access to educational, cultural, business resources and leadership development: to empower the community to advocate for themselves and to lift them out of poverty