Shores For All Provides Life-Changing Evaluations and Mental Health Services for Asylum Seekers & Migrants

For immigrants and asylum seekers in the United States, an evaluation report can make or break their case—and be the reason a family stays together, or a young mother is able to escape an abusive relationship. Licensed professional counselor Tracy Lovelace has provided life-changing evaluations for individuals in those situations and many more, which led her to establish Shores For All in 2022.

“During the 2.5 years that I worked with unaccompanied minors, I grew to understand the vital role that legal aid attorneys played in advocating for their rights and identifying potential legal relief for their immigration cases. Having a psychological evaluation completed in support of an asylum case drastically increases the odds of winning the case…from approximately 42% to 82% with a forensic evaluation,” Lovelace said.¹ “Being able to use my mental health background to compile evidence in support of asylum, Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), and other cases has been extremely rewarding, and I hope to be able to do this work on a larger scale.”

Through Shores For All, she is poised to do exactly that. The nonprofit works to provide low-cost and pro-bono immigration evaluation services for individuals in various stages of resettlement, including: those seeking asylum and withholding of removal; VAWA , U-visa, T-visa, and Hardship Waiver cases; those in the United States on work/student visas; and individuals with trauma histories who are unable to access mental health services due to cost, language or eligibility. The organization also provides trauma-informed, culturally sensitive therapy for migrants who do not qualify for benefits.

Not only do these services change, and even save, the lives of individuals—they positively impact society as well. 

“Receiving psychoeducation and learning to cope with symptoms can prevent a worsening of symptoms and lead to overall improved functioning, which positively impacts each individual’s family and community,” Lovelace said. “Participating in therapy and making progress toward mental health goals is also linked to more meaningful engagement in society and an improved ability to make the most out of the resources which are available.”

Lovelace plans to build a network of licensed psychotherapists who provide a minimum of eight therapy sessions to each assigned client, as well as a network of clinicians who are trained to conduct mental health evaluations for immigration cases. Expanding the clinician network would allow Shores For All to aid asylum seekers across the United States, speaking a variety of languages. (Currently, Lovelace offers services to individuals in Pennsylvania and Texas, where she is licensed.) 

She also wants to develop an English as a Second Language (ESL) program and an immigration legal aid program. Once the organization has achieved a wider network, Lovelace plans to seek funding for a paid administrative staff, which could allow Shores For All to help even more people by conducting outreach, managing scheduling and billing tasks, offering support to service providers and implementing new programs.

At this stage, funding is crucial for Lovelace to grow the organization and provide services to even more individuals—a mission that comes with certain obstacles.

“Setting out to advocate for migrants in the United States can be challenging within a political climate which leads to negative rhetoric about immigrants and ever-changing immigration policies. Systemic injustices may also undermine our work by lessening the impact of our services on migrants who face so many other barriers to wellbeing,” Lovelace said. 

However, with support, she is confident that Shores For All will continue to provide the services, resources and advocacy that is so crucial to migrants, asylum-seekers and others who are in the process of resettlement in the United States.

To learn more about the organization and contribute to this cause, please visit Shores For All – Humanitarian Social Innovations.

 

Source:

¹ Holly G. Atkinson, et al. Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine: “Impact of forensic medical evaluations on immigration relief grant rates and correlates of outcomes in the United States.” 2021. Via Science Direct, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1752928X21001578