Led and staffed by people with lived experience as immigrants, refugees and homeless individuals, GCPI delivers resettlement, economic and wellbeing services across Chicagoland.
GCPI collaborates with the Office of Refugee Resettlement, Welcome.US, resettlement agencies and local service providers, Child Protective Services (CPS) and the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) to help refugees, immigrants and homeless individuals achieve economic, social, emotional and educational self-sufficiency. Our expert staff deliver resettlement and integration services that empower newcomers to navigate US systems independently — helping them become contributing members of American society.
Our staff and volunteers provide cultural orientation training, case management, housing assistance, school enrollment, youth mentoring, childcare, job placement support, English classes, health-service access, public benefits registration and cultural adjustment support for arrivals from South Asia, Afghanistan, and — more recently — Ukraine.
Many refugees, immigrants and homeless individuals are skilled, resilient and hard-working — they mainly lack navigational, vocational and entrepreneurship skills, job-market information, and connections. GCPI bridges those gaps with technical skill-building, financial support partners and a database matching skilled newcomers to employer needs.
Our Reception and Placement Program is at the center of our work with immigrants, refugees and newcomers. This public-private partnership with the U.S. Department of State has provided a safe haven for people fleeing persecution for nearly 50 years.
GCPI's designated staff, including case managers and volunteers, welcome newcomers at the airport, provide access to furnished housing, and connect them to Social Security cards, healthcare, schools, English classes and employment opportunities — working closely with volunteers, employers and communities across Chicagoland.
GCPI helps South Asian — especially Pakistani, Afghan, Indian, Nepali and Bangladeshi — refugees, immigrants and homeless individuals rebuild their lives and become economically self-sufficient. Many arrive skilled and resilient but lack job-market information, connections, or need help translating prior careers into the US job market.
We bridge technical skill-building gaps by partnering with financial skill-building organizations nationwide, connecting newcomers to technical institutes, financial assistance providers, employment agencies and job openings. Through community outreach, we build a database matching skilled immigrants, refugees and homeless individuals to employer needs — strengthening whole communities in the process.
Funded by the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), Preferred Communities provides intensive, individualized case management to especially vulnerable newcomers in Chicagoland for up to one year from arrival — helping them move toward stability and self-sufficiency, and strengthening local provider capacity to serve these populations.
Funded by ORR, the Matching Grant Program helps eligible refugees become economically self-sufficient within 120–180 days of program eligibility. It serves refugees, asylees, Cuban and Haitian entrants, victims of severe trafficking, and Special Immigrant Visa holders (SIVs) with case management, employment services, maintenance assistance, English training, health referrals and social adjustment services.
Many immigrants, refugees and homeless individuals carry the emotional weight of forced displacement, armed conflict, persecution or disaster. GCPI's Psychosocial Wellbeing Program builds coping skills to help prevent depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), offering direct assistance or collaborating with specialized federal, state and community providers.
Case managers, social workers and trained mental health professionals support individuals with complex needs, while outreach, awareness seminars, capacity-building trainings and self-help groups build community resilience. The program is especially focused on restoring self-respect for survivors of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) and those recovering from conflict-related injuries or torture.
GCPI's research-based curriculum offers women and girls Life Skills Based Education and Daily Living Skills — covering social living, independent living, mobility and financial management — alongside an understanding of their rights and responsibilities within their cultures. In partnership with women- and girl-centered organizations, we build business, entrepreneurial, marketing and computer skills, plus creative textile workshops.
"Eat, Wear and Walk" serves refugees, immigrants, homeless individuals and the poorest of the poor through donated food, clothes, shoes, electronic equipment and other essentials. Through partner pantries, shopping malls, religious and educational institutions, public collection stalls and volunteers, GCPI collects and distributes community donations — and also serves walk-in visits. We collaborate with local pantries and help youth build food and nutrition skills.
Donate shoes, clothes, books & electronics