Art courtesy of Alex Hubbell

In October 2019, our congregation overwhelmingly supported to move forward with our proposed Asylum-Seeker Hosting Program. Our goal in this endeavor was to support an individual or family, bringing them to Boise, as they make their way through the asylum seeking process. We committed to providing them with both financial and community support on their path to independence, self-sufficiency, and a successful application for asylum. We have been working with our Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC) and leaders of this new project to connect congregations with asylum seekers in need of sponsors and community support.

In November 2019, we were connected with a gay man from Honduras being held in a detention facility in another state. With the help of a local attorney and our amazing team leaders, we raised enough funds to post his bond and secure his release. Funds were raised through an incredible combination of pledges from our BUUF members & friends, wider networks of family & friends who donated to our Go Fund Me campaign, and an $8,000 grant from the UU Fund for Social Responsibility (which included matching funds as an incentive for new gifts).

With Lincoln in Julia Davis Park
(He loves history)

“R” was happily settled with one of our members he lovingly refers to as “Abuela” (Spanish for grandmother) and is now living on his own. We have arranged health care and legal representation. We have set up teams for interpretive services, employment assistance, and transportation. We have accomplished much and this project are so grateful for the continued energy and kindness of our entire community. 

This is what the interdependent web looks like, we are all connected, all a part of this larger story of human goodness, all part of this human family. And, taking care of our family is a priority for us all. Our family circle has grown. Not just by one but by the many still in detention now filled with hope. Todos somos familia.

We draw the circle wide, wide enough that no one is left outside. Wide enough that no one stands alone. This is how we share our saving message of love. Miracles do happen, even for us UUs.

Thank you again good folks. It is a blessing to live in community with all of you. 

Click here to Check out our new blog for regular updates from “R” and his new familia.