About us
We welcome as neighbors people seeking asylum who reach northwestern Vermont by providing support services, one family at a time.
The Chittenden Asylum Seekers Assistance Network (CASAN) is a nonprofit volunteer-driven organization based in Chittenden County, Vermont. We provide critical assistance to asylum seekers in our community and accompany them on their journey towards building a life in this country.
Since our beginning in 2019, hundreds of volunteers as well as local organizations have supported this work. The need continues to be great.
We celebrate the ways asylum seekers and other immigrant newcomers enrich our communities through their presence and contributions!
How we support people seeking asylum
Asylum seekers do not receive federal government assistance or benefits and are not allowed to work until reaching a certain point in their legal process.
For a few individuals or families at a time, we provide long-term, wrap-around assistance as needed until they can gradually become financially independent. We accompany these new neighbors as they move through their legal process.
For other households brought to our attention, we assist by providing shorter-term help as is possible, and referrals to local resources and organizations.
CASAN’s assistance may include:
✅ Rent and housing assistance
✅ Food and daily living expenses
✅ Transportation for medical visits and essential appointments
✅ Clothing and household necessities
We also assist with:
✅ Legal referrals and having representation
✅ Preparing to work, finding childcare, and gaining employment
✅ Connecting with medical services and English language and programs
✅ Building a supportive community and providing social connection.
Our History
CASAN was founded in 2019 when a Burlington nonprofit sought help for a mother and child seeking asylum who unexpectedly ended up in Vermont. Like many people fleeing oppression, they arrived with few belongings and little to no knowledge of their new community. A group of caring community members responded, provided full
financial and other needed support until they became self-sufficient, and accompanied them on their journey through the legal process to asylum.
Since then, we have:
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Offered similar long-term care to well over a dozen families.
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Served as a temporary sponsor or provided initial resettlement assistance for nearly twenty additional households.
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Helped scores of families in need of housing, furniture, and transportation.
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Provided advocacy and emergency assistance in urgent situations.
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Given referrals and needed information to hundreds of people seeking asylum as well as service providers from area agencies and organizations.
We have welcomed people from around the globe – from the Himalayas to Central and South America to numerous African countries and to the Middle East. Today, we continue to extend support to individuals and families as we have capacity.