SIOUX CITY (KTIV) – Moving to a new city can be stressful. Now, imagine moving to a new city, in a new country, with nothing but a suitcase.

That’s a reality for refugees settling in Siouxland.

Lutheran Services in Iowa has a program helping refugees settling in the Siouxland area. It helps them find housing, jobs, transportation and anything else families may need to get started. This includes furnishing apartments and homes with basic necessities like couches, beds and tables, and, they need donations.

“We collect used furniture, gently used furniture, especially couches, loveseats, dining room sets, and then we get other household supplies that we always need for new families like cooking, cookware, dishes, cleaning products, all those types of things that families need to get started with their new life here in Iowa,” said Director of Philanthropy Eldon Bensen.

The goal is to get families settled in Siouxland, and active in their communities. LSI assists them in enrolling their children in the local school district, find medical care and whatever else they may need to live life here in Siouxland.

”They come here with whatever suitcases they brought on the plane, really,” explained Bensen. “And so all this stuff is new to them. And they only get a certain amount of money to get started with their new life. And so our goal is to get them self sufficient as quick as possible. If they’re self sufficient, that means that they’re not taking government benefits. They’re not on food stamps or Medicare, Medicaid anymore. So they’re actually contributing more than they’re bringing in after eight months of being here in the US.”

Bensen says that LSI has been helping refugees in Iowa for years, but the Sioux City chapter of LSI has only been working with the refugee resettlement program for three years. In that time, 94% of the refugees that they assisted were self-sufficient in 8 months.

“And it’s been really nice to have the opportunity to to bring these families into Siouxland, get them started, and have them contributing back to the city as soon as they possibly can,” said Bensen.

In 2023, they helped 147 refugees settle in to life in Siouxland. In order to do that, they rely on donations and volunteers.

“We’re bringing new people in with new experiences and new ways of doing life and really just benefiting Siouxland as a whole,” said Bensen. “We have a lot of people that are moving in here from all over the country. And now they’re moving in from all over the world. Just seeing the effect that it’s had on that city is really encouraging to know that that’s the type of environment that we can create when everybody works together for a common good.”

LSI doesn’t just help those settling in Siouxland, but the surrounding area as well.

Items In Need:

• Hygiene Products
• Paper Products
• Cookware
• New Bedding and Linens
• Cleaning Products
• School and Office Supplies
• Batteries
• Alarm Clocks
• Light Bulbs

If you have items to donate or would like to volunteer, you can call Lutheran Services in Iowa at 515-422-6663 or visit their website, or drop off donations during business hours at their office located at 1308 S. Cleveland St. in Sioux City.

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