SWAMPSCOTT — Natasha Soolkin immigrated to the U.S. from the former Soviet Union 30 years ago, settling in Swampscott, and she knows how difficult it can be for the immigrants and refugees she works with to adjust to their new home in the United States.
The regional director of the New American Center in Lynn was a young adult when she immigrated, and while her path may have been easier than the refugees she works with, Soolkin knows there is no such thing as an easy immigration.
“I know I can relate very closely to what people are experiencing,” said Soolkin. “I was young so I can only imagine what happens when people come who are older or come with kids they need to take care of and they don’t have any means to do that, or connections or support system. It takes a while before you start feeling OK, feeling like you are part of the community.”
She said children have to learn a new language so they can understand and communicate with their classmates and teachers at school. Adults with children have to find a way to earn money in order to support their families. And seniors, who are already an isolated population, need to adjust to seeing the world outside of the walls they were used to in their former countries, Soolkin said.
“You hear people tell you that they had a very easy path,” said Soolkin. “There’s no easy immigration because everyone is experiencing hardships along the way.”
Established in 2002, the New American Center, formerly known as the Russian Community Association of Massachusetts, is a multi-ethnic, multi-service site providing culturally appropriate and linguistically accessible social service assistance to refugees and immigrants in the Lynn area.
The New American Center was created by the grassroots organization, Mutual Assistance Association Coalition, in order to meet the large numbers of increasingly diverse newcomers coming to Lynn.
Soolkin said the center provides case management, programming and classes, which helps immigrants and refugees learn English, gain employment, adjust to their new environment, and work toward becoming American citizens.
“The important part of our work is our citizenship service,” said Soolkin, explaining that the center is certified by the U.S. Department of Justice to do the immigration work, which involves helping people put together their citizenship applications and providing them with English as a Second Language classes.
“We have different levels where people learn about history and civics to prepare for the interviews,” said Soolkin. “Last year, we helped about 200-plus people to (become) ready for the interviews. We have people becoming citizens even in these COVID times.”
The New American Center provides services to 500 or 600 people a year, but Soolkin said the majority of refugees are coming to Lynn from six countries — Congo, Cameron, Afghanistan, Eritrea, Haiti and Cuba.
The organization also serves many immigrants, said Soolkin, noting that some of that effort involves working with the Lynn Public Schools.
Often, those clients are coming from unrest and strife in their former countries or have come from situations where they have been outsiders for many years, if not their whole lives, Soolkin said.
“That’s where we’re trying to get in and show people that it’s not survival,” said Soolkin. “It’s life and they can enjoy it and turn their heads from what was the most difficult part of their lives.”
Like many other organizations, the New American Center has had to adjust to providing services differently during the COVID-19 pandemic. Soolkin said the center was able to quickly switch to offering its programming and classes online, and has started to offer a food distribution service and financial support for clients.
