AsylumWorks Timeline | AsylumWorks

2016

AsylumWorks is founded

AsylumWorks is founded by  Joan Hodges-Wu, a social  worker specializing in the care of  asylum-seeking survivors of torture, with  $4,000 from a GoFundMe campaign.

2017

The first steps

AsylumWorks pilots  a job readiness  training, our first  client offering.

2018

AsylumWorks received $15,000

AsylumWorks receives $15,000 from the D.C. Mayor’s Office of African Affairs.

2019

Securing the future

AsylumWorks partners with HIAS to secure multi-year federal funding to serve survivors of torture living in the Greater Washington metro region.

2020

Adapting to the times

As many organizations close their doors, AsylumWorks adapts our service model to provide high-quality telehealth services to ensure service continuity.

2021

New programming grows

AsylumWorks pilots an on-the-job training program to teach former clients how to serve new clients as therapeutic case managers. In 2022, the U.S. Office of Refugee Resettlement identified the fellowship program as a national best practice.

2022

A landmark victory

In February, a federal judge ruled in AsylumWorks’ favor in the 2020 AsylumWorks vs. Mayorkas federal class action lawsuit, in which AsylumWorks challenged new federal government regulations that severely delayed - and in many cases, outright denied - work permits for asylum seekers. AsylumWorks’ legal victory restores the right to work for millions of asylum-seeking individuals and families nationwide.

2023

Reaching further around the globe

AsylumWorks is awarded multi-year federal funding to provide services to recently arrived Afghans impacted by combat.