• mahdi@ somalilinknewspaper.com
  • Mon - Sat: 08.00 am - 05:00
  • Phone 614-368-7300 ext 100
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Somali
Community
Link

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Somali
Community
Link

Improving
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Serve The Country

Our Mission

To improve the lives of Somali refugees and immigrants in advocacy, education, employment, and housing needs in Central Ohio.

Vision: To deliver the latest Somali community immigration news and build a thriving Somali community in Central Ohio, USA

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Our Services

Somali Community Resettlement, Case Management, Employment Assistance, Housing Legal Advocacy, Youth Initiative in Columbus South Side and West Side.

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The Challenges

Housing presents a special challenge due to large family size, language barriers, and lack of understanding of local housing practices. This results in overcrowding, evictions, complaints about fair housing practices

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Funding

Our funding is through donors like you, Governmental Agencies, and Endowment funds.

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  • A help to those who need it
  • Housing: 411 for this year
  • Business development: 600 (we helped)
  • Employment: 182 individuals

Each donation is very essential

Your generous contribution will enable us to keep fighting for the health, education and financial stability and successful settlement of members of our community. No amount is too small.

Mahdi Taakilo

CEO

How SCL provides help for people

Social Integration

We equip Somali refugees  to live with people of different races and beliefs.The SCL  teaches immigrants and especially refugee children the tools they need to integrate into American society. 

Youth Initiative
We seek to provide youth with positive American values, while retaining their identity, increase their self-determination and confidence, overcome language, culture and psychological barriers .

Case Management
SCL  Case managers coordinate with families in need  to link to services sought by the person or family. Connections are made to SCL and other nonprofit agency programs.

Summer Youth Employment Program
This  yearly program helps teens find jobs through the support of the Central Ohio Workforce Investment Corporation (COWIC) and the Ohio Department of Education.

Community

(SCL) supports entrepreneurship through partnerships with community organizations that offer assistance to immigrants striving for financial independence and cultural identity.

Client Testimony

  • Thanks for your help

Thanks to Somali community link I have been able to successfuly navigate the complex American System to find the help I need.

Background

Somalis In Columbus
An estimated 75000 Somalis live in Columbus, Ohio. This is their new home. They have moved to Central Ohio from other parts of the U.SA. Cost of living, index  is low combined with  low housing cost and job opportunities for entry level workers has made Columbus an attractive economic beacon.

Socially, Somalis find a welcoming atmosphere for their beliefs and cultural diversity they bring to the area.

.Local Schools and Universities like Columbus State Community College and Ohio State University have modified student activities and curriculums to embrace and make Somali presence into mainstream. This includes creation of student groups and distinct Somali literature into school media and publications. To aid this effort we have worked with Somali refugees to enroll in educational institutions to benefit from some of these efforts. The Staff of the Somali Community Link walk them through the process of filing and processing the documentation required for enrolment.

 The Banks and many other city and state services have also expanded to serve Somali specific clientele.

Even though relatively new to the Area, many members of the Somali community own businesses. Somali restaurants, shops and other services. Many of these Somali businesses are housed in Somali shopping mall all over the city especially on the northern side. The economic impact alone is big plus for their presence in the city. Somalis provide exotic foods, flavors, fabric and other items unique to their culture and experience. Their close communal connections foster business to business support among their enterprises and help their business thrive. The Somali Community Link supports entrepreneurship for Somalis through partnerships with community organizations that offer assistance to individuals and communities striving for financial independence. 

 

Case Management

At The Somali Community Link we handle all our cases from end to end with compliance to confidentiality regulations. We facilitate and coordinate communication between organizations handling Housing, Legal, Education, and Employment to settle thorny issues and broker understanding.

Housing: The Somali Community Link help families’ sign up for housing aid to help struggling families retain their dignity in hard times. Our staff help navigate the housing application process and act as a bridge to the housing support organizations by providing language services and technological  assistance to applicants. Many beneficiaries (both Somalis and other Ohioans) owe their success applications due to our interventions.

Legal Assistance

We provide Legal assistance for immigration as well as other areas to allow protections of the rights of our clients. By overcoming language barriers and providing interpretations we are able to allow our clients make informed decisions to lead to better outcomes.

Education

Application to Educational Institutions is not an easy task. With uninformed parents the situations worsens. We bridge the gap and provide information and assistance to achieve this objective. We also provide after school programs as well as English as A Second language training to older clients.

Employment

Language and cultural barriers hinder assimilation into the American Work Force. To overcome that we provide job search techniques, resume writing, proper interview etiquette and  basic computer skills, for our patrons to improve the chances of securing a job. We facilitate small business creation by providing resources to funding and documentation and financial literacy. Vocational training, job training seminars and in areas such as business and healthcare, Somalis give back to the community en route to attaining the American dream.

Volunteers

Volunteers are a vital part of SCL’s strategic plan to help children and families in our area. Every time you volunteer, you will leave knowing that you have helped to provide Connection and Hope for our neighbors in need.If you are
interested in volunteering with us please sign the volunteer form and we will get in touch with you.

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  • The organizational staff

Meet the Team

Mahdi Taakilo

President & CEO

Contact Us

We would like to hear from you. Please us the form bellow.