Luis’s Story
Five years ago, Luis and his wife made the difficult decision to flee Cuba and seek safety in the United States. They were in the process of coming to the United States when the COVID pandemic broke out, and added extra uncertainty to their journey. In 2021, they received humanitarian parole status and came to Indianapolis to reunite with his sister. They were grateful to be safe, but as recipients of humanitarian parole, they weren’t allowed to work right away. His sister did her best to support them, but they needed more help to get ahead. That’s when they reached out to Exodus. Luis got connected to our Refugee Support Services program, which allows us to assist other populations in Indiana, and refugees who were not directly resettled in our city.
With Exodus’s help, Luis began to see a path forward. “Thanks to Exodus, I have received a lot of help. Not just economic help; they make it easy to do things that we were not even aware of,” Luis said. Because of Exodus, Luis received transportation to medical appointments, connections to community resources, and legal assistance so that he could eventually find a way to live here permanently. But then, just as Luis was beginning to build his future, tragedy struck. His apartment building caught on fire, and they were left with nothing. They once again turned to Exodus. Exodus was able to provide Luis and his family with assistance from our emergency funds. They received help with rent and food as they worked to start over yet again. Recently, Luis and his wife both received their green cards. Now, they have a way to live and work in the United States.
Luis is working on his next dream of being able to bring his children to join him and his wife here in Indiana, who they have have not seen in over 5 years. “Everything in life is a journey, a sacrifice,” and they are proud to be working towards being fully self-sufficient here in Indiana.
“We are grateful this country opened its doors so we are able to start a new life.”
