The Immigration Assessment Project

Who We Are

H.O.M.E. is a team of professionals who see clear connections between mental health and social justice.  Most of our work is volunteer, and we are grateful for everyone who participates.  We are profoundly grateful for the courage and strength of the clients we serve.  ​You can meet our leadership team on the H.O.M.E. "About Us" page.  

How the Project Began

In 2018, Gerald (Jerry) Gray, LCSW, MPH, and David Gangsei, Ph.D., explored the needs of legal and advocacy professionals engaged in immigration work in El Paso, TX.  They learned that a significant source of stress for attorneys was insufficient availability of mental health professionals to conduct evaluations in support of their clients’ claims in immigration court.  Gray and Gangsei established a pilot project to meet this need.   

Meanwhile, immigration trauma therapist Jenifer Wolf-Williams, LPC-S, LPA, was exploring needs on the opposite end of the Texas/Mexico border in the Rio Grande Valley.  In late February, 2020, Jerry and David asked Dr. Wolf-Williams to lead the project, which she then called the Immigration Assessment Project.

Within weeks, COVID-19 precautions halted entry to ICE detention centers and migrant camps.  So Jenifer reached out to mental health professionals across Texas and discovered many who were eager to provide remote, telehealth assessments that offered hope to asylum seekers and partnership to overburdened professionals in the border regions.  

Seeing the growth in need and participation, Jerry Gray initiated the transition of the Immigration Assessment Project into a nonprofit, Humanitarian Outreach for Migrant Emotional Health (H.O.M.E.).  Sadly, during this process, Jerry passed from this life, and we at H.O.M.E. still mourn.  We are grateful Jerry continued to envision a kinder world even through his final days, and we will do our best to grow this work toward Jerry's vision for it. 

Help the Project Become Sustainable

Current funding is limited, with most professional services offered voluntarily by H.O.M.E. leadership and participating mental health professionals. A sustainable program will require additional sponsorship to keep the program available to multiple non-profit immigration attorneys and to provide training and resources for evaluators.  Learn more at H.O.M.E.

You may also sponsor a specific assessment by providing a low bono stipend for the evaluator.  Please contact H.O.M.E. to learn more.