Counseling and Family Life Services

When life’s challenges are overwhelming and cause crises in the lives of individuals and families, many come to LFS for help. Counseling centers provide individual, marital, and family counseling by state-certified therapists. In addition, LFS offers workshops such as single-parent retreats and marriage enrichment sessions.

Inmate/Family Consultation and Support

This Raleigh-based program offers consultation and education for inmates and their family members at Wake Correctional Center. Individual and group sessions address such topics as parenting skills and family violence prevention. Trained counselors help inmates reestablish themselves in their communities.

Refugee and Immigration Services

Since 1979, LFS has provided refuge to more than 10,000 people who have suffered severe persecution in their homelands. LFS helps people who escape with little more than the clothes on their backs with housing, employment, and assimilation into American culture. LFS also coordinates the efforts of churches from all denominations and other faith communities that sponsor families in the resettlement process. High-quality, low-cost immigration services, such as immigration counseling and assistance with applications to obtain permanent resident status or citizenship, have become hallmarks of the agency’s work with newcomers to the United States. LFS staff members are accredited by the Board of Immigration Appeals.

SmartStart Program

The Intensive Home Visiting for Immigrant Families Program, funded by Wake County SmartStart, offers assistance to immigrant families with children up to age five residing in Wake County, N.C. Through bi-weekly home visits, the program gives high-needs families the confidence to take an active role in their children’s development and well-being.

LFS Carolinas ensures that immigrant families with young children living at the poverty level are assisted in connecting and acclimating to the U.S. Activities offer healing to families in crisis, and renewal to families who need specialized services to connect effectively with their communities. The program also works to ensure that home safety needs are identified, addressed and resolved. Home visitors assist families in establishing a medical home to ensure children receive preventative health care and immunizations.

This program currently serves families from Vietnam, Congo, Ukraine, Chad, Togo, China, Mexico, Honduras, Angola, Kenya, Burma, Ethiopia, and the Sudan.