http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05300/595731.stm

Thursday, October 27, 2005

By Gabrielle Banks, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette



The toll-free hot line for the new Welcome Center for Immigrants and Internationals offers a glimpse of the sort of global Pittsburgh-of-tomorrow the agency's organizers envision.

The automated message greets callers in Spanish, Mandarin, Hindi, Korean, Russian and English.

"We took our guess that those are the languages that [volunteers here] might need to speak," said Andy Pugh, director of the new nonprofit organization, which is temporarily operating out of Jewish Family and Children's Service in Squirrel Hill.

The agency was created to fill a gap, as a multilingual entry point for immigrants who need help finding housing, medical care, jobs or other services, Mr. Pugh said. The organization, which is funded through foundation money, state grants and private donations, will relocate to a permanent home Downtown within the next few months.

In its first month, two full-time staffers and a volunteer corps of eight served about 70 clients, including a handful of foreign nationals -- originally from Algeria, India, Vietnam, England and China -- who were fleeing the Gulf Coast hurricanes.

The overall aim is to make the region a more attractive, welcoming place for immigrant families.

"They can open businesses in vacant storefronts, pay taxes, send their kids to our schools and help to revitalize our neighborhoods and strengthen our region," Mr. Pugh said. "Immigrants can have a positive impact on Pittsburgh and surrounding areas. They can be a real shot in the arm."