Moving can be hard. You’re away from family and familiar things. You have to maneuver your way through a new city and interact with new people. Those challenges alone can be hard for anyone, but for many immigrants there’s the added stress of learning a new language, adjusting to a new culture, or even coming face-to-face with the harsh reality of discrimination.

These challenges have attracted the attention of the Center for Global Health at the University of Illinois at Chicago and Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, a parish on the Southwest Side of Chicago.

The university and church are developing a program they call “Fortaleciendo Mi Familia,” Spanish for “Strengthening My Family.” The program will provide psychosocial support to immigrant families from Mexico living in the United States.

Morning Shift sits down with the project’s director Steve Weine, professor of psychiatry at the University of Illinois at Chicago. We also hear from Juan Miguel Alvarez, director of faith formation at Immaculate Conception about why he thinks this program is so important for his community.