Providing Humanitarian Assistance for Unaccompanied Children Crossing the U.S. Southern Border

SOSi was tasked with supporting the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in establishing a temporary emergency intake site to provide care for thousands of children at the Freeman Coliseum complex in San Antonio, Texas. The San Antonio intake site was opened in late March 2021 to provide needed capacity for migrant children who crossed the border and were placed into the care of the HHS Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR). We provided the children with clean and comfortable sleeping quarters, meals, toiletries, laundry, recreational activities, and access to medical services. Our expert team on the ground also worked with HHS to coordinate the testing and quarantining of all children who tested positive for COVID-19.

In addition to processing children in ORR care, SOSi supported HHS in their mission to unify the children with an appropriate sponsor, usually a parent or relative, while their immigration cases proceeded.

Noteworthy Numbers:

• 2,181 Unaccompanied Children (UC) in SOSi care
• 500+ COVID-19 cases managed (over 60 days)
• 17,863 UC visits coordinated to the EIS Medical Clinic

SOSi’s industry-leading program management, logistics, facility operations, and professional language services capabilities proved critical to the border mission’s success. Within weeks, we helped to stand up the temporary HHS emergency intake site, transforming the San Antonio sports and concert venue into a 2,100-bed facility to house 13-17-year-old boys transferred to the care of the HHS Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR). We supported HHS in safely processing and caring for all children transferred to the site while also performing the critical case management services to either release the children to a sponsor or move them to an appropriate ORR shelter for longer-term care.

SOSi’s data analytics and information technology experts established an industry-changing dashboard that allowed senior leaders in San Antonio and Washington to oversee every step of the reunification process at the individual child level in real-time. The dashboard served as a facility census and data visualization look, providing keen insights that HHS used to optimize intake processes and adjust facility staffing and resource allocations.

Noteworthy Numbers:

• 4 Days to complete the conversion of San Antonio’s Freeman Coliseum into an emergency intake site
• 2,302 Employees recruited & hired within 30 days of contract award
• 5,014 Training sessions provided (including orientation, and dedicated courses for youth care, case management, and supervisor positions)