HOMESTEAD — Since last September’s terrorist attacks, those migrating to or seeking permanent residency in the United States have found themselves under an even more glaring microscope. One ethnic group that has particularly felt the pinch in Florida is the Haitians.

To help relocating Haitians better work with the federal Department of Immigration and Naturalization Services (INS), a Haitian mission based here will use grant money to establish immigration processing functions and offset the economic downturn that has gripped this community.

The denomination’s Board of Church and Society met in March and took action that included approving 12 Shared Mission Focus on Young People grants totaling $95,000. Part of the $95,000 included $2,500 awarded to South Dade Haitian United Methodist Mission here. The mission received another $5,000 from the Florida Conference Mission Ministry team, according to the mission’s pastor, the Rev. Montreuil Milord.

Milord said most members of Homestead’s Haitian community do not have the proper paperwork necessary for full-fledged employment in the United States, adding employers take advantage of that and pay them low wages. Most of the mission’s parishioners work in the area’s farming fields or service sectors.

“Since Sept. 11 the church has been in crisis,” Milord said. “Many people work at hotels on minimum wage. Their hours have been cut to part-time. About 40 of my members lost their jobs.” He said the community still has not fully recovered from 1992’s Hurricane Andrew.

Milord said the mission’s own immigration processing efforts will advocate on the Haitians’ behalf. “When they go to [the INS office in] Miami, they charge them about $500 to fill out the papers. Now, they can come here and fill them out for about $20 to $25.”

The mission also will provide transportation to and from the Miami office.

“That is very important in the life of the Haitian community,” Milord said. “It’s time for the church to step in and see what we can do to help those needy ones.”

About 130 people attend the mission’s Sunday morning worship service, with close to 200 attending the evening service. About 70 children are included in the mix. The mission conducts a prayer meeting on Monday nights, home prayer groups on Tuesday night, a Wednesday night Bible study and a Friday night prayer gathering from 9 p.m. until midnight.

The mission is using some of the $5,000 grant to purchase a computer for its children’s ministry. It also has purchased Sunday school literature and wants to provide scholarships for children to attend a camp organized by the conference’s Miami District.

Meanwhile, the mission has applied for a $45,000 grant from the General Board of Global Ministries to help better serve young people in the Homestead community.

Milord was appointed to the mission last July after serving for nine years as pastor of South Dade Hallandale Haitian United Methodist Mission, where he established a similar immigration program. He recently traveled to his native Haiti where he is working to build a covenant between the conference and Methodists there that involves sharing resources and establishing sister churches.

“The church is moving forward in Haiti. People are growing closer to the Lord,” he said.