Resettlement | Integration | Health | Housing | Employment
Resettlement
Switchboard
is a one-stop resource hub for refugee service providers. Switchboard engages a network of subject matter experts to provide tools and materials, learning opportunities, research, and technical assistance on resettlement-related topics, including employment, education, health, and monitoring and evaluation.
Welcome Corps
is a program that empowers everyday Americans, working in groups of at least five, to welcome refugees arriving through the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP)
. In July 2023, the Department of State introduced the Welcome Corps on Campus
, a new targeted education sponsorship initiative that enables U.S. colleges and universities to play a leading role in resettling refugee students. Individuals who are resettled through Welcome Corps are eligible for ORR’s services and benefits.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
offers practical guides and information to avoid scams that target refugees and other new populations. Visit their online portal
for downloadable guides, fact sheets, and where to find help when you need it. Resources are available in multiple languages.
The Department of Justice has helpful resources for ORR populations. The Community Relations Service
can assist communities with hate crimes by providing dialogue, mediation, training, and consultation to develop conflict solutions. The Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section
informs refugees, immigrants, and service providers of their mission to ensure that human rights violators do not find safe haven in the United States. (Multi-language brochures are available in English plus French/Spanish/Arabic
, Amharic/Somali/Tigrinya
, Chinese/Burmese/Tamil
, and Portuguese/Swahili/Kinyarwanda
).
USCIS
offers a series of print and web materials
to support its Unauthorized Practice of Immigration Law Initiative
, including ’The Wrong Help Can Hurt’ video
which highlights scams and how to avoid them. Additional materials—available in a number of languages—provide information on common scams and reporting; filing tips for immigration applications; help to find legal services, and how to become an authorized provider. Visit USCIS
for more information and to download materials.
FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency)
has put together a program guide, Help After a Disaster
, detailing FEMA's disaster assistance program, including how to apply for assistance. The guide is available for download in 20 different languages.
USCIS Multilingual Resource Center
This site
serves as a hub for all USCIS materials offered in foreign languages. For Spanish, view USCIS Español site
.
Asylee Eligibility for Resettlement Assistance
A guide (PDF) by Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. (CLINIC) detailing benefits and services available to persons granted asylum in the U.S.
Rainbow Bridges: A Community Guide to Rebuilding the Lives of LGBTI Refugees and Asylum Seekers
Published April 2012 by the Organization for Refugee Asylum and Migration Download the guide in PDF
(PDF).
Integration
Bridging Refugee Youth and Children’s Services (BRYCS)
Bridging Refugee Youth and Children’s Services (BRYCS) aims to strengthen the capacity of refugee-serving and mainstream organizations across the U.S. to empower and ensure the successful development of refugee children, youth, and their families.
Cultural Orientation Resource Exchange (CORE)
CORE provides responsive, practical, and timely information, and comprehensive resource materials to domestic and overseas cultural orientation providers, as well as the many others welcoming refugees into their communities. CORE’s Welcome to the United States guidebook
is available in multiple languages.
Welcoming America
Welcoming America leads a movement of inclusive communities becoming more prosperous by making everyone feel like they belong.
Health and Mental Health
The Center for Victims of Torture’s (CVT) National Capacity Building Project
(NCB) offers resources, training, and consultations designed to build clinical and management capacity for torture rehabilitation centers and other organizations serving survivors of torture. NCB’s www.healtorture.org
website includes information on webinars, CVT’s annual institute, and online courses, as well as publications, and a map of U.S. based centers.
Heartland Alliance for Human Needs & Human Rights
Through their Rainbow Welcome Initiative
, Heartland Alliance is working to create resource materials, trainings, and recommendations specific to developing the network’s capacity to meet the resettlement needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) refugees and asylees, including the establishment of pilot projects at a few selected, geographically-diverse sites.
The Refugee Health Technical Assistance Center
(RHTAC) provides resources with information on access to care, physical and mental health, suicide prevention, and community dialogue. RHTAC collaborated with the CDC on An Investigation into Suicides Among Bhutanese Refugees. Findings from the report, are available on the RHTAC
website. Additional information about suicide prevention may be found on the CDC
website.
Gulf Coast Jewish Family & Community Services’ National Partnership for Community Training
provides community needs assessments and trainings on refugee mental health. The resources on their website include request for technical assistance, webinar and distance learning information, archived webinars, and country guides.
Find a SAMHSA grantee
working on mental health service, substance abuse prevention, and substance abuse treatment in all 50 states. In addition, the SAMHSA-HRSA Center for Integrated Health website features the Health and Wellness program
which includes information about wellness strategies, Mental Health First Aid, Whole Health Action Management, smoking cessation, and spirituality in Healthcare. The website also provides information on integrating behavioral health and primary care through Integrated Care Models
.
Housing
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, a key interagency partner
(PDF) of ORR, has housing resources
for landlords and housing agencies to best serve refugees and other newcomer populations.
Refugee Housing Solutions
(RHS) provides technical housing support to resettlement practitioners, landlords and property managers, refugees, and volunteers across the U.S. and partners with them to develop and implement cohesive strategies to increase the availability and affordability of housing.
Renting to Refugees and Other Eligible Newcomers
As an interagency effort to support housing for newcomers, the U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, and Department of State prepared a fact sheet (PDF) and frequently asked questions (PDF) to provide information to landlords and property managers as they consider renting to refugees and other eligible populations.
Employment
Apprenticeship USA
(PDF) is the U.S. Department of Labor’s one-stop source to connect career seekers, employers, and education partners with apprenticeship resources. It promotes and helps employers and other organizations develop quality, accessible Registered Apprenticeship opportunities for workers seeking higher-skilled, higher-paying jobs and organizations seeking to build a qualified, diverse, and inclusive workforce. Use the Apprenticeship USA’s Job Finder
tool to search open apprenticeship job opportunities from employers across the country and directly apply with the employer of the apprenticeship program.
Career One Stop
is the flagship career, training, and job search website for the U.S. Department of Labor. The website serves job seekers, businesses, students, and career advisors with a variety of free online tools, information, and resources. Use the Refugee Assistance Finder
to locate organizations that offer employment-related services to refugees and newcomers, in any area in the U.S.
The Department of Justice, Office of Special Counsel for Immigration-Related Unfair Employment Practices
, has created a series of flyers, posters, and other materials on federal protections against immigration-related discrimination in the workplace. These helpful resources, tailored to refugees and asylees and employers who hire them are available in a variety of languages, including Amharic, Arabic, Burmese, Farsi, French, Kayah, Nepali, Russian, S'gaw Karen, Simplified Chinese, Somali, Spanish, and Tigrinya. ORR and DOJ/OCS are working together to expand awareness of refugees' rights. Visit the Office of Special Council's Worker Information website
for these and other helpful materials.