Advocating For Refugees
Making your voice heard in support of the U.S. Refugee Resettlement program and refugees worldwide through advocacy, is a vital response to the greatest refugee crisis in human history.
Advocate for Refugees In the Time of COVID-19
During this pandemic, and beyond, refugees here and around the world need our voices more than ever. From phone calls at home, online, or in-person when the time is right, join us to let legislators at federal, state and local levels know that you are a humanitarian and American who believes in welcoming refugees. We have been to Capitol Hill and participated in RCUSA Advocacy Days in Washington, DC. We continue to advocate all year long, and especially around World Refugee Day (June 20) and Welcoming Refugee Week (September 11-20) and at community events including the Westchester County Heritage Festivals. We boost advocacy efforts around important events and legislative initiatives.
1. WRITE POSTCARDS
Ask your Members of Congress and all elected officials to stand up for refugees! Our volunteers have sent thousands of postcards with handwritten messages to our representatives in Washington.
If you or your group are interested in letting your voice be heard, we can give you the tools! Now, more than ever, your voice is needed to welcome, protect and advocate for refugees.
Ideas for generating postcard advocacy:
Organize and host a large virtual event to collect many signatures at once.
Invite friends over virtual coffee or dinner and ask them to sign postcards.
The How-To toolkit explains it all!
Postcard Campaign Toolkit
The Hearts & Homes for Refugees Postcard Toolkit includes:
Instructions (how-to)
Names and addresses (where to send)
Sample petition
Fact sheet (refugees/asylees/SIVs)
Congressional representatives & maps
Postcard designs (if you want to order your own)
Postcard messages (what to write)
If you are based in Westchester County and organize a post card event, we will provide pre-labeled postcards. For friends beyond Westchester County, the Toolkit includes designs and instructions for ordering your own postcards - although any postcard will do! Please print out our short informational sheets with sample messages. Personalized messages are fine too! Remember, the postcards should be:
Respectful (no matter how you feel about the policy!)
Handwritten (most powerful!)
With name and address (at a minimum, writers should include their name and zip code)
Collected, counted, stamped and mailed by you, the event organizer. (Don't rely on participants to get these in the mail! Please let us know the final count. Send us an event report to hello@heartsandhomesforrefugees.org.
2. SIGN THE PETITION
Sign the petition included in the toolkit, AS WELL AS write postcard messages.
Please return the signed petitions along with postcards to Hearts and Homes for Refugees, PO Box 8558, Pelham, NY 10803.
Advocate for the Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) program
U.S. Allies in Iraqi and Afghan risked their lives and the lives of their families to protect our troops in battle. As a result, many have been living in hiding and in fear for years while they await their visas. Many have died as a result of not being protected as promised. Thousands of these loyal allies still await their visas.
In addition to sending postcard messages expressing support for SIV cases, if you or your community is interested in learning about more ways to advocate for SIVs, Hearts & Homes and Keeping Our Promise have a joint project which matches volunteers with SIV applicants. Volunteers help Afghans contact former supervisors and employers for letters of recommendation and employment verification. Volunteers must be savvy at internet research, comfortable with websites such as Facebook and LinkedIn, and able to establish a dedicated email address for their correspondence with the applicant. If interested, please send an email to helping@heartsandhomesforrefugees.org.
Visit our SIV Advocacy Page to learn more about how you can help!