Sign up for Community Sponsorship using our form here.

What is Community Sponsorship?

Community Sponsorship offers a local solution to the global refugee crisis. It relies on harnessing the power of community volunteers and partners to offer a soft landing to newly arrived families and provides up to 12 months of volunteer support built to ensure the independence and self-sufficiency of our new neighbors. This public/private partnership between Resettlement Agencies and local volunteers from faith and civic groups depends on organized networking and goodwill to resettle refugees and build bridges within our communities of welcomers.

Community Sponsors are changing the way we welcome refugees. And this model is having a positive impact on everyone—volunteers and refugee families and the communities they call home. When neighbors join together as trained Community Sponsors to build scaffolding and offer networking support around new arrivals, refugees are more likely to thrive in dignity and safety, integrate into the community, and find success as new Americans. Community Sponsorship requires a significant commitment by volunteers. For up to 12 months volunteers provide financial and material support, tools and guidance to help refugees integrate and thrive in their new homes.

Hearts & Homes has been resettling refugees as Community Sponsors since 2016. Since September 2021, our scaled-up efforts have increased our capacity to organize Cohorts of CS teams. Through February we anticipate there will be a dozen Community Sponsor teams resettling nearly 60 new arrivals in the Lower Hudson Valley. Hearts & Homes has reached deep into our communities to onboard new volunteers. We will continue to offer experience, mentorship, and share best practices and resources to continue building the capacity to serve our Afghan allies and resettle more refugees in the Lower Hudson Valley.

How Does Refugee Resettlement Work?

There are nine Resettlement Agencies in the United States that are responsible for refugees who have been approved for resettlement. Until recently, these agencies depended primarily on case managers to resettle refugees directly, without the support of volunteer organizations. With the growing acceptance of the Community Sponsorship model, Resettlement Agencies are turning to trained community volunteers to help resettle refugees. These Community Sponsors follow many of the standard resettlement procedures that these government-designated agencies must employ to help refugees from the time they arrive. Community Sponsors have the advantage of living in or near the communities where they are welcoming refugees. These volunteers have boots-on-the-ground to find housing and provide other critical support during and beyond the 90 days that the Resettlement Agencies are required to serve refugees. With Community Sponsors alongside them, refugees continue on the path toward independence. Volunteers organize into committees and provide guidance and resources to new arrivals, from finding housing, setting up apartments and often welcoming refugees at the airport, to helping families enroll in schools and health care programs, learn English, find a job and connect to the community.

The Benefits of the Community Sponsorship Model

With Community Sponsors, refugees receive far more support and for longer periods of time, promising more sustainable and realistic chances for successful integration and independence. Resettlement agencies invest in Community Sponsors' training and orientation, giving them valuable resources and tools for working with families. In this model, everyone benefits. Resettlement Agencies rely on trained volunteers who enjoy a hands-on role in making a new life for a refugee family. Many volunteers experience this "magic of refugees." This public-private partnership model is growing in popularity throughout the country because it can increase our capacity to welcome refugees and ensure successful outcomes for new Americans. This is a welcome shift in the way we welcome refugees. 

Listening to Grassroots Organizations Could be the Key to a More Welcoming America

– by Kathie O’Callaghan

Organizing a Team

Volunteers, communities, civic associations, faith and interfaith groups are key to successful Community Sponsorship. From a roof over their heads to the cultural, practical and emotional needs of refugees, community sponsors provide the person-to-person support that is so valuable in the early days, weeks, months of a family's journey to independence.

Volunteers bring a wide range of skill sets, experience, and their own networks to find and furnish housing, help refugees land their first job or adapt to school. Teams include internal oversight—volunteer coordinators, fundraising, finances and communications.

Volunteers provide scaffolding support around families for up to 12 months following their arrival. Committees offer volunteers a way to manage the many resettlement needs.  These are snapshots of the roles and responsibilities of committees within each Community Sponsor (CS) group or “cohort” of volunteers working together to resettle an arriving refugee family.  Further details will be discussed during volunteer training and orientation with Hearts & Homes for Refugees.   

Hearts & Homes for Refugees assists Cohorts in various ways. Hearts & Homes staff will meet regularly with the Cohort’s core team members to provide support and experience, leads, best practices and problem-solving. From fundraising to logistics to connecting new and experienced volunteers to one another, Hearts & Homes can be a valuable partner to volunteer teams.

COMMUNITY SPONSORS ORGANIZE COMMITTEES ACCORDING TO RESETTLEMENT NEEDS

HOUSING: Scout out affordable housing in neighborhoods with access to public transportation, food, and other key needs. Connect utilities, wi-fi/internet. Be available to help with any landlord issues during the first 6-12 months. Hearts & Homes will share its county-wide landlord contacts and housing leads to assist the Housing Committee.

HOME FURNISHINGS: Set up housing with required furnishings (donated and new.) Hearts & Homes provides a list of furniture, appliances, household cleaning and personal care items. Provide an initial pantry of culturally appropriate foods and staples. Committee volunteers are responsible for cleaning, staging, and transportation for “Move-In Day!” Hearts & Homes has cross-cohort volunteers and resources/relationships who can help coordinate some new/like new donations to assist the Home Furnishing and Set Up Committee.

CLOTHING: Provide initial clothing and weather-appropriate needs for each family member. Assist with meeting “growing” needs, diapers, etc. Arrange Thrift store visits or other occasional clothes shopping as needed. Hearts & Homes has cross-cohort volunteers and resources/relationships who can help coordinate some new/like new donations to assist the Clothing Committee.

COMMUNITY ORIENTATION: Prepare for the arrival of the family by adapting the Hearts & Homes Welcome Book -to the specific address/community, including identifying key locations they will need to be able to find and researching public transportation options. Teach the family the basics about living in the US: grocery shopping, specialty/halal grocery markets, clothes laundering, banking, library card system, recycling & garbage collection. Teach the family how to operate all mechanical aspects of their home including plumbing, electrical appliances and lights, security, maintenance expectations. Instruct family how to use public transportation (fares, payment, entering and exiting procedures) and show family members how to get to important locations: schools, jobs, market, place of worship, hospital. Discuss hygiene and dress, especially as it relates to job interviews and general community acceptance. Hearts & Homes has cross-cohort volunteers and resources/relationships to assist the Community Orientation Committee.

EDUCATION: Assist families to enroll children in school and school buses. Interface with the school system to obtain needed support, provide advocacy in some areas if needed, and maintain interaction with involved teaching professionals if necessary as a liaison. Arrange for at home reinforcement and after school programming as needed. Help to arrange childcare and/or early childhood education programs for toddlers if applicable. Hearts & Homes has a cross-cohort Education/ESOL committee and resources/relationships to assist the Education Committee.

EMPLOYMENT: Identify potential employment opportunities. Work with the family to determine skills and interests and assist with resume preparation, job applications and interview preparation. Hearts & Homes has a county-wide Employment Committee and resources/leads/relationships with employers, employment experts, etc. to assist the Employment Committee.

ESOL & ADULT ED: Determine language training needs and organize appropriate support and resources according to needs. Find and register adults for free/low cost ESOL classes and provide supplemental ESOL support for the family, for example, with volunteer tutors/conversation partners. Identify adult education opportunities (technical training, GED, higher education) as needed. Hearts & Homes has a cross-cohort Education/ESOL committee and resources/relationships to assist the ESOL & Adult Ed Committee.

FAMILY BUDGET/FINANCE: Help adults with family budgeting and finances, including setting up a bank account, credit and taxes. Work with the family on a timeline of self-sufficiency in 6-12 months. Co-chairs must be comfortable having sometimes difficult conversations about money. Hearts & Homes has cross-cohort budget/finance volunteers and resources/relationships to assist the Family Budgeting & Finances Committee.

GOVERNMENT ID, SERVICES, & TASKS: Help family members apply for and follow up on Social Security cards at the local Social Security office, help apply for SNAP at the local Dept. of Social Services including follow up as necessary, help with NYS ID Card enrollment, and interact with other government agencies/services as needed. Govt services available to refugees can include Medicaid, SNAP, APA or Resettlement & Placement Funds, MatchGrant or Cash assistance, and WIC. Hearts & Homes has cross-cohort volunteers and resources/relationships to assist the Government Services Committee.

HEALTHCARE: Assist with an orientation about the healthcare system and help the family navigate the medical insurance system/Medicaid; Medicaid is retroactive to the day of arrival. In most cases. Resettlement Agencies will (usually) sign clients up for Medicaid. Accompany the family members to the required Refugee Health Assessment (RHA) within 30 days of arrival. Identify primary care and mental health providers in the area who are accepting new patients with Medicaid and help connect the family to appropriate providers. Schedule and bring the family for first appointments with primary care providers, dentists and any specialists necessary for follow-up. ALL MEDICAL PROVIDERS ARE REQUIRED TO OFFER INTERPRETERS. Manage/assist with family medical issues, urgent or emergency medical needs that may arise. Help family make appointments and arrange transportation (public transportation or rides from Ride coordinator), as needed. Hearts & Homes has cross-cohort volunteers and resources/relationships to assist the Healthcare Committee.

RIDE COORDINATORS & DRIVERS: Identify drivers cleared with driving background checks. Hearts & Homes provides an online Sterling Volunteer background check paid for by the volunteer. Identify a list of drivers willing to take family members to initial appointments (for example, medical, Dept. of Social Services, Social Security office, DMV, job interviews, school meetings and emergencies). Commitment to drive more than one time is required and preference is for drivers who can participate over a 4-6 month period. Alert volunteer drivers when the family or another committee identifies a transportation need. Obtain driver contact details and provide the driver with details of the appointment, confirm with the requester the volunteer contact/telephone number.

ORGANIZATIONAL COMMITTEES

VOLUNTEER COORDINATION: Help recruit volunteers for the cohort and keep track of their contact information and hours volunteered. Oversee and link volunteer assignments to the appropriate refugee support committees. Be the point person between the committees and Hearts & Homes for Refugees, as well as the Resettlement Agency caseworker. Hearts & Homes will assist with volunteer coordination.

GROUP FUNDRAISING & FINANCES: Develop a strategy, organize and execute fundraising efforts and outreach to potential funding sources in order to support the family your cohort is resettling. Hearts & Homes will assist with finances and fundraising if needed.

Become a Community Sponsor!

If you live in the Lower Hudson Valley and are interested in creating or joining a Community Sponsorship team, please complete this form.

If you live elsewhere,  please check the website of the Hello Neighbor Network to see if any of our network partners might be welcoming refugees near you.

To learn more about forming a community sponsorship volunteer group and other ways to support refugees in our communities, contact us at hello@heartsandhomesforrefugees.org.

If you are interested in Community Sponsorship but would like to learn more about programs with a shorter-term commitment, please read about our Helping Hands program, which primarily supports individuals and families who have been granted asylum with two to three-month commitments.

As Hearts & Homes continues to plan for the arrival of more refugees to our area and is expanding our welcoming throughout the Lower Hudson Valley. Please support us in this rewarding effort.

“In communities where this community-driven model is at work, everyone benefits. Refugees find softer landings, smoother transitions and longer-term connections. Community groups stitch together strong networks of social, emotional and material support for their new refugee neighbors.”

-Kathie O’Callaghan President & Founder of Hearts & Homes for Refugees.