Programs

WELCOME

Community Sponsorship Hearts & Homes coordinates and assists volunteer groups or individuals, known as community sponsors, that partner with a resettlement agency to provide additional time and resources to each refugee family. This model of resettlement offers better chances for successful integration and independence. This public-private partnership model is growing in popularity throughout the country and, if shared and adopted, could result in a paradigm shift in the way we welcome and support refugees. Our Helping Hands program is a short-term version of this support, also known as “community sponsorship-lite” and matches volunteer teams with refugees who are beyond the first 12 months of resettlement and to those who have been granted asylum. Learn more about becoming a community sponsor!

Direct Support  As part of our holistic approach to resettling and welcoming our new neighbors, we offer complimentary services and assistance, often in collaboration with our many partners. This includes Donation Drives (for winter coats and boots, toiletries, school supplies) to serve the needs of refugees and asylees locally. Our Tutors support adults learning English and children who need help with their schoolwork. We help connect children to summer and after-school activities. Mentors on the Employment Committee assist refugees with resume writing, interview prep and job networking. We also collaborate with organizations and individuals across the county to provide clothing, furniture and household goods on an as-needed basis.

Read more about our recent drives: 2021 Love Your Neighbor Personal Products Drive, Getting Refugee Children Ready for School,  2021 Winter Boot and Coat Drive.

CONVENE

Our Friends & Partners Hearts & Homes for Refugees created a group of friends & partners to educate, inspire and mobilize an expanded community of welcomers. This growing group of partners and volunteers amplifies our mission to build a powerful force for welcoming refugees and supporting them in their integration and goals as independent new Americans.  

Education Our education efforts foster cross-cultural understanding and welcoming attitudes.  We regularly present at local high schools and colleges, placing our efforts within the global context for refugees, and emphasizing how we can take local action. Our Refugees in Literature project is an educator-selected collection of titles by and about refugees for grades K-12, accompanied by classroom guides. Bringing Refugees in Literature into schools and libraries offers opportunities for conversation and critical thinking to help children discover truths about refugees and their journeys.

Community Outreach  Staying connected and communicating across the network is a powerful way to amplify and spread the messages of welcoming. Creating and jointly participating in Activities and Events – speaking engagements, community activities – are ways to inspire, educate and motivate support for refugees. We regularly invite refugees, SIVs and asylees themselves to share their experience. Our programs foster cross-cultural understanding and welcoming attitudes. Talking about our work and sharing opportunities to get involved in welcoming, inspires others and often translates into commitments from volunteers, donors and community partners (see our recap of Welcoming Week).

Advocacy is a powerful tool in shaping policies that strengthen the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program. We offer tools, alerts and action steps via email and social media (sign up for our newsletter at the bottom of the page). Our advocacy promotes grassroots participation in advocating for local and national policies that support refugees. From petitions to postcard writing, we have a toolkit which offers guidelines and instructions on advocating for refugee resettlement in the U.S. and dignified, just immigration policy.

Ambassadors  First person stories are often the most compelling, and we invite refugees themselves, as well as volunteers who have been strong advocates of refugee resettlement to become Ambassadors to help spread the word about refugees, resettlement and our welcoming work. Listen here to Hearts & Homes’ first Ambassador, refugee/SIV Reshad Ahmadi, on the Immigrantly podcast.

CRISIS SUPPORT

Pandemic Response Refugees are often among the most vulnerable populations, experiencing the double trauma of displacement and pandemic, many with little to no safety network or family support systems. Hearts & Homes for Refugees responded by sharing reliable information about the virus, unemployment benefits, the federal stimulus and more; supporting mask-making projects with refugee sewists; connecting refugees online to Zoom meet-ups and English tutoring; collaborating with partners to provide food boxes for families and bags of books and games for kids; and funding crisis grants and gift cards for families in need. For more details on how we have been assisting the most vulnerable among us during the pandemic, see our COVID-19 Relief Impact Report and visit our COVID-19 Relief for Refugees page.