Some people seek refuge elsewhere for many reasons. Some are trying to flee from a war while others are simply looking to start a new life after being exposed to oppression. However, moving isn’t always easy. There will be cultural differences, and for some, language barriers.
For these refugees, starting a new life on foreign soil won’t be easy. They’ve already said goodbye to their friends and family in a place that they’ve lived in, and now, they have to start and build new relationships from nothing.
US citizens or lawful permanent residents now have the ability to sponsor refugees who need safety in America. This was launched through a new program called the “Welcome Corps.”
The program is linked to a group of non-profits that specialize in the resettlement of Internationally Displaced Persons, or IDPs. The Welcome Corps allows private US citizens to be able to efficiently and quickly capitalize on humanitarian instincts. The program was designed for people who have witnessed tragedies that have been happening all over the world.
The Welcome Corps was designed just like the Canadian refugee system. This means that an IDP thinking about coming to America will be referred to the Welcome Corps by non-profits such as Community Sponsorship Hub or International Refugee Assistance Project.
In order to be able to sponsor the refugees’ resettlement in the U.S., five citizens or permanent residents should come together and agree to financially and socially support an IDP and their family with as much as $10,000. This will go one for their first 90 days in the country.
Once the five-member agreement is established, they will be referred to the consortium of non-profits. This is where they will go through instructional sessions that has been designed to teach them how to help the IDP apply for residency, enroll their children in school, find work, search for housing, and everything else that comes with starting a new life aboard.
The advantage of the State Dept. assigning this task to a private-private partnership is that the community response brings about a better and more welcoming environment for the refugees.
“You have five friends as soon as you step off the plane,” Sarah Krause said. She is the executive director and co-founder of the Community Sponsorship Hub, one of 200 non-profits the government has assigned with organizing the Welcome Corp. She spoke to Fast Company about this.
“It can take a long time to make five friends in the United States as a newcomer otherwise.”
In the second part of the development for the Welcome Corps, State will then enable private sponsors to identify IDPs just by themselves for referral to the program. The state hopes to welcome more than 5,000 vetted refugees. They will also get the help of around 10,000 private sponsors.
For those who are thinking about becoming a sponsor and helping refugees when they need help the most can visit the Welcome Corps website to know more about the details of the program.
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