The U.S. State Department, in collaboration with the Department of Health and Human Services, recently launched the Welcome Corps. This new private sponsorship program will enable Americans over the age of 18 to directly sponsor refugees arriving through the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP).
Check out the Welcome Corps FAQ page here.
For 17 years, Amani Family Services has been involved in supporting refugees who have newly arrived in our community. Through our challenges and successes, we have a deep understanding of the investment of time and resources it takes to ensure the safety and mental well-being of refugee families. While we cheer on the progress of creating more welcoming communities, we feel a responsibility to educate our neighbors on this new federal program and its impact on agencies supporting refugees.
Amani, in partnership with St. Joseph Community Health Foundation, Catholic Charities, and International House will host a presentation on Refugee Resettlement Programs at 3:30 p.m. Thursday, March 30 at Allen County Public Library. Reserve a seat here.
“As an agency with the history and experience of helping immigrants and refugees navigate the aftermath of resettlement, we are already working to prepare and educate our community about how this will impact the city,” Ewelina Connolly, Amani CEO, said. “We are partnering with St. Joseph Community Health Foundation, Catholic Charities, and International House to launch quarterly learning communities to provide a space for nonprofits, for-profits, and individuals to learn about some tools and resources for how we can be a welcoming community. Unlike the traditional resettlement process where we already have an expectation of new individuals for the year, this new program will bring an unknown influx to Fort Wayne and we need to consider how we can build capacity to serve those in need, especially when working with the healthcare and legal systems.”
Who can sponsor through the welcome Corps?
American citizens and lawful permanent residents can come together to form Private Sponsor Groups (PSGs). To qualify, groups must have at least five members and all members must be over the age of 18. Currently, the Welcome Corps team will match sponsors with refugees who have been selected for resettlement. The earliest arrivals are expected by April 2023.
PSGs will be responsible for securing initial housing, providing basic needs, and connecting refugees to health care, education, and employment services within the first 90 days of a refugee’s arrival. Sponsors will also be financially responsible: PSGs must raise a minimum of $2,375 in cash and in-kind contributions per refugee. This amount aligns with the funding the federal government provides to resettlement agencies for the initial support of a refugee.
Why now?
The State Department states the Welcome Corps will “strengthen and expand the capacity of the USRAP by harnessing the energy and talents of Americans.” The program has a goal of recruiting at least 10,000 Americans to welcome 5,000 refugees.
Why this matters to Amani
As an active refugee resettlement site, Fort Wayne has a long-standing history of welcoming refugees. We are home to a large Burmese population (over 9,000 individuals*), 8.6% of Fort Wayne’s residents are foreign-born**, and we continue to welcome an average of 200 new foreign-born residents annually. Allen County has been an attractive destination for immigrants and refugees due to our robust infrastructure of social and support services.
Welcome Corps has been developed in addition to the traditional refugee resettlement process. As an agency solely devoted to immigrants and refugees, we expect that Amani will experience an increase in clients that will extend past our anticipated capacity for 2023.
Secondly, we feel we have a responsibility to well-meaning local organizations, church communities and individuals to be transparent about responsible private sponsorship. While the Welcome Corps provides training and tips, the obligation of care will ultimately be in the hands of sponsors. Amani and our partners are working together to provide more educational opportunities, but we implore all groups to take time to research and thoroughly outline a Welcome Plan that ensures a refugee’s success beyond the 90-day deadline. We ask that our community see this as an ongoing commitment to support immigrants and refugees, and support the organizations that walk alongside these individuals every day.
Learn more about the program on the official Welcome Corps website.
*Purdue Fort Wayne Community Research Institute, 2021
**United States Census Bureau, 2021