US citizens or lawful permanent residents can now easily sponsor refugees seeking safety in America through a new program called the “Welcome Corps.”
Connected with a consortium of non-profits that specialize in the resettlement of Internationally Displaced Persons, or IDPs, the Welcome Corps will allow private US citizens to quickly capitalize on their humanitarian instincts when tragedies come calling worldwide.
Modeled after the Canadian refugee system, an IDP looking to come to America will be referred to the Welcome Corps by non-profits like Community Sponsorship Hub or International Refugee Assistance Project.
To sponsor their resettlement in America, five citizens or permanent residents must agree to financially and socially support an IDP and their family with up to $10,000 for the first 90 days.
Once the five-member compact is made, they will be referred to the consortium of non-profits for instructional sessions on how to help the IDP apply for residence, enroll their children in school, find work and housing, etc.
The advantage of the State Dept. leaving the work up to a private-private partnership is that a community response creates warmer social conditions for the folks arriving.
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“You have five friends as soon as you step off the plane,” Sarah Krause, executive director and co-founder of the Community Sponsorship Hub, one of 200 non-profits the government has tasked with organizing the Welcome Corps, told Fast Company.
“It can take a long time to make five friends in the United States as a newcomer otherwise.”
In the second phase of development for the Welcome Corps, State will allow private sponsors to identify IDPs on their own for referral to the program. State hopes to welcome an additional 5,000 vetted refugees this year with the help of 10,000 private sponsors.
Those looking to enroll as a sponsor can visit the Welcome Corps website.
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