Greetings, SWC churches. Information and strategy recommendations are available from the UCC National Setting regarding welcoming and resettling our 55,600 new Afghan neighbors and the anticipated 30,000 addition neighbors who will enter the US by year’s end. This guidance mentions ways to participate in the resettlement effort and considerations regarding partners with whom you might decide to work. The SWC office is interfacing with the National Setting and our other ministry partners regarding this effort. To that end they’ve asked us to collect your questions, collate them, and pass them on. Our local partners remain:
(AZ) Lutheran Social Services of the Southwest (LSS),
(NM) Lutheran Family Services Rocky Mountains,
(AZ) International Rescue Committee/Phoenix
The Phoenix IRC has posted many professional employment openings to staff their resettlement work.
Now a message from Irene Hassan, the UCC Minister for Refugee and Migration Ministries….
Thank you all for your diligent and faithful work to welcome our new Afghan neighbors with dignity! I wanted to share with you all an update regarding policy changes for Afghan refugee resettlement. The federal government has decided to partner with a private non-profit, The Community Sponsorship Hub, to allow private community groups, such as churches, to be matched with and resettle Afghan refugees independently of traditional refugee resettlement programs. You can sign up to be vetted and assigned Afghan families in need of resettlement in your community here: Sponsor Circles
While we celebrate the government expanding resources for Afghan resettlement – as there are currently 55,600 Afghans awaiting new homes in our country right now, and a predicted 30,000 more coming by the end of the year – I want to flag for you all some considerations in utilizing this resource to resettle families:
1. This program is endorsed by traditional resettlement agencies, including the International Rescue Committee and Integrated Refugee and Immigration Services (IRIS).
2. However, it’s not clear that ”Sponsor Circles” would get the same type of support from professionally trained workers as partnering with a local refugee resettlement agency would provide.
Therefore, our recommendation remains that you follow this order of engagement when your collaboration has made a regional plan, identified resources and responsibilities, and is ready to transition into welcoming a family:
1. Partnering with your local refugee resettlement office will provide you with the most engaged level of support. Find your local office here: Find Resources and Contacts in Your State | The Administration for Children and Families (hhs.gov)
2. If your local offices are overwhelmed and cannot respond to you, our next recommendation is to use Church World Service’s remote resettlement assistance program: Welcoming Afghans: Community Sponsorship - CWS (cwsglobal.org)
3. If both your local office and Church World Service APA Program are unavailable or unresponsive, this is where we believe the “Sponsor Circle” program is best utilized.
You can read more information on the development of the Sponsor Circle program here: Biden administration to allow private groups to sponsor Afghan evacuees - CBS News. This program is jointly funded by the Department of State and the Rockafeller Foundation: Launch of the Sponsor Circle Program for Afghans - United States Department of State
If your congregation is contemplating or ready to sponsor an Afghan family, we stand ready to support and assist your efforts.
Bill