Refugee Families Are Counting on Us

The Institute’s Refugee Services team helps families when they arrive, so they can meet their basic needs and build a solid foundation for what’s next. Success in the first 90 days of resettlement — especially in helping individuals and families meet their needs for stable housing and income — is critical.

Securing available, affordable housing, ideally before or on the same day families arrive, is often the first step. The faster we can find permanent housing for a family, the sooner kids can enroll in school, which sets in motion the schedule and location their parents can work. But, how does someone rent an apartment — especially one large enough for a family — with no income, no American rental or credit history and a Social Security card in progress? If that housing doesn’t provide reasonable access to jobs that pay a living wage, then what?

When clients first arrive, it’s overwhelming. But my colleagues and I are here to help. The Institute’s education programs, career pathways and immigration services play a major role, too. Weeks, months and sometimes years later clients will return to find a better job, enroll in our nursing pathway, prepare for college or apply to become a U.S. citizen.