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Refugees are people fleeing violence and persecution—in Syria, Iraq, Eritrea, and other countries in crisis. They are seeking safety and the chance to move their lives forward.

The United States has a long tradition of sheltering those fleeing conflict and persecution. Once refugees have been identified by the United Nations refugee agency and cleared for resettlement, the U.S. government works with the ̽����ѡ and eight other national resettlement agencies to help them restart their lives in America. Out of the nearly 20 million refugees in the world, fewer than 1 percent are considered for resettlement worldwide.

Refugees may be placed in a city where they have relatives or friends, or where there’s an established community that shares their language or culture. Other considerations include the cost of living and a community’s ability to provide medical services. However, as legal U.S. residents, refugees may live in any city and state they choose.

Learn more about how refugee resettlement works.

Our programs are designed to ensure refugees thrive in America—whether ensuring children are enrolled in school, adults become self-reliant through employment or starting businesses, or families receive acute medical care they need to recover from trauma or illness. The ̽����ѡ helps those in need to rebuild their lives and regain control of their future in their new home community.

Refugees are greeted and welcomed at the airport by ̽����ѡ case workers and volunteers to ensure their transition is as comfortable as possible. The ̽����ѡ also makes sure newly arrived refugees receive:

• A furnished home
• Help with rent
• Health care
• Nutritious, affordable food
• English language classes
• Help building job, computer, and financial literacy skills
• Education for their children
• Social services and community support
• Legal services towards residency and citizenship

Our programs in Seattle

• Resettlement: Meeting the basic needs for food, shelter and legal rights in the early, critical stages of resettlement.
• Economic Empowerment: Protecting, supporting and improving household livelihoods and financial security.
• Community Integration and Development: Strengthening communities and preparing individuals to participate fully in American society.
• Health and Wellness: Promoting wellness and ensuring access to healthcare services that address physical and psychological needs.
• Protection: Promoting durable solutions and ensuring life-saving protection of vulnerable populations.
• Children, Youth and Education: Providing educational and developmental opportunities that build the essential academic, personal and social skills needed to succeed.
• New Roots: Focus on food access and nutritional needs of families upon arrival in the U.S., and builds on the agricultural experience of many new refugee and immigrant families by providing access to land, materials, and education for program participants to grow healthy food.
• Any many more: Our programs are always expanding to serve the diverse needs of our programs!

The ̽����ѡ provides Immigration and Citizenship Services to the wider community, giving both refugees but also other immigrants assistance in a range of routine immigration matters, such as applying for “green cards”, employment authorization and citizenship.

The ̽����ѡ’s New Roots program is available to all qualifying immigrants in Seattle, enabling them to celebrate their heritage and nourish themselves and their neighbors by planting strong roots—literally—in their new communities.

There are many ways that you can get involved with the ̽����ѡ’s work in Seattle. You can:

Donate  Make a one-time or monthly tax-deductible gift  or through your donor advised fund. Or, launch your own fundraiser via  or . Your contributions directly support local ̽����ѡ programs, helping refugees, immigrants, and survivors or trafficking who are rebuilding their lives our community. 

Participate  Join ̽����ѡ at community events throughout the year, such as Winter Welcome Festival, World Refugee Day - ARTvocacy, and the Rebuilding Lives Annual Dinner. Events raise critical resources to support newcomers and visibly reassure refugee families that Washington welcomes them. .

Advocate  Call on policy makers to support refugees, immigrants, and survivors of trafficking. Please email, call, or write your elected officials with a message of support today!

Spread the Word  Stay connected via our  and , and ask others to do the same! #RefugeesWelcome 

Educate  With knowledge of refugee issues, you can help dispel misunderstanding about refugees within your own community by engaging in conversation and posting on social media or anywhere you see an opportunity to give accurate information. Resources to get you started include: ̽����ѡ’s Refugees in America

Assemble a Donation Drive  Team up with friends, family, or colleagues to collect essential items - household goods, kitchenware, school supplies, job readiness kits, or gift cards - for newly-arrived families. (if purchased from our Amazon Wishlist, items will be shipped directly to our warehouse), or email us with questions.

Volunteer  Volunteers and interns are integral to the ̽����ѡ's work in Seattle. Visit our volunteer opportunities page to learn about the different ways to get involved. Email us to join our "on-call" volunteer team or attend a to join as a long-term volunteer or intern. 

Employ Newcomers  The ̽����ѡ’s economic empowerment program helps newcomers prepare for Seattle’s job market and work toward their career goals in the U.S. Contact the ̽����ѡ if interested in offering employment or professional development opportunities to newcomers.

Connect ̽����ѡ to Affordable Housing  Housing stability is critical to the health and wellness of all families. We greatly appreciate information on, or connections to, long-term affordable housing options for ̽����ѡ clients.

Once they acclimate to their new environment, refugees often thrive and contribute to their communities, building careers, purchasing homes, gaining citizenship.