Travel Hosting: King and Pierce County locations

Out on the Tacoma tide flats there is a large detention center facility that can hold 1,575 immigrants. Many are in court proceedings for an immigration violation, which are usually civil and not criminal offenses. Most people who are released from this facility have no criminal records. Others who are detained are bused or flown up from border towns where they have requested sanctuary because they are fleeing persecution and cannot go home. They have not committed any violations to the law but must go through court proceedings in detention to prove their case. Upon release, some stay with a host home before traveling to be with friends and family. Others may be joining a program at World Relief and need a place to stay before they get long-term housing.

Volunteers host individuals or groups for 1-7 days who have been released from the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma and need a place to stay before traveling to their next destination.

Details: Volunteers in this program agree to sign up to host people leaving the detention center.  Duties include driving to the detention center in Tacoma to pick up their guest, providing a bed & bathroom, providing meals for the duration of their stay, and driving them to the airport as well as accompanying them through security if needed. Volunteers can sign up for Weekend Travel Hosting (1-3 nights) or Extended Travel Hosting (2-7 nights) depending on their own schedule and the needs of the program. Volunteers are available to host at least once a month for six months.

Resettlement Hosting: King, Thurston & Whatcom County locations

When World Relief clients arrive for resettlement, they need a place to stay while searching for an apartment and job. Host Homes provide a furnished sleeping & living space, room to cook and eat, and often friendship and community orientation as the guests take their first steps in their new life.

Volunteers host individuals or families for 1-4+ weeks while they are resettled by World Relief in Western Washington. Hosting spaces vary from guest bedrooms to separate houses.

Details: Volunteers in this program agree to host for a minimum of a month with the possibility of extending it if all parties agree. Volunteers provide a fully furnished private room and bathroom for guests, kitchen space, and initial groceries. The ability to provide transportation is not necessary. Their guests are World Relief clients who are being resettled in Western Washington. Their next step is to move into housing on their own. Volunteers are available to host at least three times in a year.

Remote Hosting: King, Thurston & Whatcom County locations

If you are going on a long trip and are leaving your home empty, or have an AirBnB you'd like to donate, you may want to be a Remote Host for World Relief clients. In this hosting program, volunteer home owners provide furnished, unoccupied homes or apartments within one hour of Kent for World Relief clients.

Details: Volunteers in this program agree to make a home they own available for at least six weeks at a time. The volunteer provides the home/apartment free of charge while they are not living there, and provides for all furnishings and utilities (unless otherwise arranged). The volunteer works with the Host Home Coordinator to ensure there is a local contact or an intern assigned to check on basic house maintenance and welcome the clients. They are open to it being used for any World Relief client and sign a memorandum of understanding.

Requirements

• Flexibility
• Willingness to share your home with people of other cultures and religions
• Pass a Federal Background Check, driving record check, and complete a virtual in-home training with the Volunteer Coordinator
• Communicate with World Relief staff before and during a guest's stay
• Log all volunteer hours

Interested in hosting refugees, asylees and those released from detention? The first step is to fill out a volunteer application. Once you submit your application, follow the steps to complete the online orientation and register for a local training.

Travel & Resettlement host homes are required to attend both the general and local orientations, complete an application, and undergo a background check before starting. At the training you will learn about World Relief's work, the refugees and immigrants we serve, and what it looks like to come alongside them as volunteers in different roles.