Today there are over 80 million people around the globe who have been forced, or made the painful choice, to leave their home. Threatened by extreme poverty, violence, and oppression, they leave behind everything familiar to seek a life free from fear.

Thousands of these refugees, asylees and other immigrants in vulnerable situations come to the United States every year seeking a place to rebuild their lives.

And together, we can help.

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Pre-Arrival Services

Pre-Arrival resettlement Services support families before their arrival and after being approved for resettlement services as Special Immigrant Visa holders. Special Immigrant Visa holders are eligible to walk into any World Relief Western Washington office and apply for resettlement services within 90 days of arriving anywhere in the United States. World Relief partners with healthcare providers to reduce barriers through culturally and linguistically appropriate care management services for youth and adults in refugee communities with health and wellness needs through the Refugee Northwest Refugee Health Promotion Program (RHPP).

To promote self-sufficiency and support families planting roots, the Housing and Gift-in-Kinds teams work together to apply for, receive approval for, and move participants into permanent housing. Children and adults are given household materials and furniture to help them thrive in their homes. Donors and volunteers play an essential role in contributing new or gently-used household items for family starter sets.

Resettlement: 3-6 months

We meet families during a time of great uncertainty. Our trauma-informed services aim to ensure that they are welcomed by community, rooted in community, and empowered for community.

Our resettlement services can include:

- Airport reception and temporary host homes

- Securing permanent housing, furniture, and household items

- Helping with applications for Social Security, ID cards, work authorization, and school registration

- Scheduling and providing transportation to initial health screening and ongoing health services

- Providing orientation on various topics related to life in the United States

- Connecting to other World Relief Western Washington services such English class, youth & family support, or immigration legal services

- Referring to other resources available through the city, county, and state

We also serve asylees through providing documents support, helping finding employment, securing permanent housing, and addressing other needs.

Match Grant:

Critical to the resettlement process for arriving families is moving towards self-sufficiency through obtaining employment. In addition to establishing a foundation of financial stability, finding and holding work has also been found to improve mental health outcomes for refugees and immigrants.

Towards this goal, World Relief Western Washington is a contracted provider of the Matching Grant program, a federally funded employment program that extends the resettlement period from three to eight months for eligible participants. This comprehensive program offers housing assistance, employment search services, and case management for individuals and families planning to find full-time work with the aim of becoming economically self-sufficient. In addition to refugees, this program allows asylees and humanitarian parolees, who arrive in the US on their own and would otherwise not receive resettlement services, to obtain our full support and jumpstart their careers in the US. In 2022, almost 90% of the families that enrolled in our program successfully reached economic self-sufficiency.

Additionally, as a “Matching” program where the federal government matches $2 for every $1 of support we raise, this program engages the community to contribute to resettlement services through volunteering, donating items, providing training, and financial support. World Relief works with local businesses to find job placements for employable adults and has extensive relationships with employers in our region including the Port of Seattle who care about the health and purpose of refugees, proving that when the community gets involved in our work, everybody benefits.

(Match Grant is only available in King County)

Creating a Community of Welcome

At World Relief, we partner with the local church and hundreds of individual volunteers to assist newly arrived families in the United States. Since our founding over 40 years ago, we’ve welcomed tens of thousands of refugees to Western Washington in partnership with the U.S. Department of State. We provide vital services and community connection during the crucial first months of a family's life in the Pacific Northwest.

Whether it’s securing housing, supplying basic necessities, or enrolling children in school, we come alongside these families every step of the way as they begin a path to belonging.

"You have helped me obtain direction, support, affection and the necessary tools to start a new life here in the USA. I could not have reached my goals so quickly without your help. Thank you very much!"
- Ysbelia, WR Client