Building Sponsorship Infrastructure in States: Creating the Conditions for Success
Introduction and Executive Summary
As the number of people forcibly displaced globally reaches historic levels, the Biden Administration has introduced several programs to respond to this need and increase the ability of everyday Americans to sponsor people seeking safety. Announced in January 2023, the Welcome Corps program (also known as private sponsorship) allows U.S. citizens and permanent residents to provide logistical, social, and financial support to refugees in their first few months in the United States. Sponsors either apply to be matched with a refugee already in the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) pipeline or, starting later this year, to sponsor someone they know (sometimes also called “Naming”), identifying a specific eligible refugee they would like to welcome. In addition to the Welcome Corps, there are also humanitarian parole programs that allow people from Ukraine, Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela to come to the United States through temporary humanitarian parole if they have a sponsor that will provide financial and other support after arrival.
Sponsorship programs can bring communities together, increase access to social capital, support accelerated economic integration, and foster more welcoming attitudes towards refugees and other forcibly displaced people. However, while the Welcome Corps and other sponsorship programs have provided a lifeline for many displaced people, they can also present new challenges for states and cities as they seek to accommodate newcomers and help them integrate successfully into life in their new communities. Although traditionally resettled refugees commonly access support services through programs run by resettlement agencies, those who come through different forms of sponsorship may not be aware of or have ready access to programs like English language classes, employment services, and other offerings from resettlement agencies or other nonprofits that help them orient to their new homes. Recognizing this gap, particularly in the context of the Uniting for Ukraine humanitarian parole program (U4U), several states have implemented initiatives to raise awareness of available programs and services, while also exploring alternative means of providing services to complement or add capacity to overwhelmed resettlement agencies.
U4U and other sponsorship programs have provided an important opportunity to glean lessons-learned and apply them towards establishing an infrastructure in states to create the conditions for successful sponsorship. In order to capture state-level efforts to support sponsorship, this report elevates best practices, highlights some key challenges, and shares recommendations on how the U.S. government, states, and national and local partners can collaborate toward ensuring the success of these programs and the newcomers they serve.
The findings and recommendations in this report result from a survey of State Refugee Coordinators (SRCs) conducted in early July 2023 by the Refugee Advocacy Lab, Welcome.US, and the Community Sponsorship Hub. The survey was distributed through the State Coordinators of Refugee Resettlement (SCORR) network of SRCs across the country. The purpose of the survey was (1) to gain a deeper understanding of some of the challenges faced by states in meeting the needs of sponsored newcomers; and (2) to learn more about the initiatives SRCs have undertaken or plan to undertake to build out the infrastructure necessary to support sponsorship, and specifically, private sponsorship. Twenty-three SRCs responded to the survey, sharing thoughtful and innovative proposals to facilitate sponsorship in their states, as well as suggestions on further support they need from the U.S. government as well as national, state, and local partners as they seek to accommodate newcomers arriving through various sponsorship programs.
Already, several states have started creating state-specific resources for private sponsors, hired sponsorship coordinators to provide the public with information and services, provided training to public benefits eligibility workers, and developed plans to mobilize and encourage members of the public to become sponsors.
At the same time, several SRCs expressed that they needed more funding to build out infrastructure within their own offices and throughout the state to support private sponsorship or sponsorship generally; more flexible state government procurement processes so that they can hire staff and vendors to provide services; and more transparency and data sharing from the U.S. government so that states are prepared to adequately serve newcomers in non-resettlement or remote locations, among other challenges.
Based on their feedback, this report proposes several recommendations. These recommendations offer suggestions to the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) and other federal agencies, state and local governments, the Welcome Corps consortium partners, and resettlement agencies on how they can collaborate towards creating an environment where sponsors and the newcomers they are welcoming can succeed in their new home. With the imminent roll-out of “Naming” of the Welcome Corps program, another expansion of private sponsorship, it is imperative that lessons-learned from existing sponsorship programs are adapted and applied to ensure that sponsored newcomers have equitable access to the same services offered through traditional resettlement.
