Switchboard Blog
Switchboard’s blog posts offer a wide range of insights on the newcomer experience, including practical tips for navigating the resettlement process, resource lists tailored to community needs, case studies about relevant programs, engaging stories of successful integration, and more.
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Supporting Newcomer Clients and Staff Through Service Disruptions
This trauma-informed blog post provides practical strategies for service providers supporting forcibly displaced clients through program disruptions, emphasizing safety, transparency, collaboration, and respect for clients’ varied backgrounds and experiences. It outlines specific approaches for managing transitions—from preparing clients in advance to ensuring continuity of care—while acknowledging the emotional toll on both clients and staff. This…
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In support of Afghan pilots who have resettled in the U.S., Upwardly Global published a landscape assessment and proposed program plan earlier this year. The scope of the research included a high-level overview of potential pathways in the U.S., as well as proposed tools for service providers to help these individuals find skill-aligned employment. This…
- Rebecca Fishman
As we enter the final months of 2022, it’s clear that refugee resettlement in the United States looks different than it did in past years. Refugee Housing Solutions spoke to Christina Bruce-Bennion, Service Coordination Program Manager at the Idaho Office for Refugees, about navigating these shifts as they pertain to housing partnerships. Bruce-Bennion has worked…
- Sophia Martin
The Question of Compassion People working in refugee resettlement are often motivated by compassion. This is perhaps especially true for those who engage directly with clients—caseworkers, casework assistants, volunteers, interpreters, and the range of housing, education, and employment specialists. Compassion is defined by Trzeciak & Mazzarelli as an “emotional response to another’s pain or suffering,…
- Graeme Rodgers
The IRC recently launched the Virtual Resettlement Line (VRL), combining the success of both the virtual APA (VAPA) program and the Uniting for Ukraine Support Line (U4USL). VRL launched on April 3, 2023, and is a one-stop resource for any prospective clients who are not yet connected to a resettlement agency or who are struggling…
- Emma Shah
Do you support refugees and newcomers with affordable housing services? This blog post is for you! Switchboard has partnered with Refugee Housing Solutions to share training and promising practices related to housing solutions for newcomers. Today, we’re spotlighting the innovative housing work of World Learning Inc., a global nonprofit and accredited academic institution with a…
- Yasmine Noubani
Switchboard is committed to sharing stories of lived experiences with service providers across the U.S. Today, Switchboard is sharing the anonymous story of an Afghan American Social Worker who arrived in the United States as an Unaccompanied Refugee Minor. Experiences in the U.S. Foster Care System At the early age of 14, I was forced…
- Switchboard