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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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With the economic and health crises that came with COVID-19, many service providers were forced to shift priorities with clients. To ensure we did not lose sight of our long-term integration work with clients, we utilized the greater community, including volunteers, to support clients with professional development, professional networking, and complex financial systems navigation. This post provides ideas for leveraging volunteers remotely to support ongoing economic integration for refugees and asylees.
- Paige Vogel
The Annual Survey of Refugees (ASR) is a scientific study that collects information about how recently resettled refugees are adapting to life in the U.S. It is funded by the U.S. Office of Refugee Resettlement and is being conducted by the Urban Institute and SSRS. This blog post includes information you need to know if your clients are selected for the survey and why the ASR is important.
- Urban Institute
This second post in a two-part series that was informed by conversations with Senior Trial Attorney Liza Zamd from the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division’s Immigrant and Employee Rights Section. It provides tips on overcoming two common challenges when employers request specific documents from refugees and asylees as they complete the I-9.
- Daniel Wilkinson
This is the first post in a two-part series that was informed by conversations with Senior Trial Attorney Liza Zamd from the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division’s Immigrant and Employee Rights Section. It covers three common misconceptions held by both employers and service providers regarding work authorization, and shares additional useful resources.
- Daniel Wilkinson
We recently published a blog post on Virtual Job Readiness Resources for Clients With Online Access. But how are agencies continuing job readiness training when participants don’t have access to technology or lack digital literacy skills? This post includes job readiness resources for supporting clients without online access and/or digital skills, informed by strategies refugee service providers have begun implementing nationwide.
- Carrie Thiele
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused profound disruption across the globe, including in the U.S., which in late March became the country with the highest number of confirmed cases. The crisis is exacerbating existing economic and social inequality for many refugee and immigrant populations and their communities.
- Eugenia Gusev