Community Sponsorship: Creating Communities of Welcome

Over the past year, the American people have stepped up to welcome our Afghan allies, Ukrainians displaced by war, and so many others fleeing violence and oppression. Volunteerism and community engagement are core to US refugee resettlement. Community sponsorship is a specific type of support in which a group of individuals comes together and takes on the responsibility of providing core resettlement services and financial support to newcomers. Co-sponsorship, a form of community sponsorship, partners these local community groups with local resettlement agencies and together they provide services. Private sponsorship, another form of community sponsorship, is when groups take on the primary responsibility of providing these services.

This session provides an overview of community sponsorship in the United States, identifying the broad ecosystem, programs, and actors. It will also identify how the experiences of these programs have supported other emergency response programs and distinguish between community sponsorship and other forms of sponsorship.