Refugee Resettlement

A New & Safe Home

In 1980, the U.S. Congress established the United States Refugee Resettlement Program to respond to the needs of refugees around the world. For the most vulnerable refugees, resettlement to a safe country is their best hope for finding safety and building a future for their children. Each year, the U.S. State Department extends welcome to thousands of refugees and works with local refugee resettlement offices like CWS Durham to help these newcomers rebuild their lives.
Refugees have lost their homes, family, friends, and sense of belonging. Together, we can welcome them to safety and hope.

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Refugees welcomed in 2023

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Refugees welcomed since 2009

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1-on-1 Volunteer Hours in 2023

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Ukrainian Refugees Supported

U.S. Refugee Reception and Placement Program

The U.S. State Department contracts with local refugee resettlement agencies to prepare for and welcome newly-arrived refugees to communities across the country. This Reception and Placement program serves refugees during their first 90 days in the U.S. through securing and furnishing housing and providing cultural orientation, community navigation support, and basic needs assistance. As a refugee resettlement agency, CWS follows strict guidelines to provide core services.

Volunteer

Community Sponsorship

Ongoing Case Management Support

Refugees have a long journey to rebuild their lives here in the Triangle--much longer than the R&P program's 90 day period! CWS Durham offers ongoing support through two intensive case management programs: the Matching Grant program and the Preferred Communities program. Refugees are eligible to access these services for up to five years after arriving in the U.S.

Matching Grant

The Matching Grant Program is a six-month employment program that provides intensive case management services to help clients achieve economic self-sufficiency. This program provides case management services, employment services, and financial assistance along with other useful resources, such as English as a Second Language courses and Job Readiness training.

Preferred Communities

The Preferred Communities program is a year-long intensive case management program that helps vulnerable refugees along the path to self-sufficiency by providing individually-tailored resources and connections to the wider community. Clients enrolled in the Preferred Communities program develop a personalized self-sufficiency plan to help them achieve their goals, whether that is navigating the U.S. healthcare system on their own or finding quality childcare for a new baby. The Preferred Communities program helps ensure that every refugee we serve is equipped to overcome barriers and navigate U.S. society independently.

Participants in Community

As an arm of our strengths-based case management philosophy, we offer clients opportunities to engage in community service activities with partners around the Triangle. These service activities highlight a refugee’s ability to give back and use their skills in their new community!

Our clients regularly volunteer at several community partner locations, such as:

The Durham Bicycle Co-operative: a local volunteer-run bike co-op that helps new arrivals gain access to and knowledge about their own two wheels.

The Scrap Exchange: a Durham based creative reuse arts center

Habitat for Humanity: a national non-profit dedicated to building accessible housing for everyone and eliminating substandard housing in cities across the US

Resettlement FAQ

The 1951 Refugee Convention spells out that a refugee is someone who “owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality, and is unable to, or owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country.” In 1980, the US adopted the UN’s definition via the US Refugee Act of 1980, and uses this definition today as the foundation of our domestic refugee resettlement program. It is a common misconception that all refugees are from a particular country, ethnic group, or class background, and the definition outlined above encompasses people from all over the world from all different backgrounds and identities.

Yes, refugees are documented and legally authorized immigrants in the United States. They have extensive paperwork that supports their residency here, including an employment authorization document (EAD), otherwise known as a “work permit.”

A steady job is crucial to build a life of self-sufficiency in the US, and our office begins to help refugees find employment within a few weeks of their arrival in the Triangle. Learn More →

In the past ten years, CWS Durham resettled an average of about 200 refugees every year. Our office is one of four resettlement agencies in the Triangle area, and each office resettles different numbers of refugees annually. USCRI, Lutheran Family Ministries, and World Relief are the other local agencies that assist with refugee resettlement and provide support services. Local resettlement office arrival numbers can change drastically from year to year depending on the total number of refugees that the US accepts each year (referred to as the refugee ceiling).

CWS Durham does not house refugees. Our office works closely with local housing resources that are safe, affordable, and along public transit lines that provide leasing options for refugees. These housing options are secured about a month in advance of a refugee’s arrival by the case manager assigned to their case, furnished with largely donated furniture and home items and refugees arrive to their new residences directly from the airport with a small sense of home waiting for them. New arrivals sign their own leases and have complete control of their home life from day one in the US.