Welcome Home: Helping Immigrant and Refugee Families Thrive

Many American cities, counties and towns are experiencing a surge of newly-arrived immigrant and refugee individuals and families. The New York Times has described some of these towns as “welcoming but worried”. Communities have found many of their public and private social services overwhelmed by unexpected placement of refugees. Well-intentioned communities need support in helping immigrant and refugee families thrive.

Connecting to these services can be a complicated and overwhelming task due to cultural, economic, and language barriers. We partner with government agencies and community organizations responsible for providing vital, life-saving services to those just arriving, and our technology enables both self-referrals and assisted navigation to housing, food, healthcare, legal aid, and other resources.

How the Findhelp Platform Supports Immigrants and Refugees

The programs that are part of the Findhelp network are as diverse as the people they support. We have multiple ways for users to find the programs that are the best for them or the person they’re helping.

Program Filters

Our search filters can be used to identify programs that serve specific demographics, languages, and cultural backgrounds.
As an example, 55% of the programs in our network provide services in a language other than English.

Digital Equity

Anyone can search and connect to programs anonymously on our platform without logging in, as creating an account and remembering a password can be technological barriers.
To keep the platform easy to use for a wide variety of educational attainment, all of our written messaging is kept to a 5th-grade reading level. We prioritize accessibility compliance and our platform is mobile-responsive, so that we can meet people where they are, via the tools they already use.

Language Support

We provide sitewide translation for 100+ languages (including assessments and screening forms).
We allow users to choose their preferred language for text messages and email notifications from the site.
We share the chosen language preference with the referred-to program so that they can adapt their outreach as needed.

Partnering with Our Customers to Support Their Communities

The Welcoming Communities and Immigrant Affairs (WCIA) Division of the City of Dallas seeks to bridge the space between newcomers and existing Dallas residents to foster informed understanding and promote shared leadership.

In 2020, they launched their Community Resources platform (powered by Findhelp), allowing community members to easily search for, locate, and connect to the social services they need, in the language of their choice.
WCIA seeks to connect their community to a responsive set of resources, and they’ve strengthened community bonds with local programs by hosting a variety of workshops, partnering with refugee resettlement organizations, and participating in a national campaign to promote naturalization and citizenship.
More recently, WCIA has worked with Findhelp to promote housing and financial resources for immigrant families and partook in the North Texas Coalition Against Human Trafficking

The Immigrant Welcome Center (IWC) collaborates with Findhelp to augment their mission to be a trusted partner and advocate for all immigrants. IWC’s work includes immigrant and refugee programming, collaboration with local leaders, and the assembly of a community-based network of services.

IWC organizes a group of Natural Helpers, volunteers committed to assisting immigrants and refugees as they transition to life in Indianapolis.
Beginning in 2020, they began to use the IWC Connect platform (powered by Findhelp) to connect people to resources outside IWC’s walls.
Helpers curate folders of programs on the IWC Connect platform based on areas of high need, allowing them to quickly share multiple resources at once to address all of an individual or family’s needs.

Watch our short Findhelp films documentary about how the Immigrant Welcome Center is helping immigrant and refugee families thrive.

How Can We Help You Support Immigrants and Refugees?

Schedule a demo with us to see how we can partner with your organization to address the social needs of the immigrants and refugees you serve and support.