MINNEAPOLIS — President Biden announced a new program this week aimed at making it easier for refugees to resettle in the United States and for people to help them.
‘Welcome Corps’ will allow U.S. citizens to directly sponsor displaced people seeking refuge here in the United States.
“They're coming here because they want to make a life for themselves,” said Christina Connelly.
Connelly was one of the Minnesotans who helped a few of the 2,337 refugees who arrived in Minnesota last year.
That's a preliminary number from the Department of Health, with Afghans and Ukrainians making up the majority.
She formed a small group with her friend, Dani Fisher.
“We were matched with a single mother and two teenage kids, a boy and a girl,” said Fisher.
They and nine of their friends and neighbors committed to helping an Afghan family settle in Minnesota.
They were part of a private sponsorship program run by HIAS, a refugee agency.
That organization was one of the few federally funded non-profits tasked with resettling all U.S. refugees.
Now, Americans can apply through Welcome Corp to support their own Private Sponsor Group to help people resettle. According to HIAS, it's the first U.S. government program to do so in about half a century.
“It obviously does increase ability and opportunity in various places where there are not resettlement agencies,” said Isabel Burton, HIAS’ senior director of community engagement programs and initiatives.
Alight, a local resettlement nonprofit, says this will help more refugees come to the U.S.
“The plan is for the first refugees to arrive through the Welcome Corp program within the month of April,” said Alight’s CEO Jocelyn Wyatt.
And those who have already been helping says this model works.
“It's fantastic, I think it's the best way to ensure that newcomers are successful in the United States,” said Fisher.
“I would like to think that more people will take the opportunity to help,” said Connelly. “Because you don't need much more than a willingness and connections, and compassion.”
Watch more Breaking The News:
Watch all of the latest stories from Breaking The News in our YouTube playlist: