Switchboard Blog
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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Insights from the Field: The Use of Artificial Intelligence in Resettlement Work
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming humanitarian aid and resettlement services. In this blog post, two experts in the field—Kimberly Mays, a Senior Program Officer
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Switchboard, in partnership with Refugee Housing Solutions (RHS), recently published a blog post on Helping Newcomers with the Housing Search. Here, we focus on the housing selection process for newcomers, from walk-through to move-in. This information is relevant for providers serving clients who have recently arrived in the U.S. and have immediate housing needs (such […]
- Sophia Martin
Determining whether a potential client is eligible for Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR)-funded services can sometimes be a challenge. This blog post gathers some key resources for service providers who are new to the work of navigating ORR eligibility requirements and documentation. Federal Resources Clients with many different immigration statuses are eligible to participate in […]
- Switchboard
For newcomers adjusting to life in a foreign country, financial insecurity often emerges as one of the most pressing and difficult challenges to overcome. To support successful integration of newcomers and empower them to build financial stability, service providers must equip clients with the necessary knowledge and tools to navigate the financial system here in […]
- Lauren Bowden
Newcomers from Afghanistan face many resettlement challenges in the United States. The process of obtaining legal status is an especially difficult hurdle to navigate. Afghans who entered the country under humanitarian parole may only have Temporary Protected Status (TPS) in the United States for two years. After TPS expires, they would lose access to employment, […]
- Switchboard
For newcomers to equitably receive the vital integration services they are eligible for, language access is essential. As service providers know, working with a professional in-person or telephonic interpreter from the same cultural and linguistic background as the client is always ideal. But live interpretation is not always possible given the demands of newcomer services. […]
- Rob Callus
With a current rental vacancy rate of just six percent, housing in the United States is difficult to secure. Several factors—credit requirements, income level, transportation needs, and family size, to name a few—further complicate the housing search for newcomers. Finding housing that fits a client’s needs, eligibility, and the housing standards set by the Bureau […]
- Sophia Martin