Newly arrived family gathers in their living room.
Newly arrived family gathers in their living room.

 

Before the Refugee Act of 1980 standardized refugee resettlement through the use of resettlement agencies, such as the International Rescue Committee, resettlement was largely conducted privately or through community groups.

With the recent increase in numbers and enthusiasm of local community groups wanting to partner to resettle refugees, IRC is committed to integrating community sponsorship programming at the local and national levels.

What is Community Sponsorship? What is Co-Sponsorship?

Co-sponsors can take many forms including local clubs, university communities, faith- based institutions, or community groups, sports teams, book clubs, and many more. Co-sponsors do not have to be a formal 501c3 but must be structured.

What is involved in become a co-sponsor?

For interested parties, responsibilities involved would include: 

Throughout your time with clients the IRC will be responsible for all paperwork and case notes. 

For interested groups/individuals who would like to be considered for the co-sponsorship model, please email us at [email protected] 

 

A similar program that you may have heard of that is distinct from Co-sponsorship is Welcome Corps. This is a private sponsorship program that is partnered with a Community Sponsorship Hub (CSH). Private sponsorship groups through Welcome Corps do not work with or receive support from resettlement agencies like the IRC in Missoula.