Co-Sponsorship

Co-sponsorship is a form of community sponsorship available to groups located within 100 miles of participating local IRC offices. These groups provide clearly defined financial and in-kind contributions as well as services for a refugee family, while their efforts are overseen by the local IRC office.

Your impact as a Co-Sponsor

As a co-sponsor, you have the potential to significantly enhance a refugee family’s quality of life, including by helping them find better employment opportunities, assisting them with learning English, offering social support and connecting them to opportunities for civic engagement.

Impact overview

The services you would provide alongside a local IRC office could include:

  • Securing a safe, sanitary and affordable housing unit for the family that is available for at least 6-12 months;
  • Ensuring housing is equipped with appropriate household items;
  • Greeting and welcoming the family at the airport;
  • Providing food and items for basic needs;
  • Connecting adults to English classes and employment services;
  • Assisting in the gathering of personal identification documents;
  • Enrolling minors in school;
  • Connecting to cultural orientation and integration services;
  • Linking to employment services;
  • Facilitating medical follow up and transportation; 
  • Writing case notes and maintaining case file documentation.

Eligible groups located more than 50 miles away from an IRC local office can become Community Partners.

 

Community Partners

Community Partners work directly with IRC headquarters to take on responsibilities for resettlement such as securing housing, welcoming families at the airport, providing food and other basic necessities, and connecting refugees to schooling, English classes and employment. 

As a Community Partner, you will take on the responsibility of fulfilling the requirements of the Reception and Placement (R&P) program and agree to take the lead in supporting these new arrivals in your community. Families will be assigned to your organization by IRC headquarters in collaboration with you as the community partner. While the IRC will provide technical assistance and training, your group will be coordinating and problem solving on the ground to provide for the unique needs of each arriving case. This partnership will exist for the duration of the R&P program, which is 90 days.

Services that Community Partners deliver
  • Securing a safe, sanitary and affordable housing unit for the family that is available for at least 6-12 months;
  • Ensuring housing is equipped with appropriate furniture and household items;
  • Welcoming the family at the airport;
  • Providing groceries and items for basic needs;
  • Connecting adults to English classes and employment services;
  • Enrolling minors in school;
  • Facilitating cultural orientation and integration services;
  • Enrolling the family in public benefits, like cash assistance, SNAP and Medicaid;
  • Connecting adult clients to employment services;
  • Conducting medical appointment follow up and transportation orientation;
  • Writing case notes and coordinating case file documentation; and
  • Assuring arrangement of interpretation services in the client’s native language.

The IRC will work with the Community Partner to provide technical assistance and training, and will support the group to ensure all R&P services are completed accurately and on time for the case. IRC staff will maintain regular contact with the Community Partner and refugee families to assist with any needs that may arise.

Steps to becoming a Community Partner
  • Attend an info session on the program to learn more about the requirements
  • Receive and complete a work plan which details your group’s plan to complete all the required services 
  • Complete a 2-page application form to be reviewed and approved by the Department of State
  • Sign a formal agreement with IRC to be a Community Partner
  • Participate in real time training sessions on community partner process and requirements
  • Pass an IRC background check for each member of the group
  • Partake in weekly check-in session with IRC staff for the duration of the service period (90 days)

Learn more

To learn more about co-sponsorship and other avenues of community sponsorship, we invite you to attend one of our online Community Sponsorship Information Sessions.