Welcome Corps
A New Resettlement Program That Will Dramatically Help Some BUT NOT ALL LGBTQ+ Refugees in East Africa.
Welcome Corps is an incredible partner that we continue to work with LGBTQ+ refugees, but those LGBT+ refugees of Block 13 and Gorom have been left out of their program. We at And You Welcomed Me aim to fill this gap.
Welcome Corps is a new opportunity, begun by the U.S. State Department in 2023, to facilitate refugee resettlement. It could be a lifesaving program for LGBTQ+ refugees in East Africa. For the former residents of Block 13, and other LGBTQQ+ refugees and asylum seekers, the great news about this program is that it includes an “Identification Phase” in which American citizens, and small groups, can identify and then host specific refugees. This has never been possible in the U.S. before.
The program seems wise and workable. Welcome Corps begins with a “Matching Phase.” In this part of the program, citizens and institutions can form a Private Support Group (PSG), and then can apply to Welcome Corps and help resettle someone already in the resettlement pipeline. The Welcome Corps application requires that five people form a PSG. They undergo a background check, then under the supervision of a Private Sponsorship Organization (PSO) create a detailed Welcome Plan. The exceptional news for Block 13 is that in the second phase of Welcome Corps, the “Identification Phase,” to begin in the second half of 2023, U.S. citizens can form a PSG, then apply to Welcome Corps and request a specific refugee. If they are accepted, that refugee will be resettled in the area where members of the PSG live. The PSG needs to include 5 people, all must pass background checks, the group must raise $2,450 per refugee, which is then kept by the PSG and put towards resettlement. The refugee must also pass a background and medical check. Then the PSG, once accepted, will be linked to a PSO resettlement agency, and the process begins. The expectation is for the PSG to help the refugee adjust to the U.S. for 3 months. While it may take longer than that, there is also plenty of assistance in both the application phase and the resettlement itself. The PSG helps the refugees navigate government assistance, social security card applications, housing, work, English, and health care. None of this is simple, of course, but it's a refugee camp. The very good news is that these refugees are given refugee status and work eligibility right away, with the possibility of a "green card" within a year and possibly even citizenship in five years.
LGBTQ+ refugees are among the most vulnerable people in the world. They are in immediate need of resettlement. Here is where And You Welcomed Me could play a lifesaving role.
Welcoming a refugee will not only transform the life of that individual; it also changes the lives of those who join or assist PSGs.
Find out more on the Welcome Corps website: