Welcoming Newcomers

Overview

Since 1979, Washington state has been welcoming refugees who flee persecution in their home country to rebuild their lives in our local communities. Today, Washington continues to be a welcoming place. As we welcome our newest neighbors, we will continue to promote economic and social well-being for all people in our state and look forward to a Washington without poverty and injustice.

Welcoming refugees to our local communities takes a collective effort. The DSHS Office of Refugee and Immigrant Assistance has been working for decades with local refugee resettlement agencies and community-based organizations to provide support services to welcome refugees from more than 70 different nations. 

Refugee Resettlement

Learn more on our Refugee Resettlement page.

Community Involvement

Learn more on our Private Sponsorship page.

Anyone interested in helping welcome newcomers in other ways can connect directly with local refugee resettlement agencies or directly with the DSHS Office of Refugee and Immigrant Assistance by sending an email to ORIAinfo@dshs.wa.gov.

Washington’s Ukrainian Welcoming Task Force                        

As the humanitarian crisis continues in Ukraine, millions of people have been displaced from their homes. The DSHS Office of Refugee and Immigrant Assistance is facilitating the Washington Ukrainian Welcoming Task force to coordinate services for Ukrainians arriving across the state. The initial meeting included an overview of the Ukraine arrivals in Washington, the new Uniting for Ukraine program, and an update from variety of state agencies.  

For the full Video/Audio recording of the briefing please visit here.

For the Power Point Presentation of DSHS / ORIA on Ukrainian Welcoming Task Force please visit here.

For the PowerPoint Presentation on Ukrainian Health Updates please visit here.

For the PowerPoint Presentation about Welcome.US please visit here.