Updated August 25, 2023
The Washington State Department of Social and Health Services’ (DSHS) Office of Refugee and Immigrant Assistance (ORIA) is seeking qualified organizations to submit competitive proposals to assist eligible children and families across the birth-to-kindergarten continuum. The Early Refugee School Impact (RSI) Program’s goals are 1) to support families of young children as they navigate daycare and preschool systems, 2) to ensure young children are prepared to succeed in formal schooling, and 3) to support parents through engagement activities.
The purpose of this Request for Applications (RFA) is to solicit applications for high quality, innovative Early RSI Services to eligible refugees and humanitarian immigrants (for detailed eligibility information, please refer to the RFA documents).
The application deadline is 5:00pm on September 28, 2023
To learn more about this opportunity for funding, please visit: Opportunities for Funding | DSHS (wa.gov)
Please review the slides from the Early RSI Information Session that was hosted on September 6, 2023.
Please review the Question and Answer document added on September 8, 2023.
Updated July 26, 2023
The Washington State Department of Social and Health Services’ Office of Refugee and Immigrant Assistance is seeking qualified contractors to submit competitive proposals to support clients through ORIA's Promoting Refugee Integration, Mobility and Empowerment (PRIME) program. PRIME services promote integration into new communities; increase mobility by independently navigating community systems/resources; and empower people to rebuild their lives through information and knowledge.
The purpose of this Request for Applications (RFA) is to solicit applications for high quality, innovative PRIME Services to eligible refugees and humanitarian immigrants (for detailed eligibility information, please refer to the RFA documents).
The application deadline is 5:00 p.m., Aug. 11, 2023.
Please review the Question and Answer document added on July 26, 2023.
To learn more about this opportunity for funding, please visit: Opportunities for Funding | DSHS (wa.gov)
Updated July 19, 2023
The Washington State Department of Social and Health Services’ Office of Refugee and Immigrant Assistance is seeking qualified contractors to submit competitive proposals to support client-services that would assist eligible refugees and humanitarian immigrants in navigating U.S. immigration systems to gain Lawful Permanent Resident (Green Card) status and valid Employment Authorization Documents and to provide immigration case management and educational assistance for individuals and families.
The purpose of this Request for Applications is to solicit applications for high quality, immigration services for eligible refugees and humanitarian immigrants.
The application deadline is 5:00 p.m., Aug. 7, 2023.
Please review the Question and Answer document added on July 19, 2023.
To learn more about this opportunity for funding, please visit: Opportunities for Funding | DSHS (wa.gov)
Update July 7, 2023
DSHS ORIA Housing Stabilization Services
The DSHS ORIA Housing Stabilization Services Program offers emergency short-term housing assistance to help with housing-related costs, including rent, utility payments and other approved fees. With additional federal funding, ORIA is able to extend the Housing Stabilization Services program for an additional year. To learn more about this program and contact a service provider, please refer to our program announcement.
Washington Welcome Corps Information Session - May 25, 2023
Seattle’s Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs and the Washington State Office of Refugee and Immigrant Assistance hosted a community information session about the new private sponsorship program for refugees on May 25, 2023. This information session included guest speakers from the U.S. Department of State, U.S. Office of Refugee Resettlement, and representatives from the Welcome Corps collective to share information about this new program.
To listen to the recorded session or to access available materials, see the links below:
Information related Ukrainian refugees
Washington state has a long history welcoming refugees fleeing war and persecution in their home countries. Over the past 10 years, more than 30,000 refugees from over 70 countries have resettled in Washington state through the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program. This includes over 6,500 Ukrainians who have resettled in our local communities since 2010, including 121 newly arrived individuals since October 2021.
As the federal government prepares guidance to states on the pathways by which Ukrainian refugees will be arriving, Washington’s Office of Refugee and Immigrant Assistance is working with our refugee resettlement agencies and local communities to prepare for an increase in arrivals. At this time, we do not have any additional information about how many people might come to Washington state or when they might arrive. It is too early to estimate the numbers of people who will arrive in local communities in Washington.
When refugees and immigrants do arrive in our state, we work with our community-based partners and resettlement agencies to connect people with vital, culturally responsive and linguistically appropriate services like food and cash assistance, temporary and long-term housing, medical screenings and behavioral health services, employment and training programs, child care assistance and help navigating social services.
Through Washington’s recent participation in the federal government’s Operation Allies Welcome, our state welcomed more than 3,200 Afghan arrivals since October 2021. Building off of the work we have done over the past six months, the Office of Refugee and Immigrant Assistance will work with communities and organizations to support those seeking refuge in Washington state, specifically those from Ukraine as well as many other across the world.
What can people do to help?
Anyone interested in helping 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.
What public benefits and refugee assistance services are Ukrainians eligible to receive?
On May 21, 2022, President Biden signed into law the Additional Ukraine Supplement Appropriations Act, 2022 (AUSAA). This law makes certain citizens, nationals, and residents of Ukrainian eligible to receive federal public benefits and refugee assistance services.
For a complete list of the federally funded benefits and services, please refer to this table.
Updated May 11, 2022
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.
