From Homeless to Home

Everything is more difficult without a safe place to sleep. It all starts with four walls, a roof, and a door that locks.

But finding affordable housing in Westchester, one of the most expensive counties in America, is a challenge even for people who speak English, have credit history, and understand how the system works. For refugees arriving with none of those advantages? It's overwhelming.

How you can help

• Find safe, affordable housing for incoming families

• Navigate lease agreements written in legalese and explain in simple language

• Help turn empty apartments into furnished homes

• Ensure that when a family arrives, they're not homeless… they're home

Transform Empty Walls Into Home

Refugee families arrive with few belongings and move into completely empty apartments. No beds. No furniture. No kitchen supplies. Nothing. You can help by making sure that when they walk through the door on their first day, they have what they need to sleep, cook, and begin their new lives.

Before Arrival

• Source furniture through Furniture Sharehouse and local thrift shops

• Collect beds, couches, tables, chairs, dressers, and new mattresses

• Gather household essentials: dishes, cookware, utensils, linens, towels

• Purchase cleaning supplies and personal care items

Move-In Day

• Help clean the apartment before furniture delivery

• Coordinate furniture delivery and room placement

• Make beds and set up all rooms

• Stock kitchen with cookware and essentials

• Stock refrigerator and pantry with culturally appropriate groceries

• Fill bathrooms with towels and toiletries

After Arrival

• Replenish household supplies for first two to three months

• Coordinate additional donations as needs arise

Be the Local Guide They Need

Imagine arriving in Westchester knowing no one, understanding nothing about how things work here. Which grocery store has the best prices? Is there a mosque nearby? A synagogue? Where do kids play? Which parks are safe?

You know all of this without thinking. That's what makes you invaluable.

What You'll Do

• Show families around Westchester: the library, parks, grocery stores, places of worship, community centers, and more

• Teach them to navigate transportation (which buses or trains to take, how to read schedules, how to get a taxi or an Uber)

• Explain the unspoken rules: how Americans shop, what's expected at school, how to stay safe

• Help them find their community by connecting them to faith communities, cultural organizations, and activities that feel like home

• Coordinate welcome events and holiday celebrations that help families feel like they belong

Open the Door to Every Opportunity

Without English, a hard worker struggles to get hired. A caring parent can't read their child's report card. Ability doesn't disappear, it's just locked behind a language barrier.

That's what makes language support so transformative. It unlocks everything else. Jobs. Schools. Friendships. Advocacy. Independence.

And education is the foundation for every success. Children need to be enrolled in school, connected to tutors, supported when they're struggling. Adults need access to ESL programs, vocational training, and professional development. That’s the kind of learning that lets them rebuild careers and lives.

How You'll Help

• Assess language needs Talk with families to understand their current English level and what they need to learn first. Is it job-specific vocabulary? medical terms? everyday conversation?

• Connect to ESL and ESOL resources and find the right English classes This might mean an intensive program for adults who need to get started quickly, evening classes for parents, online options for flexible schedules, or programs specifically for technical vocabulary.

• Support children's education Help parents enroll children in school, navigate the registration process, request tutoring or ESL support, communicate with teachers, and understand report cards and parent-teacher conferences.

• Coordinate interpretation When families need interpreters for medical appointments, legal meetings, or school conferences, help arrange volunteer translators or connect them to interpretation services.

• Facilitate adult education Help adults access GED programs, vocational training, college enrollment, certification programs, or professional development courses.

• Arrange childcare solutions Parents can't attend English classes if they have no childcare. Help coordinate babysitting, connect families to childcare resources, or organize volunteer childcare during classes.

From Stranded to Mobile

Transportation is the difference between getting a job twenty minutes away or staying unemployed. Between making it to a doctor's appointment or missing critical healthcare. Between attending your child's school event or being absent. Between independence and dependence.

Provide or Coordinate Transportation

• Coordinate rides among a team of volunteers to ensure consistent coverage

• Ensure they get to job interviews and their first weeks of work until they can get themselves there

• Make sure they get to medical appointments, especially critical ones with specialists or urgent care

• Get them to and from to ESL classes, job training programs, and other educational opportunities

• Provide a way for families get to places of worship so they can maintain their faith community

Navigate the Licensing Process

• Explain how to get a learner's permit or driver’s license and what documents are needed

• Help schedule DMV appointments

• Accompany them to the DMV for tests and paperwork

• Explain insurance requirements and help them understand their options

Help Turn Skills into Paychecks

Refugees arrive with work skills. What they don't have? American resumes. Interview practice. Knowledge of workplace culture. Professional networks. Understanding of their rights.

How You’ll Help

• Connect to opportunities Identify job openings, network with employers, research companies hiring in their fields

• Build job readiness Resume writing, interview prep, application support, professional communication skills

• Navigate systems Explain employment laws, workplace culture, benefits, labor rights

• Support growth Encourage advancement, identify training needs, celebrate success

• Advocate when needed Help resolve workplace issues, ensure fair treatment, bridge cultural gaps

Help Access What Families Need

Social Security cards. State IDs. SNAP benefits. Medicaid. These aren't extras, they're essentials. Without them, families can't work, can't eat adequately, can't access healthcare.

But the application processes are complex and confusing. For refugees navigating language barriers, it’s nearly impossible without help.

What You Can Do

• Assist with Social Security card applications

• Guide through SNAP (food assistance) and Medicaid enrollment

• Help obtain state IDs and driver's licenses

• Navigate eligibility requirements and documentation needs

• Accompany families to government offices when needed

• Advocate when applications are delayed or denied

• Explain systems so families can eventually navigate independently