1889 Feb | March 2018

game changer
Abdul Wali and his daughter Marghalara
at their apartment. The family of five
arrived in late 2015 from Afghanistan.
Wali was an interpreter for the U.S.
military, which put his family in danger
of retaliation by the Taliban.
World Relief Seattle
Open Arms,
Open Doors
Lending a warm welcome
to Washington newcomers
written by Corinne Whiting
AT A TIME when many in this country seem to be slamming
doors on newcomers, others are opening theirs even wider. Take
World Relief, for example, the largest refugee resettlement agency
in the state.
World Relief’s three offices (in Seattle, Tri-Cities and Spokane)
resettle the majority of refugees in Washington, and the Seattle office,
opened in 1979, is the largest resettlement office of any agency in
the state. Last fiscal year, Washington came in at number four in the
country, resettling 5 percent of all refugees who arrived nationwide.
In 2017, World Relief Seattle resettled and served 1,076 individuals,
and that’s only factoring new arrivals. (Programwide, it served 4,000.)
The organization currently works with individuals from about twenty
countries; most are foreign-born refugees, while others are asylum
seekers or those affected by human trafficking.
While the stats impress, hearing real-life tales of heartache,
perseverance and triumph leave deeper impressions. World Relief
relies heavily on volunteers; last year it received 400 applications
between February and April—“a great problem to have,” said volunteer
coordinator Robbie Adams.
Adams explained that, while the main goal is transformative, longterm
relationships, the “immediate, more practical challenge” involves
finding folks a home. “It’s a tough balance between the Puget Sound
region offering bountiful education and job opportunities, yet being
able to find affordable housing here,” he said.
The organization gathers household items, from large furniture to
basic necessities like silverware, and sets up welcoming spaces. It also
keeps an Amazon registry, so anyone can donate goods, from vacuums
to rice cookers. In-kind donations coordinator Elijah Knepper of World
Relief said that most people don’t understand the privilege of simply
having a safe place to sleep. “[They’ve] been through experiences we
cannot even begin to imagine, and now [they] can just lie down and
rest,” he said.
Adams explained the continuum from greeting a family at Sea-Tac
to staying connected for years to come. “Our employment, extended
casework, women’s sewing class, immigration legal services, refugee
and immigrant community garden, and youth programs allow us to
serve the refugee population from arrival to citizenship, usually a fiveto
six-year journey,” he said. “It’s not just about giving material goods,
but a holistic approach that includes creating friendships.”
After helping newcomers integrate into their neighborhoods,
World Relief aims to empower them. The numbers prove they’re
doing something—or many things—right. In 2016, 244 people found
employment with 114 companies, 67 percent of students made a fulllevel
gain within six weeks of English class, and volunteers were paired
with ninety-six refugee families as cultural companions or host homes.
“The art is figuring out the balance between serving this vulnerable
population and pushing them toward self-sufficiency,” Adams said.
“We’re happy to not just get people surviving, but to get them thriving
and rooted in communities.”
For those wanting to get involved, Adams simply advises, “Be
willing to show up open-minded to meet folks from around the
world.” “With all the divisiveness and fear right now,” he added,
“we’ve met that by building bridges and friendships … establishing
those face-to-face relationships. Even in this climate, it’s been
encouraging to see so many rallying to the cause of welcoming our
new neighbors.”
44 1889 WASHINGTON’S MAGAZINE FEBRUARY | MARCH 2018