Resettlement Agency: The Case of the Welcome Home Community Center

Abstract

Research on U.S. immigrant and refugee resettlement has focused on some of the ways federal and voluntary organizations help new members integrate into mainstream society. Little research, if any, has explored how bridging socio-cultural gaps emphasizing immigrants' and refugees' aspirations is done. Conducted in a mid-size southern city, this study focuses on an organization funded solely by private donations in which the model is to encourage immigrants and refugees to set their own goals. The program is part of a social context for participants' strategic action planning in the process of their adjustment to U.S. society. The agency takes a transnational approach that helps participants attain cultural, economic, and educational goals.