Welcome | Convene | Educate | Advocate
Building Welcoming Communities since 2016
Acting locally to address the global crisis
Our Mission
Inspire, educate and equip volunteers, neighbors and community organizations from all faiths and civic groups to resettle refugees and empower our new neighbors to rebuild their lives with hope and dignity.
Our Vision
We envision communities where refugees are resettled through the goodwill and resources from volunteers and community partners, building bridges and fostering better understanding and acceptance of those forced to flee their homes.
Our Welcoming Work
At Hearts & Homes for Refugees, welcoming is not a one-time act — it's a community-powered journey of belonging. From the moment a refugee family arrives, we mobilize local volunteers, faith groups, civic organizations, and students to surround them with the support and connection they need to rebuild their lives with dignity.
Our trained teams walk alongside each newcomer for up to one year, offering help with:
Securing safe housing
Navigating health care and schools
Enrolling in English language classes
Finding jobs and learning U.S. workplace culture
Building friendships and community ties
We also host cultural orientation workshops, youth mentoring programs, and community dinners — creating spaces where neighbors meet neighbors, and understanding replaces fear.
Our grassroots model empowers ordinary people to play an extraordinary role in the global refugee story. The result? Stronger communities, transformed lives, and a growing movement of welcome in New York’s Lower Hudson Valley.
The Impact
Since 2016, Hearts & Homes for Refugees has pioneered community-driven refugee resettlement in New York’s Lower Hudson Valley. Our model of welcoming is transformative — not only for the refugees rebuilding their lives, but for the volunteers and communities that embrace them.
In 2023, we proudly joined the Welcome Corps, a groundbreaking federal initiative that empowered everyday Americans to sponsor and support refugees. This marked a historic shift in U.S. refugee resettlement, placing community at the heart of the process.
Although the Welcome Corps program was terminated in January 2025, our commitment endures. We continue to welcome new arrivals and provide vital programs and support for at least one year after resettlement — helping refugees not just survive, but thrive.
Community volunteers are welcoming refugees to the Lower Hudson Valley!
Hearts & Homes for Refugees continues to welcome newly arrived refugees and provide vital support to help them rebuild their lives, even as national policies have sharply reduced arrivals and limited funding for resettlement. In this difficult climate, our commitment has not wavered.
While we are no longer significantly expanding our welcoming work due to federal restrictions under the Trump Administration, we are focusing deeply on serving the individuals and families already in our care. We continue to depend on our dedicated volunteers, community partners, and donors to ensure every refugee receives the support they need to find safety, stability, and a sense of belonging.
You can still make a difference.
If you're interested in volunteering or forming a sponsor group, please fill out our Community Sponsor Sign-Up Form.
Visit our Refugee Advocacy Page to raise your voice in support of humane refugee policies.
Donate to help us support Afghan evacuees and other refugees already here in our community.
Learn more about ways to get involved and how you can be part of this essential work.
Together, we can continue to make a meaningful impact — even in the face of national retreat.
We Are a Growing Network of Volunteers!
We value the time-honored tradition of welcoming that is deeply rooted in shared humanitarian beliefs and the role of people of goodwill who step up to welcome refugees when given the opportunity to do so.
To keep up to date with advocating and welcoming refugees here in our region and across the country, please sign up to receive Our monthly newsletters at the bottom of the page or visit our Upcoming Dates calendar.
Hearts & Homes Blog
