Refugee Resettlement
Providing our refugee and immigrant neighbors with a warm welcome and network of support from day one.
Reception and Placement
Hello Neighbor is contracted under the Office of Refugee Resettlement as a partner of the national resettlement agency USCRI (U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants) and is the local nonprofit resettlement agency that welcomes newly arrived refugees. Hello Neighbor is 1 of 4 resettlement agencies that serve the City of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County.
In an average year, Hello Neighbor resettles approximately 100 individuals.
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Duration of the program and services offered
We welcome our new neighbors on day 1 by picking them up from the airport. During the first 90 days we provide one-on-one case management to each family: facilitating medical and social services enrollments, providing bus and community orientation, finding work and helping to navigate the nuances of American life and culture.
Employment
Empowering refugee and immigrant individuals and families to achieve financial stability through employment and supportive services.
Since the inception of our employment program in 2022, Hello Neighbor’s Employment Programs have assisted 50 refugee and immigrant families via employability and other supportive services.
This included helping
Additionally, our Employment Programs provided supportive services to
Contact
Please complete this contact form for more information and to find out if you are eligible or to share your current openings.
Housing
We find, secure, and furnish housing prior to welcoming each new arrival. Housing must be safe, clean, pest free, affordable, and on a bus line. Public bus access is key because this is the only way that most of our new neighbors can get to work during the first year.
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What does affordable housing look like for Hello Neighbor?
It is important to note that any rent above $1,000, regardless of size, becomes challenging for most of our new neighbors to afford. The going rate for entry level jobs in Pittsburgh, PA is about $13-$14 per hour. Many families rely on single family incomes. In the event that there are multiple working adults, Hello Neighbor can accommodate larger rent prices.
Hello Neighbor does not sign leases on behalf of our clients. We look for 6 month to 1 year leases and can generally ensure that 3 months rent are supported by our federal funding. We supply our families with the tools and resources needed to build a strong rental history.
Who does Hello Neighbor work with?
Hello Neighbor works with local property management companies and independently owned properties. We are willing to work with any company that meets the requirements and payment amounts listed above.
Are you a landlord, property manager, or property owner with affordable housing availability looking to make a difference?
Please complete this contact form to get in touch.
Legal Services for Afghans at Hello Neighbor
Hello Neighbor offers a variety of immigration services to help clients to maintain lawful nonimmigrant status, to secure permanent legal status to remain and thrive in the United States, and to reunify them with family members still living overseas.
Contact
If you have questions, we’d be happy to speak with you. Please complete this contact form to get in touch.
Ukrainian Support Services at Hello Neighbor
Hello Neighbor is able to help in the warm welcome of Ukrainians coming to Pittsburgh and Allegheny County who are looking to rebuild their lives.
Hello Neighbor can provide supportive services to eligible Ukrainians and non-Ukrainians who were displaced from Ukraine and paroled into the U.S. between February 24, 2022 and September 30, 2023. Hello Neighbor may also serve a spouse or child of an individual paroled into the U.S. prior to September 30th, 2023, even if the spouse or child arrived after that date.
Ви українець і потребуєте допомоги?
Are you Ukrainian and seeking support?
Ви є членом громади та прагнете допомогти українцям, що нещодавно приїхали?
Are you a community member seeking to offer support to our new Ukrainian neighbors?
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Welcome Circles
What is a Welcome Circle?
When a community group accepts the responsibility to provide, or ensure the provision of, reception and placement services to an individual or family.
Why Welcome Circles?
Refugee Resettlement, like many social services programs, requires a dedicated team of people working together in support of others. At Hello Neighbor we work specifically to support the welcoming of our newest neighbors. The Hello Neighbor Team combines hard work and creativity to provide exceptional services in support of families meeting their goals, whether that be learning English, finding a first job, learning about the intricacies of systems in the United States and more.
Now, the Hello Neighbor Team is ready to share in this endeavor with the greater Pittsburgh community! Canada, our neighbors to the North, and a whole host of United States nonprofits have shown that greater community engagement leads to successful integration and of course programmatic outcomes outlined by the federal government.
Through Hello Neighbor’s Welcome Circles program we aspire to:
- Decrease the loneliness and isolation that comes with being a newcomer in the United States
- Leverage the education, experience and resources of teams to provide newly resettled families with wrap-around services, support, and lead to early self-sufficiency
- Fulfill the obligations required by the Cooperative Agreement between Hello Neighbor and USCRI
- Decrease dependence on Hello Neighbor as the sole support for newly arrived families
- Increase Hello Neighbor’s capacity to help additional families to the fullest extent
- Facilitate lifelong friendships
- Increase the level of knowledge and understanding surrounding the United States Refugee Resettlement process and create a more Welcoming Pittsburgh
Who can be a Welcome Circle?
- Faith Groups
- Book Clubs
- Activity Clubs
- Employer volunteer groups
- A group of 10-15 friends/colleagues
Learn More
- Similar to Welcome Circles, IRIS (Integrated Refugee & Immigrant Services) is a leading co‑sponsorship organization in the United States. Learn more by visiting their webpage.
- Learn more about similar programs from Canada, the birthplace of privatized refugee sponsorship, with this short video.
- For any questions, please complete this contact form. You can also take a look at our Welcome Circles FAQs for some common questions.