Washington's Office of Refugee and Immigrant Assistance announced unprecedented investments this week to create a more coordinated response to the state's growing asylum-seeker crisis.
Although King County first began seeing an increase in new arrivals nearly two years ago, the state's $16.4 million distribution to more than 20 organizations marks the first large-scale effort to try to address asylum-seekers' growing housing and legal needs.
It could take until Sept. 1 for the work to begin, though, according to Sarah Peterson, head of the Office of Refugee and Immigrant Assistance. Her office must ink contracts first.
The Washington Legislature approved in March more than $32 million in asylum-seeker aid. Before then, Washington relied mostly on private donations and small sums from local governments focused on housing a few hundred people at a time.
The Office of Refugee and Immigrant Assistance, which is housed in the state's Department of Social and Health Services, received more than $25 million of the funding, which was allocated on July 1. It will now disburse the money to 23 contractors, which include the city of SeaTac, to play a role in what the state is calling the Washington Migrant and Asylum-Seeker Support Project. Forty-eight organizations applied.
"This clearly shows the interest across our community to support migrants and asylum-seekers," Peterson said.
On July 1, King County received $5 million of state funding and Tukwila received $2.5 million. Both are using the money for temporary shelter and more permanent housing.
The Greater Seattle area, especially South King County, has seen the largest concentration of new arrivals. started out at a small United Methodist church in Tukwila. Many have traveled from Angola, Venezuela and Congo. The state office said asylum-seekers are showing up more in other parts of the state as well.
Cities like Chicago, New York and Denver — with larger numbers of people arriving in need of shelter — have mounted more coordinated, government-funded responses.
In May, Peterson said the vision is to create a "hub" — a central, 24/7 way to connect new arrivals with access to emergency housing, legal aid and culturally relevant case management services.
The International Rescue Committee was chosen to receive more than $4.6 million to operate the "Newcomer Reception & Navigation Hub."
For the past two years, the Rev. Jan Bolerjack of Riverton Park United Methodist Church in Tukwila has provided the closest thing to a "hub," welcoming more than 2,000 people through her doors and providing them with food, shelter and more.
The Northwest Immigrant Rights Project has had one staff member working at Bolerjack's church one day a week, according to Malou Chávez, executive director of the nonprofit. The staffer helps with legal filings so that migrants can apply for asylum, and in the meantime get work permits so they can pay for housing and other needs.
Now, the organization has been awarded more than $1.8 million in state funding. Chávez said the funds will help expand that work.
Some King County organizations that have already been providing shelter and temporary housing to migrants — including Riverton Park United Methodist Church, the Low Income Housing Institute, Mary's Place and Lutheran Community Services Northwest — were selected to continue.
Mary's Place is one of the largest family shelter providers in King County, and Dominique Alex, CEO of the nonprofit, said asylum-seekers now make up about 50% of shelter guests.
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