There’s No Place Like Home - The Home Sweet Home Fund for Resettling Refugees

“What feels like home?” If you ask this question to 100 people, you will get 100 unique answers. Our individual preferences, comforts, needs and comforts are what make us special and one-of-a-kind. For newly arrived refugee families, starting in a new home in a new country and community, in a new culture that feels unfamiliar, often after a long, difficult and even traumatic journey, it is especially important that they feel at home and comfortable in their space.

“What makes a new place feel like home for you?” This is a question we ask our families when we first meet them. 

Refugee families come to the United States fleeing violence and persecution in their home countries seeking safety and a hopeful future. They leave behind family and friends, as well as nearly everything they’ve owned. Families arrive physically and mentally exhausted from their long and difficult journey. Government agencies provide limited assistance and the bare necessities which do not always meet the families' needs and comfort. 

A cup of tea shared between new friends. A thoughtful housewarming gift delivered with a smile from a new neighbor. A handwritten letter with encouraging words to affirm bravery and resilience. These small gestures of human connection are ways we celebrate and show up for our new arrival resettling neighbours. 

 

Moving to a new place is daunting, and for newly arrived refugees resettling in the United States, it can be a stressful and challenging time, and even a continuation of their trauma. The wide gaps in the government resettlement system of support for refugees often leave families in empty apartments and lacking even the most essential items needed to be safe, functional and comfortable in their new homes. Strong government systems alone are insufficient to address the discrimination and systemic obstacles faced by newcomer families. 

Community-led organizations like Miry's List play a vital role. With practical support and joyful friends waiting to welcome them, resettling families are celebrated and set up to thrive. Our differences make us strong, unique, and complete. When we embrace and respect one another as neighbors, and strive to look out for each other, we create positive change for not only the community, but the whole world.

The work that Miry’s List does is an investment — in New Americans, in families, in human beings. It’s about investing in them upon arrival because the need is so great and the impact is so real. 
 

About this fund

The Home Sweet Home Fund for Refugees provides essential items for resettling families that make the transition to a new home a welcoming experience, with each families’ preferences, style, and comforts at the center. Our goal is that when newcomers wake up in the morning, they look around and feel at home and comfortable in their new space. From dishware to mattresses, to cribs and strollers, to bedding and rugs, this fund makes a direct, transformative difference for new arrival families. Your participation gives intentional, individualized, and intense support to resettling refugee families in those difficult first 12-18 months. Together, we’ll transform the culture of welcoming in the United States.

About Miry’s List 

Miry's List is a non-profit organization that helps welcome refugee families resettling in the United States to set up their homes and settle into their communities. We exist to create a welcoming experience for newly arrived refugee families resettling in the United States.  Since 2016, Miry's List has engaged over 256,000 American people to support over 1,151 families who have come through the Federal Refugee Resettlement program from countries including Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Moldova, Syria, Pakistan, and Ukraine.

Our Approach

Miry's List uses crowdsourcing and social media to connect people like you, who want to help, with new refugee families who have needs that are not completely met by the organizations that sponsor them. Each family has unique needs – some have small children, elderly grandparents, or members with disabilities.  So each family has a unique "list" of supplies that they need to get started.

WAYS YOU CAN HELP NOW

1. DONATE - A contribution in any amount will ensure that families resettling as refugees in the United States are welcomed warmly into their new homes

2. JOIN THE WELCOMER'S CIRCLE - Make a monthly investment so we can enroll new families in our 12-month program to help welcome them and build the community they need to thrive in the United States.  

3. SPREAD THE WORD - Please tell the people in your world about what we are doing together, tag @miryslist on social media, and spread the word far and wide to shine a light on this important campaign.