About Us

CWS NorCal

has opened its Welcome Center in Walnut Creek, CA to serve refugees, immigrants, and asylees in Northern California. Our office in Walnut Creek helps refugees resettle, form long-lasting relationships in the community and maintain their own basic needs in a sustainable lifestyle. Our office serves as a bridge from their former life in their home country to a new set of cultural, linguistic, and practical skills that enables them to be successful in Northern California. CWS NorCal operates several programs to serve the vulnerable population, including unaccompanied children who mostly come through the southern border, and refugees, immigrants, and asylee families and individuals.

The CWS Story

Church World Service was born in the wake of the devastation of World War II. In 1946, seventeen Christian denominations came together “to do in partnership what none of us could hope to do as well alone.”

In our early days, the CWS family mobilized more than 11 million pounds of food, clothing and medical supplies for war-torn Europe and Asia. In the United States, we began to welcome refugees who were looking to start new lives in safety, resettling more than 100,000 refugees in our first 10 years.

Over the decades, the specifics of our programs have shifted. And the CWS family, leadership, and faith-based identity has also grown and evolved as we remain committed to our founding principle of bringing all voices to the table to build a world where there is enough for all.

Here at CWS, the principles of welcome, collaboration and dignity have spanned the decades and wrapped around the globe. We have seen over and over again that we are stronger when we stand together. Every single person has gifts and skills to help. Welcome to the movement--we’re glad you’re here.

Learn More

Financials

CWS NorCal operates under the governance of CWS Global’s Board of Directors and our finances are included in the CWS Global annual audit.

Church World Service is tax exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Contributions to Church World Service are tax deductible. The CWS financial records are audited by independent auditors in accordance with guidelines established by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

Learn More

Resettlement FAQ

The 1951 Refugee Convention spells out that a refugee is someone who “owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality, and is unable to, or owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country.” In 1980, the US adopted the UN’s definition via the US Refugee Act of 1980, and uses this definition today as the foundation of our domestic refugee resettlement program. It is a common misconception that all refugees are from a particular country, ethnic group, or class background, and the definition outlined above encompasses people from all over the world from all different backgrounds and identities.

The security screenings in place for refugees admitted to the US are deemed as “the most robust of any population processed by USCIS (the United States Citizenship and Immigration Program)” says the USCIS. Here is a great infographic from the White House that outlines the basic procedures of security checks for refugees awaiting admission to the US. They also made an awesome video too! For even more extensive and technical details, check out page 4 of this PDF from the Congressional Research Service written in Nov 2015 that outlines the US refugee admissions program. A shorter answer is that refugees undergo a wide variety of extensive biographic and biometric evaluations, and only a very small percent of the applicant pool is accepted into the country for resettlement due to these rigorous screenings. These lengthy screenings often delay resettlement for years, and individuals can be denied entry based upon an immense number of reasons. Among these, for example, are an active tuberculosis diagnosis, or a history of drug or alcohol dependence, or broader terrorism-related inadmissability grounds.

YES! Refugees are documented and legally authorized immigrants in the United States. They have extensive paperwork that supports their residency here, including an employment authorization document (EAD), otherwise known as a “work permit.” This document, issued by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), provides temporary employment authorization to non-citizens in the US. Refugees also enter the work force almost immediately upon arrival. A steady job is crucial to build a life of self-sufficiency in the US, and our office begins to help refugees find employment within a few weeks of their arrival in the Triad.

Donate

CWS is committed to showing welcome and providing steadfast support to refugees, immigrants, asylum-seekers and other uprooted people within the United States, who are seeking safety and the opportunity to rebuild their lives.

Donate

Stay Connected

Follow us on Social Media and Subscribe to learn more about how we support refugees and immigrants in Northern California

Contact

Operating Hours: 9am-5pm
Phone: 925-418-1820
Email: norcal@cwsglobal.org