Rainbow
Welcome Initiative

Heartland Alliance International is pleased to release a new tool for voluntary agencies and refugee resettlement affiliates to help them assure high quality services for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) refugees. These guidelines are written as a scored checklist, which enables resettlement agencies to determine their overall readiness to assist LGBT refugees, and also to identify specific strengths and challenges.

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Heartland Alliance for Human Needs & Human Rights is pleased to present Rainbow Response: A Practical Guide to Resettling LGBT Refugees and Asylees. Heartland Alliance developed this field manual with the generous support of the Administration for Children and Families, Office of Refugee Resettlement. This 65-page, interactive how-to guide is intended to support resettlement service providers in their efforts to tailor core services and meet the specific needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender refugees and asylees.
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Sebastian recently resettled to the United States himself and now helps coordinate and facilitate social activities for LGBT refugees and asylees in the Chicago land area. Learn more about Sebastian's inspiring journey in this short film!

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Heartland Alliance International (HAI) will participate in the 9th Quarterly Placement Consultation Meeting, hosted by the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) and Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM). Scott Portman and Daniel Weyl will present on the unique vulnerabilities and needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) refugees and asylees as they resettle in the United States, offering concrete recommendations to strengthen services for this population.  MORE »

Heartland Alliance’s Rainbow Welcome Initiative commends the Obama Administration and the Department of Homeland Security for its new written guidance that will afford protections to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) non-citizens facing deportation, who have U.S. citizen spouses or domestic partners. Under the guidelines, a LGBT immigrant’s relationship to a U.S. citizen will now be considered during deportation proceedings.  MORE »

The Rainbow Welcome Initiative is pleased to announce its presentation at Project SOAR’s upcoming annual conference, to be held in Chicago June 25th-26th. The Rainbow Welcome Initiative will present "Strengthening Services for LGBT Refugees & Asylees" in its continued efforts to help refugee-serving agencies effectively respond to the challenges faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) refugees and asylees.  MORE »

Internationally, World Refugee Day is a day of celebration honoring the courage, strength, and resilience of women, men and children who are forced to flee their homes under threats of persecution, conflict, and violence. This year, Rainbow Welcome’s partner, Refugee Resettlement & Immigration Services of Atlanta (RRISA), is partnering with the Atlanta PRIDE Committee, Inc. to raise awareness of issues affecting the LGBT refugee and asylee communities of metro Atlanta.  MORE »

Heartland Alliance is excited to partner with six refugee resettlement agencies throughout the country on the Rainbow Welcome Initiative. Heartland Alliance, along with these local affiliates, will develop and implement best practices for working with LGBT refugees and asylees.  MORE »

The Rainbow Welcome Initiative will host four regional trainings during the month of March. These three-day sessions, geared to service providers who work with refugees, immigrants, or asylees, will cover issues of sexuality and gender, while examining the role they play in the resettlement process. Caseworkers, employee counselors, teachers, health practitioners, and others will all benefit from this interactive training as we introduce fundamental concepts and terminology of the LGBT community and explore strategies to adjust services and respond to the particular needs of this population.  MORE »