Stories and Updates from WelcomeNST
Volume 1, Issue 2 | September 2025
Welcome to the second edition of The Beacon, our quarterly newsletter, sharing updates and stories from the heart of our mission to connect us in a common purpose to offer refuge against all odds. Inside, you’ll find impact stories, updates, and ways to take action. Despite challenges, we can keep the light of welcome burning bright!
_edited.jpg)
Defining the Moment: A Message from Liz
Right now, we are living through a defining moment in history. In the face of increasingly normalized attacks on society’s most vulnerable, the very ideals of freedom and dignity are under assault, threatening the vision of the American Dream. Amid these challenges, WelcomeNST continues to live our mission “to unleash the power of community to offer refuge,” not only by bringing refugee families in danger abroad to the U.S., but, for the first time ever, by forming NSTs for immigrant families already here (legally) but at risk. It’s hard and it’s messy, but it’s also a bold act of hope, fueled by good humans like you.
​Everywhere I go, there are rooms full of people who are desperately seeking something they can do. They seem to inherently know that true change is not driven by a national agenda, policy or program. Rather, all change is local, and it happens one person, one family, one community and one act of kindness at a time. So, if you too are looking for something you can do to make a difference and are feeling like you have no power, you are not alone. For what it’s worth, here’s my advice for you. If you can form an NST, great! We’re here for you. If you’re not there right now, that’s OK. Just start in your neighborhood and find someone in need...maybe a newly arrived family who’s scared to go to the grocery store or to send their kids to school...and be their friend.
Pope Leo recently said, “The communities that welcome migrants and refugees can be a living witness of a society where the dignity of all as children of God is recognized and in which all are brothers and sisters, part of the same family.” YOU can be that witness. This is our time. This is our purpose. And together, we define this moment.
A Local Approach with National Impact  
For WelcomeNST, our work has never felt more urgent, or more hopeful. In a climate of shrinking protections, we’re turning to where our power still lies: with us, the people. By implementing a state-by-state, city-by-city strategy, we’re mobilizing local partners, leaders, and supporters to form Neighborhood Support Teams (NSTs) that surround families with the care and resources they need to thrive. We cannot meet this moment with despair, so we’re building a movement rooted not in fear, but in love. Every team that forms, every family that’s welcomed, is an audacious act of Hope. You are warriors of Hope—and we can’t think of anything the world needs more than that.
What this Moment looks like in practice
Until now, our focus has been to engage communities in the U.S. to offer refuge to refugee families at risk abroad. Now, we’re expanding to include:
-
Creating NSTs in the U.S. to offer refuge to refugees in danger worldwide (wherever legal pathways exist).
-
Forming NSTs to extend refuge to immigrants already in the U.S. legally, yet still at risk
Expanding Our Focus
Standing with Afghan Allies and Welcoming them to MA, DC, MD, VA, UT, WA (and soon TX).
WelcomeNST continues to lead the way in mobilizing everyday Americans to welcome Afghan allies and their families with Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs). Our Neighborhood Support Teams (NSTs) continue to meet these families upon arrival, provide hands-on assistance with immediate needs, and help them settle into new communities while building a path to stability and self-reliance.
NSTs are currently forming in the Washington, D.C./Maryland/Northern Virginia area (the DMV), Boston, Utah, and Seattle with Texas coming soon.
Piloting Public/Private Partnerships: Seattle and Salt Lake City
In the spirit of reimagining the future of resettlement in ways that would ease the lift for our NSTs and shorten the pathway to self-reliance for families, we believe there is massive potential in innovating partnerships with resettlement agencies (RAs) that leverage the best we’ve all got to offer. As a result, we just launched a pilot in Salt Lake City alongside the International Rescue Committee (IRC), Utah Refugee Connection, and Lifting Hands International to support refugee families who have lost their caseworkers due to federal funding cuts. We are also developing a similar pilot in Seattle with Jewish Family Services. In each pilot program, WelcomeNST mobilizes neighbors and trains them to form an NST that surrounds a family with care while our RA partners help secure resources such as benefits, ESL classes, and finding housing. Such innovation is truly the beauty in the ashes and the hope for the future with much more to come.
Haitian Asylum Seekers in Boston
Haitian Asylum Seekers and their families were facing homelessness as shelters closed in Boston. So WelcomeNST stepped in, working arm-in-arm with Immigrant Family Services Institute (IFSI) to identify 10 families and match them with 10 NSTs at immediate risk. We are now developing Phase 2 of this pilot.
Team Spotlight
Journey of Welcoming: Courage, Laughter, and Love
by Sara Gallegos (NST Lead)
The journey to welcome an Afghan Ally Refugee family wasn’t sudden—it unfolded slowly, step by step, filled with anticipation, uncertainty, and hope. I connected with them long before they left their home country, talking through every “what if” and every hurdle. There were moments I feared they wouldn’t make it, so when I finally met them in person, it felt almost unreal—a mix of relief, joy, and awe.
​
I used to be terrified of reaching out to strangers—knocking on a door, making a phone call, even saying hello. But when this family arrived, I dove headfirst into discomfort, discovering that connection comes when you show up, even when it’s awkward.
​Our first days together were a dance of patience and small gestures: sharing meals, teaching the children to play Uno, and laughing with them as they navigated a new life. I watched the parents lean in, eager to learn, and felt the warmth of their relief as they finally felt safe. These moments weren’t just gifts to them—they were gifts to me, a chance to see into each other’s hearts.
​
There are hard moments—grief, fear, uncertainty—but facing them alongside families makes the joy that follows even deeper. With guidance from mentors and WelcomeNST, I’ve discovered a community I didn’t know I was missing. Life isn’t meant to be carried alone, and hope is worth holding onto. Welcoming transforms lives—not just theirs, but yours, too.
Family Spotlight
When Welcome Is Enough: Farzana’s First Steps to Freedom
​
Sometimes, welcoming someone doesn’t mean solving everything—it means standing with them at the threshold, offering a hand and saying, “You are not alone.”
​
“I don’t know what we would have done if your team hadn’t been here,” Farzana said, her voice trembling with relief. After years of building a life of service—educating children, empowering her community—everything she knew was upended overnight. Threats forced her family to leave suddenly. Pregnant, exhausted, and facing fears she had never known before, she stepped into a world of uncertainty.
​
She had endured years in temporary shelters, cramped spaces with little privacy, and a newborn who constantly fell ill while waiting endlessly. When visas and opportunities finally opened doors, shifting U.S. policies made hope feel fragile and the path to safety perilously narrow. Still, she pressed forward, determined to find safety, dignity, and a chance to rebuild.
When Farzana’s family connected with a Neighborhood Support Team, the difference was immediate. Volunteers welcomed them, guided them through the basics, and showed they weren’t alone. It wasn’t perfect—but it was enough: a foothold, a bridge to begin again, a moment to breathe, and space to imagine a future. Uncertainty remained—policies shift, opportunities are fragile—but small gestures, patient guidance, and caring neighbors built stability, belonging, and renewed hope. Welcoming isn’t about perfect solutions—it’s about showing up, standing beside someone, and walking with them through the hard parts. Choosing hope means showing up, even when the path is uncertain.
​​​​​​Donor Spotlight
$170,000 Grant from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to Help Refugee Families Start Fresh
Every journey to a new life begins with hope and sometimes a helping hand makes all the difference. Thanks to a generous $170,000 Humanitarian Services Grant from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Neighborhood Support Teams across the Northeast can offer that hand to even more refugee and Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) families.
​
This funding helps families meet urgent needs—housing, food, clothing, school supplies—so they can focus on what matters most: creating a safe, stable home and a brighter future. It’s a partnership rooted in care, compassion, and community, ensuring that every newcomer is welcomed with dignity, support, and hope.
AWE App Launches! Fueling the Work of Welcome
AWE | Ambassadors of Welcome is now available on Google Play and the App Store! The app makes it simple for communities and partners to connect, coordinate, and take collective action, all on a private, secure platform.
​
Together, we’re building a national network of local advocates—a pathway of welcome—uniting communities in a time of division. And we’re just getting started!
​
Download now on the App Store or Google Play Questions? Contact us at awe@welcomenst.org
Meet our Board of Directors
Meet our amazing Board of Directors who bring leadership, expertise, and a steadfast commitment to advancing WelcomeNST’s mission of welcoming refugee and immigrant families.
Define the Moment. Fuel the Movement.
Your support keeps the work of welcome alive. Every connection, every act of care helps refugee families find safety, community, and hope. Join us in defining the moment and fueling the movement—together, we turn welcome into lasting belonging.