Who is ECDC?
About Us
We are a multicultural, community-based organization committed to empowering immigrants and refugees.
At ECDC, we believe in the capacity that newcomers have to make positive contributions to improve the lives of others. For the past four decades, we have been assisting refugees and immigrants to rebuild their lives as productive, self-sufficient, and integrated members of their new communities.
Who We Are
We welcome newcomers to the U.S. and ensure they receive the support and resources they need to re-establish their lives.
At ECDC, we resettle refugees and help meet their immediate and longer-term needs through a variety of programs. We mobilize community involvement and contributions to ensure newcomers are connected locally to people and services that can help beyond the scope of official programs.
What We Do
U.S. Refugee Resettlement
We are one of nine national refugee resettlement agencies funded by the Department of State.
We assist newcomers from when they first arrive in the U.S. through their fifth year with three main federally funded programs.
Reception and Placement
When a refugee family or individual is approved for resettlement in the U.S., their case is assigned to a national refugee resettlement agency, such as ECDC. We then plan for their initial resettlement in a specific community where we have a local office. This pre-arrival planning is one of the components of the Reception and Placement (R&P) program administered by the Department of State’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM). It is designed to assist refugees settling into a new home in the U.S. The R&P program lasts between 30 to 90 days for each case resettled.
During this time, local office staff and dedicated volunteers welcome arriving refugee families at the airport, provide them with furnished housing, give them appropriate clothing, and orient them on how to stay safe in their new homes and community. Beyond ensuring refugees’ basic needs are met, the R&P program helps connect newcomers to health services, schools for children, language classes for adults, job readiness training, public benefits enrollment, and more. These essential services, combined with cultural orientation, help refugee families start the path to self-sufficiency. During the R&P period, local office staff assess the needs of each family and make referrals to other programs and services that they can benefit from since 90-days is a very short period of time, and most families need additional support to attain lasting integration and success.
The special Afghan Placement and Assistance (APA) program was set up to provide services essentially similar to R&P for individuals and families who had to evacuate after the Taliban takeover in August 2021 and were granted entry to the U.S. under Operation Allies Welcome.
