HIAS: Welcome the stranger, protect the refugee

HIAS provides vital services to refugees and asylum seekers around the world and advocates for their fundamental rights so they can rebuild their lives.
HIAS stands for a world in which refugees find welcome, safety, and opportunity.
HIAS Volunteer Opportunities for Individuals in the DC AreaLong-term volunteer roles*:
• Mentors work one-on-one with HIAS clients, acting as a cultural liaison and providing varied types of support as asylum seekers learn how to navigate healthcare, education, and public transportation systems.
• English as a New Language Tutors help clients with beginner-level English develop language skills in speaking, reading, and writing.
• English Language Partners help clients build conversational English skills that allow them to communicate more fluently with their neighbors, employers, and service providers.

Short-term volunteer roles*:
• Special Project Volunteers work one-on-one with HIAS Legal Services and Asylee
• Outreach Project (AOP) clients on goal-oriented, shorter-term projects. Each project s unique – volunteers may help a client apply for a replacement social security card, review a resume, submit job applications, or navigate a specific affordable housing challenge. Projects vary in length from a few days to several weeks.

Other volunteer roles:
• Volunteer Interpreters and Translators are regularly needed to assist with remote interpretation and translation needs that support our asylum-seeking clients’ legal case and social integration.
• Social Service Volunteers work with our social service department to create, update, and expand our resource guides for clients. Guides help clients easily access
resources in the DMV, including housing, financial, medical, and job placement assistance across multiple counties.
• Volunteer Letter Writers write monthly correspondence to asylum seekers in immigration detention offering them compassion and solidarity.
• Migrant Bus Response volunteers collaborate with the Migrant Mutual Aid Solidarity Network to support and work with migrants arriving on state-sponsored buses.
*We conduct onboarding for direct service opportunities in the DC area each fall. Please click here to create a basic volunteer profile and subscribe to our monthly newsletter to be notified when we begin our next onboarding cycle.

Please contact our volunteer coordinator at caroline.wolinsky@hias.org with any questions or accommodations.