Many places in our world are filled with injustice, hatred, violence, and suffering.  Wherever these things abound, you will find refugees.  Currently, the UNHCR estimates there to be somewhere between 11 and 15 million refugees worldwide.  This is astonishing number continues to rise as conflicts in Sudan, Iraq, Afghanistan, and other places force millions of people from their homes.  These refugees are currently being hosted inside relatively stable border countries, such as Chad, Jordan, and Pakistan; they are also resettled in more developed countries like the United States.

In Spokane, the refugee population is comprised of many different groups.  Currently, Spokane is home to refugees from Afghanistan, Burma, Bhutan, Burundi, Cuba, Eritrea, Iraq, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Liberia, Russia, Rwanda, Somalia, Sudan, Turkey, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, and others.  Since the United Nations tends to focus most of its resettlement efforts in only a few places at a time, there will often be a large influx of one or two people groups for a year or two, before switching almost entirely to different groups.  Also, since resettlement is a long process, refugees will often not come to Spokane till many years after the conflicts in their home countries have disappeared from the public eye.

In 2007, the United States accepted 48,217 refugees for resettlement.  In 2008, that number jumped to 60,192.  Those numbers translate into roughly 350 to 450 refugees per year arriving in Spokane—383 in 2008. For more information, visit the UNHCR Statistics Page. Our information is garnered from the UNHCR, DSHS, and personal experience.

Donate Now!