Welcoming refugees may reap rewards 

Over many decades, Spokane has developed a reputation as a particularly welcoming destination for refugees. In the early 1990s, as a result of the fall of the Soviet Union, roughly 5,000 individuals from the former Eastern Bloc, like Ukraine, escaped the slowing economies and rough politics in their home countries and made new homes in Spokane County. More arrived in subsequent years. Other refugees have arrived from Southeast Asian countries, like Laos and Vietnam. Still others have fled ongoing violence in places like Somalia and Iraq. World Relief Spokane estimates roughly 600 refugees arrive in Spokane annually.

These migrants come with little other than a bag or two of their belongings, not much money and often poor English skills. Once here, local churches and nonprofit organizations provide assistance with ESL classes, housing support, and integration seminars. If they are relocating from a particularly war-torn or otherwise traumatic place, they may also receive services to help them cope in the aftermath. By all accounts, we in Spokane do an excellent job of relocating refugees.

But what if we took it a step further?

Because of the lengthy application and vetting process that can often top two years, many refugees relocating in the United States are highly educated and qualified, with specialized degrees and many years of experience. Unfortunately, however, without proof of their degrees or transferability of professional certifications, this experience is of little use once they arrive, and many refugees remain underemployed.

We could begin to change that here in Spokane, by making hospitality in resettlement a part of our economic development strategy.

For example, what if we could provide small business training to refugees who wish to start a business here in Spokane? We could pair a local business-owner with a refugee business-owner for mentoring and support, and establish links with organizations like Greater Spokane Incorporated and the Downtown Spokane Partnership. Perhaps owners of vacant retail spaces could provide low-cost short-term leases, in a similar manner to Window Dressing, the nonprofit placing art and pop up retail in empty storefronts. Places like Garland, North Monroe, West Broadway, and East Sprague would welcome an increase in commerce. Local banks and credit unions might offer low-interest loans and micro-loans to provide necessary startup capital.

Thinking more broadly, while refugees may be unable to work in the precise fields that they did before relocating, we might be able to partner with local businesses to provide mentorship and apprenticeship opportunities.

Ultimately, refugees come to the United States with skills they would be prepared to use if not for the obstacles which so often beset them. Spokane’s relative success in relocation derives from its spirit of hospitality, generosity, and openness. As the national conversation turns increasingly inward, we could become a model for the country by empowering refugees to help grow our local economy as they make a new home here in the Inland Northwest.

Anthony Gill is a Spokane native and recent graduate of Santa Clara University. He is the founder of Spokane Rising, an urbanist blog focused on ways to make our city a better place to live.