UPDATED APRIL 2024

As more people than ever before are displaced around the world, governments and communities have the opportunity—and obligation—to ensure the safe, humane, and sustainable reception of people seeking safety in the United States. Rather than rely on punitive, expensive, and ineffective border policies like asylum bans or mass detention, humanitarian services that safely and efficiently welcome and process people who have recently arrived already exist in places like San Diego, California.

This blueprint for humanitarian reception was developed by the Women’s Refugee Commission and the Jewish Family Service of San Diego (JFSSD). Over the last five-plus years, JFSSD has adapted and expanded its shelter network and services to serve more than 201,000 people seeking safety. This respite shelter network serves as a road map for how governments and communities across the US can build upon the experiences and lessons learned from the model in San Diego.