Refugees Northwest

What Refugees Northwest does

Refugees Northwest Foster Care is a 501(c)(3) social services program that places unaccompanied refugee and immigrant minors with licensed foster parents or host homes in Washington State. Operating since 1980 as a program of Lutheran Community Services Northwest (founded 1975) and affiliated with Lutheran Immigration & Refugee Service (LIRS), it is one of the longest-running Unaccompanied Refugee Minor (URM) foster care programs in the United States. The program serves youth typically aged 16-17 at referral (remaining in care up to age 21) who originate from countries including Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, Mexico, Myanmar, Eritrea, Afghanistan, Ghana, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, and who cannot return to their countries of origin. Service delivery is concentrated in King County, south Snohomish County, and north Pierce County, from a single Seattle office at 9725 3rd Ave NE, Suite 405.

The program's core offering is a comprehensive placement and case management service rather than a technology product. Each youth is matched with a dedicated social worker and receives housing, complete medical/dental/vision/mental health coverage, immigration and legal counsel, independent living skills training, volunteer tutors, educational funding, and a monthly reimbursement plus cultural stipend to their foster parent or host home. The provider intentionally maintains low social worker caseloads and employs many bilingual staff, enabling first-language matches with youth. There is no proprietary technology platform; the delivery model is human-services labor-intensive.

The business model is grant-funded rather than commercial. Refugees Northwest Foster Care is funded by the U.S. Office of Refugee Resettlement and the WA State Office of Refugee & Immigrant Assistance (a division of the Department of Social & Health Services), and operates as a non-profit entity with no customer pricing. Go-to-market is community-led: recruitment of foster parents and host homes is driven by monthly virtual Info Sessions, the refugeechildren.net website, email ([email protected]), phone outreach, and a 'Tell a Friend' referral program. The program serves 'dozens of youth and foster families' annually, with no disclosed revenue and no headcount information available.

Name

Refugees Northwest

Legal name

Refugees Northwest Foster Care

Website

https://refugeechildren.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Refugees Northwest Foster Care is a 501(c)(3) program of Lutheran Community Services Northwest that has placed unaccompanied refugee and immigrant minors with licensed foster parents and host homes in Washington State since 1980, funded by federal and state refugee assistance grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Refugee Foster Care Services

NAICS

Individual and Family Services (6241), Child and Youth Services (62411), Child and Youth Services (624110)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Refugee & Immigrant Support Services (BPAGAEAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Integration & Inclusion Services (Housing, Education, Employment) (BPADAHAI), Diaspora, Family Reunification & Case Management Services (BPADAHAM), Immigrant & Refugee Rights Advocacy (BPAGAFAG)

Keywords

• Refugee foster care
• Unaccompanied minor services
• Host home placement
• Refugee resettlement support
• Youth immigration services

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Grants: Funded by U.S. Office of Refugee Resettlement and WA State Office of Refugee & Immigrant Assistance, a division of the Department of Social & Health Services. Program operates as a 501(c)(3) non-profit.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Recruits, trains, and licenses foster parents and host homes to provide safe housing and comprehensive case management for unaccompanied refugee and immigrant minors in the Seattle area. Delivers a full support package including dedicated social workers, medical/dental/mental health coverage, immigration and legal counsel, volunteer tutors, educational expense funding, independent living skills workshops, and a monthly caregiver reimbursement with a cultural stipend.

Product overview

Refugees Northwest Foster Care operates as a single, unified social services program rather than a platform with multiple modules. The core offering is the Foster Care Program, which recruits, trains, and supports licensed foster parents and host homes to provide stable housing and comprehensive services to unaccompanied refugee and immigrant youth ages 16-21. The program connects youth with dedicated social workers, medical/dental coverage, legal counsel, and independent living resources.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Refugees Northwest Foster Care Program Comprehensive foster care placement and case management program for unaccompanied refugee and immigrant minors. Recruits, trains, and licenses foster parents to provide stable housing, dedicated social work case management, full medical/dental/vision/mental health coverage, immigration and legal counsel, volunteer tutoring, educational expense funding, independent living skills workshops, and monthly caregiver reimbursement with a cultural stipend. Serves youth ages 16-21 in King County, south Snohomish County, and north Pierce County, Washington.
• Host Home Program

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Lutheran Immigration & Refugee Service (LIRS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRefugees Northwest Foster Care is an affiliate of Lutheran Immigration & Refugee Service, a national organization that provides guidance and support to local refugee service programs.
• Lutheran Community Services NorthwestcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParent organization - Refugees Northwest Foster Care is a program of Lutheran Community Services Northwest, a 501(c)(3) non-profit serving refugees since 1975.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops / Migration & Refugee Services (USCCB/MRS): National-level federal grantee that operates the parallel Unaccompanied Refugee Minor foster care program network alongside LIRS. Directly comparable as the other primary national affiliate providing URM foster placement services under ORR funding.
• International Rescue Committee (IRC): Large international humanitarian organization providing refugee resettlement, case management, and youth services in the U.S. and globally. Comparable as a major recipient of ORR/state refugee funding serving similar refugee populations with case management, but at much larger scale.
• U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI): National nonprofit providing refugee resettlement, case management, and integration services through local affiliates. Comparable as a parallel federally-funded refugee services network with similar programmatic structure to LIRS affiliates.
• Catholic Charities USA: National network of diocesan agencies providing refugee resettlement, foster care, and social services to immigrants and refugees. Comparable as a parallel faith-based nonprofit infrastructure delivering refugee youth and family services through local affiliates.
• Lutheran Immigration & Refugee Service (LIRS): National parent affiliate network that Refugees Northwest Foster Care belongs to. Comparable as the umbrella organization coordinating URM foster care across affiliated agencies nationwide, with shared federal funding access and program standards.

Others

• HIAS (Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society):
• Refugee Council USA: Coalition of U.S. nonprofit organizations focused on refugee rights, protection, and resettlement policy. Comparable as an ecosystem actor influencing the federal refugee funding and policy environment that this program depends on.

Direct peers

• Samaritas: Michigan-based nonprofit providing Unaccompanied Refugee Minor foster care and refugee youth services. Comparable as a regional direct peer operating a similar URM foster placement program under ORR funding via the LIRS or MRS network.
• Bethany Christian Services: Faith-based nonprofit providing refugee and unaccompanied minor foster care and family services across multiple states. Comparable as a direct operational peer offering URM placement through foster families with similar federal funding streams.

Emerging players

• Kids in Need of Defense (KIND): Nonprofit providing legal representation and support services specifically for unaccompanied immigrant and refugee children in the U.S. Comparable as a specialized service provider focused on the same unaccompanied minor population, though KIND's core offering is legal aid rather than foster placement.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCKpCKpUFhuBhnjN9THLNlOA
• Facebookfacebook.com/RefugeesNW
• Xx.com/refugeesnw
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/refugeesnw

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Refugees Northwest