POLICY ANALYSIS AND COMMUNICATION STRATEGY FOR REFUGEE HOUSING SOLUTIONS

Client
CHURCH WORLD SERVICE
Faculty
Erin Connell
Team
Carolina Herrera, Agnes Kim, Kevin Marquez Arguera, Zoe Merriman

Church World Service (CWS) is a nonprofit organization serving underprivileged communities across the world. Its Refugee Housing Solutions (RHS) initiative provides housing support for refugee resettlement in the US, in response to the challenge of accessing safe and affordable housing due to inadequate supply, resources, and policies. CWS enlisted a Capstone team to conduct a cross-comparative policy analysis of housing policies at local, state, and federal levels to identify policies and programs that would best serve the RHS mission. The team conducted stakeholder interviews with public and nonprofit resettlement and housing experts, and with refugees who have gone through the resettlement process in the US. The team performed a comprehensive policy analysis of potential programs to house a higher number of refugees, prepared a communication strategy to synthesize its findings for the general public, and delivered a set of recommendations for the client to consider for its continued resettlement work.

Capstone Year
2022-2023