Illinois Welcoming Center (IWC)

The Illinois Welcoming Center (IWC) is a comprehensive service center for the integration of immigrants and refugees in Illinois. The Illinois Welcoming Center's innovative model eliminates systemic barriers that immigrants may have in approaching state services.

IWC was launched in 2007 to model a state-operated one-stop human service center designed to help immigrants navigate state services and coordinate those state services with non-profit community social service. Over the years, the Welcoming Center program has expanded to include a community-based service model.

The goal of IWC's is to strengthen the overall human service delivery system for immigrants and refugees and build the capacity of immigrant and refugee communities.

The main features of Illinois Welcoming Centers:

1. Welcoming Centers serve as one-stop human service centers that provide comprehensive and holistic case management and service coordination to immigrants and refugees in a linguistically, culturally sensitive manner.
2. Welcoming Centers are familiar with benefits and services provided by state and federal agencies as well as social service agencies and connect individuals to appropriate services as needed through case management or referral.
3. Welcoming Centers lead efforts to coordinate social services in their particular geographic location by creating Community Alliances. These Community Alliances consist of meetings with local service providers to address common challenges shared in the delivery of services to immigrants and refugee and to enhance service effectiveness and improve service coordination.
4. Welcoming Centers host a variety of community education workshops to help immigrants and refugees learn about resources and information that can advance their successful integration and build the capacity of immigrant and refugee communities.

List of Illinois Welcoming Centers

• Arab American Family Services
• Aunt Martha's Youth Service Center, Inc.
• Brighton Park Neighborhood Council
• Cass County Health Dept
• Catholic Charities-Waukegan
• Centro de Informacion
• Chinese American Service League
• Chinese Mutual Aid Association
• Ethiopian Community Association of Chicago
• Family Focus Aurora/Chicago/Hermosa
• Federacion de Clubes Michoacanos en Illinois/Casa Michoacan
• HANA Center
• Heartland Human Services
• Latino Organization of the Southwest
• Latino Resource Institute of Illinois
• Mano a Mano Family Resource Center
• Middle Eastern Immigrant and Refugee Alliance
• Muslim Women Resource Center
• Onward House
• Partners for Our Communities
• Puentes de Esperanza
• Pui Tak Center
• Rincon Family Services
• Rock Valley College Refugee and Immigrant Services
• SAL Family and Community Services
• Syrian Community Network
• The Immigration Project
• The Refugee Center (ECRIMAC)
• United African Organization
• University YMCA
• Vietnamese Association of Illinois
• Western Illinois Dreamers
• World Relief DuPage/Aurora
• Xilin Association
• YWCA-Northwestern Illinois

For more information contact:

Office of Welcoming Centers for Refugee and Immigrant Services
Illinois Department of Human Services
401 S Clinton St, 4th Floor, Chicago IL, 60607
312-793-7120
DHS.BRIS@illinois.gov