Providing Safe Shelters for Refugees
"Sanctuary Lite"
There are over 250,000 churches and houses of worship in the United States. Of these, an estimated 1,000 have become "Sanctuary churches" Thank God these congregations are willing to go "all in" to protect immigrants and refugees facing deportation.
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But for the remaining 99.6 percent of congregations, most of whom want to help, there are few options.
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Some call Safe Harbors Network "Sanctuary Lite" because it provides a way for almost any congregation or individual to get involved.
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Here is how Safe Harbors differ from Sanctuary
How Safe Harbors Differ from Sanctuary
Safe Harbors set the boundaries of their commitment, including financial, time, number of refugees, immigration status, and more. Each congregation crafts its own Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Safe Harbors to define what it can, and cannot, do.
1. There is no confrontation with government authorities. In most cases, immigration
authorities refer detained immigrants and refugees to us.
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2. Safe Harbors set the boundaries of commitment, including finances, time,
number of refugees, immigration status, etc.
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3. Safe Harbors craft their own Agreement with Safe Harbors Network, defining what it can and cannot do.
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4. Safe Harbors provide shelter in homes, houses of worship, hotels, shelters, or a combination of places.
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5. ​​The Safe Harbors Network offers resources and support. This includes "lessons learned" by other Safe Harbors and best practices for operating a temporary Safe Harbors shelter.
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Safe Harbors’ hosts select how long they will host a refugee or family. Options include making your “Safe Harbor” a year-round ministry, open two weeks to two months a year, or as needed.
Contact us to learn how you may "right size" your involvement in welcoming strangers as our Lord commanded us to do.
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