Faith-based resettlement agencies: the intersections of faith and well-being
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Abstract
Many of the local resettlement organizations in the United States are faith-based organizations (FBOs). This research explores the role of faith in these organizations and its effect on the well-being of the volunteers and the community they serve. I conducted fieldwork and interviews with staff, volunteers, and clients at FBOs that serve refugees and asylum seekers in the Boston and Greater Boston area. Although these organizations are based in faith, I discovered a complex variety of practices, expressions and understandings of faith that shaped complex interactions, experiences of the organization, and understandings of well-being.
I have found that there are a variety of experiences and motivations that shape faith that affect various components of these organizations, such as public presentation, interactions with clients and decision making, and can affect individual experiences of resettlement and well-being.