Catholic Charities of Western Washington serves the Archdiocese of Seattle with refugee resettlement, immigration legal services, housing programs, emergency assistance, and counseling. Seattle ranks among the country's primary refugee resettlement cities, which puts this agency at the center of that work regionally. This page covers its main programs, the best ways to donate, and where volunteers fit in.
Western Washington has welcomed large communities from Somalia, Ethiopia, Afghanistan, Ukraine, and Burma, among others. Catholic Charities coordinates resettlement for arriving families and stays involved afterward with legal and social support. Its immigration legal services program carries a heavy caseload on top of that, reflecting the region's substantial immigrant population from Mexico, Central America, and Southeast Asia.
Housing is the other pillar. The agency runs housing support in partnership with King County and operates St. Vincent de Paul programs, alongside emergency assistance and counseling. Services are open to people of all faiths.
Resettlement and housing work is expensive in a high-cost region, and private gifts fill the gap between government contracts and what families actually need in their first year. Donate at the official page, ccsww.org/donate.
Recurring monthly gifts are worth considering for this kind of agency: caseloads run year-round, and predictable funding is easier to plan services around than seasonal spikes.
Volunteer roles include English tutoring, resettlement support for newly arrived families, food assistance, and administrative work. English tutoring is a standout option for anyone with steady weekly availability, since language progress depends on regular practice with the same tutor. Current openings are listed at ccsww.org.
Note the coverage boundary: Catholic Charities of Eastern Washington serves the Spokane area separately, so residents east of the Cascades should look there instead.
Check the agency's 501(c)(3) standing in the IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search and read its Charity Navigator profile. Save the written acknowledgment for any donation of $250 or more, since the IRS requires it for a deduction.
Sources: Catholic Charities of Western Washington official site (ccsww.org); our Washington charity guide research. Retrieved July 2026. We are not affiliated with Catholic Charities of Western Washington and receive no compensation for this listing. Spotted an error? [email protected]
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