Broomfield staff outline immigrant and refugee resource plan: guide, language access and welcome fair proposed

City staff presented the results of a council-directed assessment of services for immigrants and refugees and proposed a set of near-term steps to improve access to government and nonprofit resources.

Vanessa Oldham Barton, the city's director of diversity, equity and inclusion, summarized the review process: staff convened an internal work group, consulted a departmental equity work group, and used two community surveys conducted by the Broomfield Community Services Network (BCSN). From that input staff proposed practical items to improve access and coordination rather than creating new city-run resettlement programs.

The nut graf: Staff recommended producing a short printed resource guide, launching a dedicated immigration/refugee resource page on the city website, finalizing a Broomfield language access plan, and pursuing a “welcome to Broomfield” resource fair to connect residents with community partners.

Details and timing: Oldham said staff will create a trifold resource guide for front desks and events and include a QR code to more complete online content; the planned immigration/refugee web page is expected to go live by late fall 2025. A draft Broomfield language access plan is circulating through internal review and will next go to legal, communications and human resources before reaching the city manager; staff are targeting adoption by the end of 2025. The language access work includes reaffirming Spanish as the threshold language for important notices and increasing staff training on on-demand services such as LanguageLine, Language Nexus and Google Translate.

Oldham also said staff want to reenergize community partnerships—health department ambassadors, BCSN and nonprofits—to build trust and reach new arrivals. A welcome resource fair similar to prior “share the love” events was proposed as a low-barrier, community-based option; staff also suggested the council consider a short video or statement to convey the city’s welcoming posture.

Council discussion focused on outreach and safety concerns. Council members including Henkel, Wynne and Ward praised the recommendations and pressed staff on school-based outreach, culturally appropriate mental-health services, and using other city events to share resources so the outreach does not place a “target” on attendees. Oldham and other staff said the work will lean on nonprofit partners and the city’s public-health ambassador program to build trust and broaden participation.

Ending: Staff will proceed with the resource guide, website work and language access plan through the stated timelines and will return to council with updates as the work progresses.