Champaign-Urbana, IL, Makes Relocating Easy
Two community-wide relocation programs help newcomers find their way in their new community.
Moving to a new city can be hard. You might not have family or friends in the area, you don’t have familiar restaurants or even grocery stores that you frequent yet, and you’re surrounded by a world of new. Thankfully, if you’re relocating to Champaign-Urbana, IL, the community makes it easy to meet friends, get connected and find your way.
“In Champaign-Urbana, you’ll find that people are very inviting and accepting of others,” says Eusebio Briseno, who moved to the area in 2022. “Someone will always say hello to you as you walk down the street. You’ll almost never pass people who just shrug their shoulders and keep on walking.”
In addition to being warm and inviting, Champaign-Urbana has rolled out its welcome mat a bit further, developing two free, community-wide relocation programs.
The Champaign-Urbana Community Job Application and Chambana Welcome Crew were established to help ease the stress of relocating, finding work and navigating a new social scene. They are run by the Champaign County Economic Development Corp. and Experience Champaign-Urbana.
Find a Job in Champaign-Urbana, IL
In August 2023, the Champaign-Urbana Community Job Application was launched as a portal for newcomers (and locals) looking for work in the area. A brief application is all it takes to connect individuals with industry professionals seeking someone with their specific skills and expertise.
“The first step of the application is to share some basic information. Who are you? When might you move to the area? What is your familiarity with Champaign-Urbana?” says Terri Reifsteck, vice president of marketing and community engagement for Experience Champaign-Urbana.
You can stop right there if you choose, and representatives will send you a bundle of engaging information about the community.
“If you decide to continue, the next step is to share what you’re looking for from a working perspective,” Reifsteck says. “What type of job are you interested in? What’s your experience level? The final step explores what you wish to get involved in socially, whether that be volunteer opportunities, arts and culture, the LGBTQ+ community, etc.”
Your application is then sent to the Champaign County Recruiters Network, an organization with over 200 human resource representatives eager to connect you with suitable employers. And voila – after a simple 10-minute application process, you’re several steps closer to finding a job that is right for you.
“It’s a great way to help people connect the dots between finding a job and finding a place they’re going to feel at home in,” Reifsteck says.
Make Friends and Connections in Champaign-Urbana, IL
While the Champaign-Urbana Community Job Application focuses on employment and introductory information, its partnering program, the Chambana Welcome Crew, is all about social connections and community immersion. As its name suggests, the Chambana Welcome Crew’s mission is to make newcomers and locals feel welcome, accepted and included.
The Chambana Welcome Crew also begins its process with a get-to-know-you form. The short survey asks about your hobbies and interests as well as what you hope to get out of your participation. Based on your personality, you are paired with one of over 50 trained ambassadors – aka your guiding light as you embark on Champaign-Urbana’s active social scene.
“As an ambassador, I’m pretty much a professional friend,” says Darius White, a Champaign-Urbana local since 2012 and a proud representative of the Chambana Welcome Crew.
Whether you’re looking for a fantasy book club, a recreational soccer team, LGBTQ+ resources or an authentic restaurant that will remind you of where you came from, the Chambana Welcome Crew will help expedite your search process and connect you with people and activities that bring you joy.
“Our representatives are aware that there is a need for a diverse group of ambassadors. They’re very intentional in making sure there is support for everyone, especially those in the LGBTQ+ community. It’s essential,” White says. “We want to create an inclusive, diverse and thriving community. With that, we have to make sure that every person knows that they belong and are accepted.”
Since it began in August 2021, the Chambana Welcome Crew has helped over 150 people find their place in the community. It averages one to two new recruits every week.
Briseno, who moved from Arthur, IL, to the area in 2022, was one of those newcomers.
“When my partner and I first moved here, we would go home after work, go to the gym, make food, shower, go to bed and then repeat it all the next day. When we got involved in the ambassadors program, we branched out and saw so much more of Champaign-Urbana,” Briseno says.
Since his initial involvement with the Chambana Welcome Crew, Briseno has joined a community volleyball team, discovered a few favorite mom-and-pop restaurants in the area and chatted his way through several mixers and events, making a network of connections along the way. In fact, at his first mixer, he and his partner made a long-term friend who will soon photograph the life-long memories of their engagement.
“If you’re someone on the outside looking in, go into the program with an open mind and see what it has to offer,” Briseno says. “Without the connections I made, I would still be trying to figure out my place in the community on my own.”
This article was sponsored by Experience Champaign-Urbana.