Immigrant Support Atlas

Foreign-born share over time

How the immigrant share of the population shifts across the country. Press play to animate. Source: US Census ACS 5-year.

Access to immigrant-serving organizations

Spatial access by the enhanced two-step floating catchment area method (E2SFCA). Darker green = better access; orange = a service desert (people who need it, but no organization within reach); gray = no foreign-born population. Source: org locations + US Census ACS 2023.

Immigrant Policy Inclusion Index

How inclusive each state’s policies are toward immigrants, across seven domains: health coverage, language access, higher education, identification, integration & licensure, legal protection, and economic inclusion. Darker green = more inclusive; orange/red = more restrictive or limited. Click any state for its full profile.

Immigrant–Native Disparity Index

Standardized gaps between foreign-born and US-born residents (uninsured, crowded housing, rent burden, education, home internet, vehicle access, homeownership) from US Census ACS. Green = smaller gaps; red = larger gaps. This is an outcome measure, separate from the Policy map: it describes how immigrant and US-born residents differ, and is shaped by who has immigrated where (recency and composition), not by state policy alone. Click any state for its full profile.

English assimilationism

Project Implicit is a self-selected volunteer sample, not a representative survey; within each area, respondents are reweighted to the Census population by age, sex, race and ethnicity, and citizenship. Higher = less welcoming. Areas with too few respondents are left blank. See the note below for the exact survey item. Source: Project Implicit 2023-2025.

Immigrant attitudes

Project Implicit is a self-selected volunteer sample, not a representative survey; within each area, respondents are reweighted to the Census population by age, sex, race and ethnicity, and citizenship. Higher = less welcoming. Areas with too few respondents are left blank. See the note below for the exact survey item. Source: Project Implicit 2023-2025.

Solidarity Development Light Association

Also known as SODELA.

KNOXVILLE, TN 37921

Solidarity Development Light Association is a nonprofit organization in Knoxville, Tennessee that serves immigrants and refugees.

SODELA serves refugees and immigrants (predominantly East African) in Knoxville, TN with resettlement, English classes, job training, transportation, housing help, food distribution, and cultural integration programs.

Services

Read from the organization's website.

  • Case management: “Ongoing support — Providing continued assistance as families establish their roots”
  • Cultural programming: “Cultural Integration Programs to help families understand American culture while celebrating their own heritage and traditions.”
  • Emergency / basic needs: “Family Support Diaper distribution, baby supplies, and support programs for new mothers and growing families.”
  • Employment / job training: “Job Training Career development programs and job placement assistance to help refugees achieve financial independence.”
  • ESL / English: “English Classes Free English language classes to help refugees communicate effectively and integrate into their new community.”
  • Food assistance: “SODELA purchased their harvest and distributed it to other refugee families in need through our community distribution network.”
  • Housing: “Housing assistance — Helping families find safe, affordable housing”
  • Interpretation / translation: “Language Support — English language classes and interpretation services”
  • Refugee resettlement (R&P): “Resettlement Assistance — Helping families find housing, navigate paperwork, and access essential services”
  • Transportation: “Transportation Assistance with transportation to medical appointments, job interviews, and other essential services.”

Languages

Services delivered in Swahili, Kirundi, Kinyarwanda, French.

Website in English only.

Communities served

East African.

Contact

Founded 2010. IRS NTEE code P84. Latest Form 990: 2025. EIN 27-1023386.

Other organizations in Knoxville

All organizations in Knoxville | All organizations in Tennessee

Sources: IRS exempt-organization records, Form 990 filings, federal and network directories, and the organization's own website. Data as of October 19, 2026. Information here can change; contact the organization to confirm.

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Immigrant profiles by origin, language, and race / ethnicity

Pick a group to see its own profile: how large it is and how it lives, with the all-foreign-born and US-born averages shown for context. National estimates from US Census ACS 1-year microdata (PUMS).