Supporting Former Colleagues After Layoffs?

If they have severance, they may want to take some time to decompress or they may be antsy from not having coded in a week. So the answer is likely to depend on the person.

One thing that may be useful is to collect resources about programs in your state for displaced workers. For example, if they were interested in taking AI-related courses at a local college, in many states there are badly-publicized programs that could let them do that for free. Checking in on how their filing-for-unemployment experience goes once severance runs out might also be useful: it can be an overwhelming amount of paperwork, especially in states that use making it hard to get as a way to keep their spending down.

Networking can often be miserable and overwhelming, but meeting with our former-coworkers that we actually like can be fun while doing the same good things for our career. After the initial shock fades, consider hosting an event of some kind, whether that's a dinner party at your home, a trip to a local aquarium, an MMORPG guild, or a hobby-coding night at a local library (most libraries have community spaces you can use for free: you just have to ask.) Invite a mix of people you think will get along and have good conversations. Consider child-friendly events, child care, or taking some time off & scheduling during the school day if your coworkers have children.

It can be very lonely after getting laid off, especially if one had been working long hours. Building a small community of nerds who get together even if you are no longer working together 40+ hours a week can help that loss from becoming overwhelming.