SLC Refugee Relocation
Until last week, when I got a job with the International Rescue Committee as a refugee case manager, I had not idea Salt Lake City was a major refugee relocation center. Each year around 400 refugees are relocated to the Salt Lake Valley in Utah to start new lives as future American citizens. Many of the relocated refugees have spent up to 30 years in a refugee camps and so everything about the US is new to them. For example many refugees have never signed a lease before, been to a grocery store, or even been in a car. While the first year or so is a very difficult adjustment for many of the refugees, eventually they settle into American life and, like the rest of us, live out the American dream. As part of my job I am also able to work with many refugees that have been in the US longer than 5 years and most of them own their own houses, have great jobs with benefits, have sent all their children to college and university, and are full fledged US citizens. In fact I am told very few refugees, if any, require welfare assistance after their first year in the US. Every time I meet one of these great Americans I am humbled to think what they have gone through and how hard they have fought to get where they are…and if they can work hard and be successful, then I sure can! My heart goes out to all the refugees in the world and what a great country we live in that allows many of these destitute people to relocate to hope and prosperity.P.S. Sorry we have been slacking, we are having a tough time adjusting to our new lives (and real jobs) in SLC and finding time to do things we love (i.e. the internet).
Day to Day, Issues
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displaced populations, Political Issues, refugee-relocation, refugees, Salt Lake City
And, you forgot to mention, they are lucky enough to have YOU as their helper!! You’re the Best, Neil!!
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This sounds like a very interesting job! How did you get it, is there postings by Philadelphia by any chance? I have spent my whole undergraduate study on refugees. They are remarkable people, I would love to be able to work along side them.
There are 10 refugee relocation organization in the US and I am sure they have one or two of them in Philly. I would look on the internet for one of the following organizations:
* Church World Service (CWS)
* Ethiopian Community Development Council (ECDC)
* Episcopal Migration Ministries (EMM)
* Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS)
* International Rescue Committee (IRC)
* US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI)
* Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services (LIRS)
* United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB)
* World Relief Corporation (WR)
* State of Iowa, Bureau of Refugee Services
and see if they have offices in your area. Then call them up and see if they have any jobs.
i am doing a project on refugees so all facts would be great
Love what you guys are doing. I do some work with Church World Service in my hometown. There is nothing like being a part of an organization that you know is actually making a difference on an international level.