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Reception and Placement (R&P)
Imagine yourself disembarking from your plane in a foreign land. Do you feel secure, insecure? For the refugees arriving in Salt Lake City, every effort is made to make them feel at home. When they arrive, Reception & Placement (R&P) case managers are there to welcome them to their new surroundings. The days and weeks after arrival can present many challenges to refugees. To ease them through this period of adjustment, they are assigned a caseworker, who often shares a common culture with the refugee. It is the caseworker’s responsibility to provide assistance to the refugee throughout the resettlement process, but their work is most crucial within the first few weeks. During this period the refugee gains initial cultural familiarity and is registered for classes and for federal and state services. Equipped with an understanding of their new community and often with brand new language skills, the refugee then works with his or her caseworker and a job developer to find his or her first job in the United States.
Match Grant and Resource Development
To supplement Reception & Placement services, the IRC employs grants and donations from other federal agencies, corporations and private foundations. One such source is the Matching Grant Program, a federally funded program designed specifically for refugee resettlement that provides additional revenue for the IRC. For each dollar raised by the IRC in monetary or in-kind donations, the federal government matches with two dollars. The matching grant program is described in more detail here.
Employment Assistance
Self-sufficiency is the goal for the refugee and employment is crucial to success. Relationships with the community are essential here and to widen the job pool an IRC employment liaison works with the community to locate sustainable job opportunities.
If your Salt Lake City-based company is interested in developing a relationship with the IRC please contact us at (801) 328-1091. Ethnic Communities
The Ethnic Communities Program operates through a three-year grant provide by the Office of Refugee Resettlement. Its mandate is to strengthen refugee community-based organizations, particularly among communities that have arrived in large numbers during the last ten years. It does this through seminars on nonprofit management, leadership training, and through vocational assistance.
Preferred Communities
At the turn of the century, the plight of the Somali Bantu came to the world’s attention. As part of their efforts to curb the atrocities against the Somali Bantu, the United States granted resettlement status to a considerable Somali Bantu population. Through the Preferred Communities grant, the IRC offers direct assistance to the Somali Bantu through intensive acculturation workshops that range in scope from personal finance to household management.
Immigration
After residing in the United States for one year, refugees are eligible to apply for permanent residence and after five years they can apply for citizenship. To assist refugees in this process, the IRC has an immigration program designed to educate the refugees on immigration policy. Through this program refugees can find answers to general questions on work eligibility, citizenship, permits to travel abroad, and federal document preparation and replacement.
AmeriCorps*VISTA
The IRC’s Salt Lake City office is proud to support the AmeriCorps*VISTA program, which is a federal program that places volunteers in non-profit organizations in the U.S. At the IRC in Salt Lake City our VISTA volunteers manage three programs: micro-enterprise training for small business start-up; the publication of a general resource manual that answers many questions related to our services; and a financial literacy seminar. Through a grant from American Express, the IRC’s Salt Lake City office will be able to expand its financial literacy program to serve more refugee clients.
Health Program
Refugees often arrive without having had adequate medical coverage in their home country, a necessity for healthy living. One of the first steps after arrival is to assist refugees in obtaining important medical services. In the IRC’s Salt Lake City office, the health coordinator supervises this process and offers health orientation seminars and direct assistance with obtaining health screenings, corresponding vaccinations and immunizations, and follow-ups on other medical issues.
English Language Acculturation
Part of acquiring cultural fluency in America is gaining a firm footing with the English language. This can be the most difficult step for the refugee and a sizable impediment to acculturation. An English as a Second Language (ESL) program has been developed to build on shared knowledge and, to date, all enrollees have advanced one grade level in English proficiency.
Volunteer Program
The IRC in Salt Lake City operates with assistance from volunteers and interns. Each volunteer and intern is asked to commit to a minimum four-month contract that enables him or her to get to know the IRC better and in turn to provide more effective services. Volunteers are then placed in a capacity where their background can be utilized most effectively. Assignments vary and can include English tutoring, acculturation mentoring, administering a database, or helping to develop job skills, among others. If you are interested in volunteering, or have questions about our volunteer program, please contact us at (801) 328-1091.
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