Resettlement
IRC acts as the sponsoring agency for newly arrived refugee families and supplies financial assistance, orientation to the community, social services advocacy, family reunification, and immigration assistance. Each family is assigned a bilingual, bicultural, caseworker that provides the mandated services and monitors the family's progress for up to six months after arrival.
Early Employment Program
The Matching Grant Early Employment Program is a federal program focused on securing self-supporting employment for refugees within four months of arrival in the United States . IRC provides refugee participants with basics such as rent payments, a weekly cash stipend, bus passes, clothing for job interviews, and intensive employment services such as job readiness training, assistance with resumes and job applications, case management, and ongoing support and follow-up.
Immigration
The Seattle office is accredited by the Board of Immigration Appeals to provide assistance in completing immigration forms. The IRC Seattle office gives advice and assists several hundred refugees and immigrants a year in completing the forms necessary to bring their relatives to the United States . The office also assists refugees to become Permanent Residents and apply for naturalization.
Social Services
In April 2000, IRC opened a South End Service Center in Tukwila, WA to serve the many refugees living in South King County . These services include information and referral, advocacy, and outreach, with a focus on women and children. The service center primarily targets the Somali and Bosnian ethnic groups, as they compose the largest refugee demographic in this community. The Seattle Office also provides a variety of social services to clients in the area.
Mentoring Program and Educational Support
IRC Seattle pairs every new refugee family with volunteer mentors who help orient them to the community during weekly meetings. School aged children and select adults are also paired with ESL tutors, and all refugees are eligible for regular conversational ESL (Talk Time) and Computer Tutoring.
Anti-trafficking Program
IRC Seattle serves as the lead agency in the Washington Anti-trafficking Response Network (WARN). WARN is a network/partnership of non-governmental organizations that provides comprehensive services to pre-certified victims of human trafficking in Washington State. WARN also works to increase public awareness of human trafficking and anti-trafficking initiatives through trainings and community outreach.
IRC Speakers Bureau
IRC Seattle has created a refugee speakers bureau that provides public speaking leadership opportunities for refugee teens and adults. Speakers Bureau participants are matched one-to-one with a Speakers Bureau coach to work on public speaking skills. The IRC Speakers are available to speak to schools, organizations and community groups about the lives of refugees and the role of the IRC.
