Announcement
The IRC in Salt Lake City anticipates welcoming more than 600 individuals from Afghanistan between October 2021 to March 2022 in addition to resettling other refugees from around the world. Your support is vital to ensuring a warm welcome for all!
Photo: James Roh
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) continues efforts in response to the humanitarian crisis that continues to unfold in Afghanistan and the resulting evacuations of thousands of Afghan families seeking safety in the U.S.
In Salt Lake City, the IRC has received an overwhelmingly generous outpouring of support, including dedicated community members who have signed up to become a volunteer, organized donations drives and fundraisers, offered rental spaces for families and employment opportunities for adults. The much-needed preparations will support efforts at the IRC in Salt Lake City to resettle an anticipated 615 Afghan Humanitarian Parolees—in addition to traditional refugee arrivals—over the next six months as part of the Afghan Placement & Assistance Program (APA).
To support the resettlement of the arriving Afghan families, the IRC in Salt Lake City launched the Welcome Home Fund to support temporary housing costs and efforts to secure long-term housing, covering direct assistance, ensuring needed supplies are available, and more. All funds raised through this fund will stay in Utah to support our efforts to welcome Afghan families home.
Make a one-time contribution or start a monthly gift in support of the Welcome Home Fund at Rescue.org/WelcomeHomeUtah »
On September 16th, the IRC in Salt Lake City held a Virtual Town Hall discussion to address the IRC’s response and the local efforts in Salt Lake City to support the Afghans living and arriving in Utah. The conversation included updates from IRC staff who deployed to support the reception of Afghan families on U.S. military bases. View the full recording here »
Over the coming months, we will have a great need for ongoing support from our generous community. Our current priority needs include:
Monetary giving. Support our efforts to ensure Afghan families receive the direct assistance they need while accessing robust, responsive and agile programming to meet evolving needs as they settle into their new home. Make a personal contribution or rally your community to organize a fundraiser in support of our work. One-time or monthly gift to our Welcome Home Fund ensures families arriving receive the support they need to rebuild their lives in Utah. Give today »
Gift cards. Gather gift cards to stores like Walmart and Smith’s to ensure families are able to access the supplies their household needs at a convenient, low-cost location near their home. Gift cards in amounts from $25 to $100 ensure families can choose the items they need, learn how to navigate the community on their own, and extend budgets to cover other vital expenses. Learn more »
Securing housing. Our housing team needs help identifying private, unoccupied spaces—either donated or for affordable rent—to ensure refugee families are welcomed home. Spaces can be utilized as temporary housing through our partnership with Airbnb. You can also offer up long-term housing for rent or donated by filling out our Housing Availability Form »
Questions? Review our “How to help our Afghan neighbors” page. If your questions aren’t answered there, kindly email us at [email protected] to be connected to the appropriate staff member.