Each year the IRC in San Diego resettles approximately 1,000 refugees with the majority coming from Iraq, Afghanistan, and Somalia in recent years. By September 30, we expect as many as 500 individuals, mostly Syrian, to reach their new homes in San Diego.

As part of the LET'S HIKE program, City Heights youth recently completed the 5 Peak Challenge, climbing all five peaks in Mission Trails Regional Park in five days! The challenge marked the conclusion of a year-long program to get refugee youth outside and engaged with the natural environment.

On January 6th, more than 100 refugee families who arrived in Washington this past year received a warm welcome to our community! Hundreds of community members joined us for the Winter Welcome Festival, where we celebrated the new year together with food, games, gifts, and lots of fun!

Nestled along 900 South, the Spice on 9th Café serves as community space, welcoming refugee and new American entrepreneurs to engage with the IRC in Utah’s Spice Kitchen Incubator program. In December, Spice on 9th welcomed its first Chef in Residence: Najati Abdalla of Namash Swahili Cuisine.

New Roots focuses on food security, food access and agriculture in the refugee community. New Roots is a national program and is located in 12 different cities. In Dallas, we have partnered with 8 different community gardens to provide growing space for our clients. We hope you enjoy this video created by GenR member, Jigna Vora.

In-kind donations help provide a warm welcome to refugees upon their arrival in the U.S and support them as they settle. Please keep reading to learn about our in-kind donations program and what items are desired to help us meet the material needs of our newest community members.

Thanks to First Responders First, we've expanded mental health support for frontline workers like Wende, who teaches refugees in the U.S. English and job skills.

Phyllis Korogodsky, a loan officer with the IRC in Phoenix, was recently recognized by the Center for Economic Opportunity (CEO) with a resolution at their quarterly board meeting. The resolution read: “...[T]he CEO Board recognizes and thanks Phyllis Korogodosky for her exceptional service in her role as a Loan officer and Financial Coach for refugees in Arizona.” CEO is a subsidiary of the IRC that offers participants access to a range of affordable financial products that can accelerate clients’ upward economic mobility.  Recently certified by the U.S. Treasury as a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), the Center offers credit-building, auto, and business loans to low-income borrowers.