Prior to their arrival in Wichita, the IRC must set up a household that includes essential items for the arriving family. One way community members and organizations can contribute is to donate these goods which allows clients to to utilize limited resettlement funds on pressing needs such as rent and utilities as they work towards self-sufficiency.

The Sayid family arrived in early fall 2021 to NYC from the base that temporarily housed evacuating families from Afghanistan. As a family of five, they were focused on resettling as soon as possible. A new beginning for them meant finding a new apartment, setting up social benefits, and enrolling their two children in school. More important is the emotional process of resetting and finding comfort through a difficult transition.

The IRC (International Rescue Committee) in Phoenix received an increased number of Afghan refugees beginning in August of 2021, after the Taliban regained control of the region. In response to that, we were one of eight RAI (Resettlement, Asylum & Integration) offices who were granted funding to launch a new wellness program, Salamati Rohi, to support our Afghan clients.

This month Haben, an Eritrean refugee who was resettled by the IRC to Missoula three years ago, tells us abut her experience. When she arrived she spoke only a handful of words in English, but now speaks well enough to be interviewed for this story without interpretation.

In Los Angeles, Mayor Eric Garcetti, who chairs C4C with the mayors of Chicago and New York, made the initiative his signature citizenship-building program. He selected IRC as one of just five organizations—and the only refugee resettlement agency—to implement his plan. The result has been extraordinary.

Each year over half of the refugees resettled by the IRC in San Diego are children; in 2022 18% of new arrivals were under 18 years old. Having reached the US, their futures are brighter than the uncertainty, conflict and violence they left behind but as they enter the American education system, refugee youth face a unique set of barriers to academic success.

Community Sponsorship is a new program at the IRC in Salt Lake City! This program gives the community a chance to be involved with the resettlement process in a hands-on way. We sat down with Kristi Haycock, Community Sponsorship Manager, about what is involved in community sponsorship, and how people can get started!

For individuals migrating to or seeking refuge in the United States, obtaining legal status is often the pivotal moment in their resettlement journey, granting them protection from deportation and access to crucial economic opportunities. Unfortunately, in recent years, the path to legal status has become increasingly challenging. With the immigration backlog at an all-time high and refugee and immigrant rights at stake with the upcoming election, many are left feeling overwhelmed and uncertain about their future.

Local Girl Scout troops donated cookies to refugees resettling in Wichita.

Throughout the month of September, Charlottesville residents heard stories from over a dozen different community members with lived experience, thanks to a collaboration between the IRC and WTJU, the University of Virginia’s community radio station. The joint project, “Resettled,” gave 17 current and former Charlottesville clients an opportunity to share their journeys in a series of wide-ranging interviews.