Resettlement Volunteer (Field Work) 

The Resettlement Volunteer will work with the R&P and APA Caseworkers to resettle newly arrived refugee families in San Diego. This position is in-person at our El Cajon office and reports to the Resettlement Supervisors. 

Newly arrived refugees have many appointments to get to, both at the IRC office and elsewhere around San Diego County. Most do not have cars, and transportation can often be difficult and time-consuming. Support refugees by transporting them to some of these appointments and then taking them back home afterwards. Volunteers must have access to a car and be willing to transport IRC clients with it. Volunteers should also be culturally sensitive and respectful of diverse backgrounds, self-motivated and comfortable working with little supervision, and able to handle sensitive client information confidentially. Most importantly, volunteers should be welcoming and eager to help newly-arrived refugees settle into the San Diego community. Volunteers will be provided with PPE for their safety.   

 

Responsibilities 

  • Assist IRC caseworkers with transporting refugee families & clients to and from the grocery store, health clinic, and schools (this may require installing an IRC car seat in your car) 
    • Grocery shopping: Accompany client(s) into the grocery store and support them by keeping track of their budget 
    • Health clinics: Bring clients to receive their immunizations and take clients to their health appointments. Assist client(s) with checking in for their appointment by confirming client(s) information & ensure office staff and client(s) have contact information for when the client(s) is ready to be picked up 
    • School enrollment: Ensure client(s) have the necessary documentation and accompany client(s) to the school to complete the enrollments  
  • Communicate with IRC staff about pick up and drop off logistics 
  • Assist caseworkers with home visits & delivering document for refugee families 
  • Potentially be available to do donation deliveries to families  
  • Record hours and submit a completed time sheet at the end of each month via the IRC’s online Volunteer Dashboard 

 

Requirements 

  • Must be available to report to the El Cajon office a minimum of one full day (9am-5pm) on Mondays or Fridays 
  • Must be available for a minimum duration of three months
  • Required: fluency in another language such as Arabic/Ukrainian/Russian 
  • Reliability, attention to detail 
  • Work well under pressure 
  • Flexible and adaptive to change 
  • Excellent communication skills 
  • Provide valid driver’s license with current insurance 
  • Provide proof of vaccination against COVID-19 
  • Willing to adhere to IRC Volunteer and workplace policies, including confidentiality policies 

 

How to apply 

  • Submit online application (must include resume and top three position preferences to be considered complete) 
  • Background check via HireRight ($49 donation to help cover the cost) 
  • Attend a general IRC orientation and begin placement and training 

 

Please email Volunteer Coordinator, Laura Dell, [email protected] if you have any questions.