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State of Utah Refugee Office
On behalf of the Utah Refugee Services Office, welcome to our Web site. We hope you will browse this site and in the process gain an understanding of refugees and the services available to them. We intend the site to expand and improve with your input, so please let us know what you think. The Web site is meant to be useful to refugees, service providers, public and private partners, and the community at large. It should assist us in sharing information, coordinating services, and becoming closer as a community.
Refugee family succeeds in Sugar House thanks to county program
By Rebecca Brown Wright
41 days ago
When Mohannad Saleh, his wife, Hanan Hussin, and their three children boarded an airplane in the Middle Eastern country, Jordan seventeen months ago, they did not know exactly where they were going. Refugees of Iraq, they were hoping for a safer life.
Surprised to be in Utah, a place they had previously never heard of, they feel they are adjusting well as they learn English, advance in employment and participate in the Pathways to Self Sufficiency program through the Utah Refugee Coalition.
“When you see tanks in your neighborhood, you don’t want to stay,” Saleh said, regarding their decision to leave Iraq for Jordan in 2003, shortly after the U.S. Military arrived in the country.
Saleh and his family left Iraq by bus. The journey was dangerous. When the family arrived in Jordan, Saleh used their last five dollars to pay the cab fare. After five years in Jordan, the family was able to obtain third country resettlement as refugees. According to Ze Min Xiao, Salt Lake County refugee services liaison, less than three percent of refugees obtain third country resettlement. Most end up staying in refugee camps.
Saleh feels fortunate for his resettlement. “I felt crazy [boarding the plane for America] with three children, a wife and no money. But the good thing is we are together,” he said. Arriving in Utah with no friends or relatives, it was not easy for Saleh and his family. “The start here is very difficult. America has a great system, but it is still hard for us,” he said. He found employment after one month in the country and has worked hard. Still, the bills are difficult to pay. The Pathways to Self Sufficiency Program is helping with that.
“The program gives refugees an opportunity to use skills to supplement income through entrepreneurship,” Xiao said. “Refugees bring skills with them, but those skills don’t necessarily transfer to employment here.”
Pathways to Self Sufficiency, which began six months ago, is a three stage program funded by American Express which teaches refugees a business curriculum and gives them funds to make products such as purses, jewelry and pottery. So far, these products have been sold at holiday boutiques around Salt Lake City. The final stage gives refugees the tools to start their own businesses.
“The Pathways program empowers [refugees] to use those skills to make supplemental income. When they first get here, they don’t make enough to support a family,” Xiao said. Saleh, who sews purses and aprons for the boutiques, is happy with the program and the extra income. “I appreciate it. It came at a perfect time,” he said.
According to Xiao, the program is helping many others as well. Some are saving money to go to school, while others use the money to fill in the gap between their income and rent owed. “It does make a difference,” she said.
For more information about upcoming boutiques for the Pathways to Self Sufficiency Program, contact Ze Min Xiao, refugee services liaison, at zxiao@slco.org
The Bishop's Reflections
The Rt. Rev. Carolyn Tanner Irish
http://dialogue.episcopal-ut.org/home/dialogue_jan_web-2.html
Source: The Diocese of Utah Edition of Episcopal Life
January 2010
Refugee Services Office Resource Manual
Find the latest contact information for refugee partners and providers
Refugee Services Office Resource Manual
2007 Working Group Recommendations to Governor Huntsman and Mayor Corroon
Working Group Gaps in Services for Refugees in Utah
RefugeeWorks E-News
December 2009 (Vol. 2, Issue 22)
Source: The National Center for Refugee Employment and Self-Sufficiency
Volunteers make Sub for Santa - 2009 a big success!
A Refugee Family's Journey in America - A Missing Peace
December 13, 2009
Source: Salt Lake Tribune
KUER (Salt Lake City, Utah)
Listen to Interviews with Refugee Youth
Refugee Youth Face Challenges At School
October 12, 2009
At Home with Girard Nabonimana
October 12, 2009
Muhammed's Challenge - October 18, 2009
Against All Odds - October 19, 2009
Utah Refugee Conference
November 6-7, 2009
Programs
African United Soccer Club
November 7, 2009
Refugee Capacity Building Grants are announced
October 5, 2009
Refugee Women Turn Art Into Profit Through New County Program
September 24, 2009
Source: South Salt Lake Journal
Integration is Happening
Saving the World's Women
August 23, 2009
Source: The New York Times
A Letter from Paul Stein, President
August 26, 2009
Source: SCORR (State Coordinators of Refugee Resettlement)
Invisible Immigrants, Old and Left with
'Nobody to Talk To'
August 31, 2009
Source: The New York Times
Counselors Help Refugees
Adjust to New Utah Home
August 27, 2009
Source: Salt Lake Tribune
Iraqi Immigrants Struggle to Adjust
to Life in the U.S
August 13, 2009
Source: New York Times
GAO - Report to the Ranking Member, Subcommittee on Children and Families, Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, U.S. Senate
July 2009 English Language Learning
Diverse Federal and State Efforts to Support Adult English Language Learning Could Benefit from More Coordination
Refugees Participate in Days of '47 Parade
World Refugee Day
June 20, 2009
More Pictures from World Refugee Day
The Karen sell their handmade items at the Pioneer Craft House located at 3300 South 500 East on Tuesdays beginning at 5:00 p.m. Items for sale include woven scarves, shoulder bags, eye glass holders, tunics, etc.
Traditional Weaving Ties Utah Refugees
To Their Culture
July 26, 2009
Source: Salt Lake Tribune
Refugees Learn the Ropes
Through Mediation Program
July 7, 2009
Source: Salt Lake Tribune
Utah Soldiers Reach Out
to Iraqi Refugees
KSL - July 1, 2009
Deseret News - July 1, 2009
Salt Lake Tribune - July 2, 2009
Refugees and Asylees: 2008
Annual Flow Report
U.S. Department of Justice - Community Relations Service
The Community Relations Service (CRS), a component of the U.S. Department of Justice, is the Federal government's "peacemaker" for community conflicts and tensions arising from differences of race, color, and national origin.
View Archived Press Releases
Get Involved
Want to get involved? Become a Certified Volunteer. The Utah Refugee Services Office has an online volunteer training program. For more information contact our Volunteer Coordinator, Amy Wylie at awylie@utah.gov.
Make a Donation
Make Checks Payable to:
Refugee Services Fund
Attn: Gerald Brown
140 East 300 South
Salt Lake City, Utah 84111
Your Donation is Tax Deductible
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On August 4, 2008, the Department of Workforce Services implemented the “Working 4 Utah” initiative. As a result, our standard business hours are now Monday - Thursday, 7:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
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Questions or comments about this site should be directed to:
Gerald Brown at geraldbrown@utah.gov or
Mary Gehman at marygehman@utah.gov