Supplementing Refugee Resettlement In Iowa

Project Description

CHALLENGE

In Iowa, the IRC responds to the immediate needs of newly arriving refugees in multiple Iowa communities, supporting their first 90-days in the country with wrap-around case management services aimed to promote safe and comfortable community integration and self-sufficiency. The IRC office in Des Moines is in its second year of operations, having resettled 291 refugees in its first year, with projections to serve 425 refugees in FY24. We have already resettled 268 individuals, approximately 51 families, and anticipate receiving 157 more individuals by the end of September 2024. In October 2023, the IRC opened a second office in Iowa City and will resettle 100 refugees in FY24, bringing IRC’s FY24 projected total to 525 refugee arrivals into the state. After crossing a border, refugees face displacement, at times for more than 17 years, often living in camps with limited access to resources and infrastructural support. Upon arrival in the U.S., they confront poverty, housing insecurity, discrimination, culture shock, and significant and chronic mental and physical health issues. Language barriers, a lack of transportation, and financial constraints pose additional challenges to integration and self-sufficiency.

PROGRAMMATIC RESPONSE

The Reception and Placement (R&P) programs aids in overcoming these barriers by securing housing and public benefits, providing extensive cultural orientation, facilitating school enrollment and access to community resources as well as supporting employment goals that achieve financial independence. R&P Case managers also work to support the physical and mental well-being of new arrivals by facilitating healthcare and insurance access, coordinating health screenings, vaccinations, and mental health support as well as specialized services for clients with unique needs, like prenatal health. Exceptionally vulnerable clients receive additional intensive case management supports, which include extended client advocacy, parenting education, continued cultural orientation, self-sufficiency skill development, and additional resource referrals. In response to the escalating costs associated with our programming, the increases to costs of living universally, and the evident limitations of federal funding; we rely significantly on the generous support and philanthropic efforts of individuals and organizations in our community. To date in FY24 268 clients have arrived: 47% have been children under the age of 18. The average family size of those being served by the IRC is 5.2 people.

FUNDING NEED

Any support provided would be instrumental in closing funding gaps and will contribute directly to sustaining and enhancing the impact of our work. The funds will be allocated towards critical operational and program expenses, all in efforts to position newly arrived refugees to thrive and secure their futures more quickly and sustainably in Iowa.