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 Resettlement: Services include provision
of housing, food, and other material needs. In addition,
IRIS assists refugees in obtaining social security cards and
medical examinations, enrolls children in school, provides
community and cultural orientation and guides refugees in
negotiating the many institutions with which they will come
into contact.
Job Assistance: Refugees are authorized
to work immediately upon arrival. Since the IRIS program is
designed to foster early self-sufficiency, employment is
a milestone in the resettlement process. IRIS works hard to
promote our refugees to area employers and works equally
hard to prepare clients for entry-level employment. Last
year, the average wage earned by our clients was $8.41 an
hour — well above Connecticut's minimum
wage of $7.10. More than half of jobs obtained for refugees
offered medical benefits.
Case Management and Support Services: IRIS
provides referral, translation, transportation, crisis intervention,
and counseling services. These services are available to
refugees resettled by IRIS, refugees who have moved to Connecticut
from other states, and asylees resident in the state.
Education: Many school-aged refugee children
have never entered a classroom before coming to the US. As
a result, these newcomers encounter a host of obstacles to
achieving academic success. IRIS works to remove barriers
by providing children with intensive in-school and after-school
tutoring assistance, as well as a summer school program.
IRIS also holds classes for parents to equip them to become
active participants in their children’s education.
Church Sponsorship Development: As a church-based
resettlement agency, IRIS looks to faith communities to partner
with us in our ministry. IRIS trains faith communities in
the requirements of sponsorship and guides them as they move
through the process. Churches that are unable to undertake
a full sponsorship are encouraged to assist where they can.
Some churches, for example, choose to furnish an apartment
and welcome the new family on arrival. Others have contributed
money towards refugees’ support.
Volunteer Recruitment and Training: IRIS
recruits volunteers from area universities and the community
at large to help new arrivals. Volunteers assist refugees
by providing transportation to appointments, serving as translators
and English language tutors, and most importantly, by providing
companionship to new arrivals. Volunteers are an integral
part of our program.
 Immigration Counseling: IRIS’s immigration
specialist is available to help refugees and immigrants complete
greencard and citizenship applications, as well as travel
documents and family-based petitions. A modest fee is charged
for each completed application.
New Service!
Affidavits of Relationship: IRIS will help refugees and asylees file
AORs, which is an application to bring family members to the United States
if they are living outside their home country and are unable to return to their
home country because they fear persecution there. Learn
more >
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