#SignalBoostSunday: Local Organizations That Help Refugees

***This blog post is part of a weekly series titled #SignalBoostSunday.  This series will highlight organizations and social causes that are of importance and provide assistance to the Greater Atlanta area. ***

                  This week on #SignalBoostSunday, we’re taking a look at two local organizations that work to provide assistance to refugees: the International Rescue Committee and World Relief Atlanta.

                   The following organizations provide vital services (such as employment assistance, immigration services, healthcare etc.) to refugees arriving in Atlanta to help them start a new life.

1.)  International Rescue Committee 

                    The International Rescue Committee (IRC) of Atlanta helps refugees as they arrive in Atlanta after fleeing violence in their homelands.

                      The services of the IRC allows refugees to resettle their lives in a new country as they receive access to healthcare, food, education and immigration services. In addition to making sure their basic needs are met, the IRC also provides the refugee community with after-school programming (Youth Futures Afterschool Program) and summer camp and internship programs to ensure that refugee children and teens develop the skills they need to thrive.

2.)  World Relief Atlanta

                      Founded in 1979, World Relief Atlanta works with local churches and volunteers to provide three types of services to refugees: refugee resettlement, employment services and immigration legal services.

                       Refugee resettlement includes providing furniture for their new homes and helping them access healthcare services and refugee benefits.

                       World Relief Atlanta’s employment services helps refugees by matching refugees with local employers and employment counseling to provide assistance before (job search and interviewing) and during employment.

                        World Relief Atlanta also offers a long list of immigration legal services to the refugees in its care. Such services include: citizenship and naturalization, family reunification, green card applications, and employment authorizations.