Throughout 2020, communities across Florida came together to ensure they remained welcoming to refugees, survivors of human trafficking and immigrant youth. Last year tested our communities in unprecedented ways. Despite these challenges, together we walked alongside our clients, learned from and supported one another as we navigated these times with resilience and grace. We now look forward with a renewed sense of hope and an understanding of the obstacles ahead.

Ahead of a Senate hearing on appropriations for the State Department and the US Agency for International Development, the IRC submitted testimony to urge Congress to increase funding for programs that provide overseas and emergency refugee assistance, basic education, malnutrition relief, services for vulnerable children, and programs to counter gender-based violence. The IRC also asked Congress to work to improve the effectiveness, transparency, and accountability of humanitarian financing and to allocate 20,000 additional Special Immigrant Visas for U.S.-affiliated Afghans in FY22.

High rates of unemployment and Covid-19 infection among New American community members has contributed heavily to lack of stable access to adequate amounts of nutritious food . Refugees and immigrants have been some of the hardest hit populations in the country, disproportionately experiencing food and nutritional insecurity due to their high rates of employment in “gig economy” and other job sectors like food, hotel, and health which have been heavily impacted by the pandemic. Help new American communities combat hunger with a gift to IRC's food security programs in the U.S.

Atlanta came together on May 3rd to celebrate resilience, recommit to welcome, and raise over $128,000 to uplift newly arrived Refugees, Immigrants, and Migrants (RIM) families in our communities.

In March of 2021, approximately 19,000 unaccompanied children attempted to enter the United States through the border with Mexico. For a small percentage of these children, Florida communities are their new home, where they still face challenges. Many of these children have endured traumatic experiences, and many of them find themselves in a state of limbo as cases clog up a fragile and unprepared immigration system, exacerbating their isolation. 

As another caravan of Central American survivors of violence and abuse makes its way to the United States border, here’s what you need to know about the situation.  

Meet Sylvia, our Housing Support volunteer! She works with our housing team to help secure financial support for clients. As a daughter of immigrants, Sylvia recalls some challenges her parents faced as they built their lives in Clinton, a small town in New Jersey. "My parents came from Germany in the 1950s, and although they weren't refugees, I saw as a child what it was like for them to try to adapt to a new country," she shared. Learn more about Sylvia and her volunteer work.

Meet Sylvia, our Housing Support volunteer! She works with our housing team to help secure financial support for clients. As a daughter of immigrants, Sylvia recalls some challenges her parents faced as they built their lives in Clinton, a small town in New Jersey. "My parents came from Germany in the 1950s, and although they weren't refugees, I saw as a child what it was like for them to try to adapt to a new country," she shared. Learn more about Sylvia and her volunteer work.