Refugee Resettlement handles the task of creating a new home for a family that often arrive with only the clothes on their back and the items that they can carry in a suitcase. This is accomplished by assisting refugees with a variety of needs such as arranging for housing, furnishings, and food; enrolling adults in English classes and children in school; ensuring that necessary medical care is received; finding employment and providing help in understanding U.S. workplace culture.

We work to assist refugees in developing their own self-help associations and in the fulfillment of personal development goals. This includes:

• Offering English (ESL) classes, sewing and cooking classes, and a variety of social and cultural projects such as art exhibits, music and dance performances.
• Providing services including personal finance education and counseling, first time homebuyer education, interpretation and translation, and referrals and help utilizing other community services.

In addition to helping refugees and immigrants learn about community, Refugee Resettlement works to encourage the community to come together with new families and welcome them. We provide opportunities for faith and civic groups to assist families and we provide public education about refugees and immigration.

In addition to providing assistance to persons with refugee status who are resettling in Central New York, we also provide the following services to other immigrants:

• Citizenship classes
• Train refugees who volunteer to assist others within their own language group.
• Assistance to Vietnamese and Burmese groups with a variety of services through our Southeast Asian Program.
• Support for Cuban and Haitian entrants.