The California Endowment announced they would grant the International Rescue Committee in Los Angeles (IRC) $306,344 to assist with the relocation of Syrian refugees across California.
This money will be used by the IRC to help support the health and mental health needs of Syrian refugees who will be resettling in California. Approximately 10,000 Syrian refugees will be resettled in the U.S. this year, with approximately 25 percent of them to be resettled in California with the San Diego, Sacramento, Los Angeles, Oakland and the Central Valley regions expected to receive the majority of the refugees.
“These are individuals and families that have suffered greatly and it is our duty as Californians to help welcome them and integrate them into our communities,” said Robert K. Ross, MD, president and CEO, The California Endowment. “Not only have they endured the trauma of war and will most certainly need immediate access to health and mental health services, but they have also risked perilous obstacles just to get to a place of safety.”
A majority of the funding will go to among California’s 22 different resettlement agencies assisting refugees to access health, mental and social services. The remainder of the funds will be going towards supporting the communication strategies that facilitate the resettlement effort.
“To be effective, the state’s resettlement agencies will have to coordinate to a greater degree than ever before,” said Martin Zogg, executive director, IRC in Los Angeles. “This first-ever project will ensure Syrian refugees receive a more a comprehensive and coordinated statewide response than any previous group of arriving refugees. But it will also provide a model for interagency collaboration that will benefit all refugees resettled in the state. We’re deeply grateful for The California Endowment’s singular consideration and support for this unique community of immigrants.”
The International Rescue Committee in Los Angeles has resettled refugees in California for more than 40 years and is one of the oldest and largest resettlement agencies in the state. It is one of eight International Rescue Center offices throughout California.
