Abstract

This research reports the results of a quantitative and qualitative evaluation of the orientation services offered by the International Rescue Committee (IRC), Salt Lake City Refugee Resettlement program. The African and European refugee communities were studied and compared to each other in order to learn whether there are differences in the readjustment processes between groups. The research aimed to investigate the effectiveness of the refugee resettlement program from the refugees’ perspectives. Data were collected from a sample of 40 African and European refugees resettled in Salt Lake City, Utah. The comparison of the two communities showed that the program core services overall effectively resettle the African and European refugees in the Salt Lake City area; however, the readjustment patterns are different for both groups. The results imply that the IRC Salt Lake City Refugee resettlement program contributes to the refugee resettlement, because many of them utilize and comprehend the core services during the orientation process. Yet, according to the refugees’ opinions and knowledge they gained, the effectiveness of the core services varies. For further expansion and improvement of the refugee resettlement program, it is recommended that the program continues to examine the services to identify its strengths and weaknesses.

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