Refugee Services | Catholic Charities

Catholic Charities Refugee Services

Catholic Charities Community Services has been welcoming and resettling refugees in Arizona from all parts of the world since 1975. As a national leader in refugee resettlement, our team of staff and volunteers work together to provide a welcoming and supportive network to help refugees who are new to our country quickly gain independence and become productive members of their new community.

Media Contact

If you are a member of the media, please contact Jean Christofferson, jchristofferson@cc-az.org or
602-650-4847 with any questions. We will continue to update this page with the latest information.

Who are Refugees?

Refugees flee their country of origin to save their lives. They run from war and persecution, often having to leave behind family and friends. They are granted refugee status due to a well-founded case of persecution based on race, religion, nationality, membership in a social group or political opinion. 

Only 1% of refugees are ever resettled in a new country and 70% of refugees will live in a refugee camp for 10 years before being resettled in a new country like the United States.

Refugee Services

Refugee Resettlement in Arizona

Catholic Charities is one of eight refugee resettlement agencies in Arizona. Once the Catholic Charities team learns that a refugee individual or family is scheduled to arrive, our team will find and set up an apartment, complete with basic furniture, kitchen items and food staples, hygiene products and basic bedding. A Refugee Resettlement case manager will pick up the client at the airport and take them to their apartment. Our team provides immediate support as refugees become familiar with their new environment. This support includes but is not limited to the following:

  • enrolling children in school
  • English language courses
  • introduction to medical care
  • job readiness and resume building
  • introduction to public transportation

The goal is to achieve self-sufficiency as soon as possible.

Refugee Program | Catholic Charities

Where are refugees from?

Some of our refugees come to us from Iraq and Afghanistan, where helping our military efforts have put their lives in danger. Others come from countries like Sudan and Burma, where ethnic discrimination has deprived them of their homes and livelihoods. Still others escape from war-torn countries, like the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and human trafficking situations.

How to Help Refugees

There are many ways you can help Catholic Charities refugee clients. We have urgent needs for volunteers, storage, supplies, community placements and unaccompanied refugee minor foster families. Additionally, there is a great need for employers to hire refugees.

Volunteers

Families, parishes and community groups can volunteer in many ways. There are short term opportunities like hosting a donation drive for home essentials like sheets, towels, hygiene supplies, etc. We also have longer term opportunities to make a lasting impact. These include:

  • Teaching English as a Second Language or tutoring
  • Cultural Orientation
  • Apartment set up
  • Mentor for youth
  • Transportation
  • Sorting donations
  • Office or professional assistance/skills
  • Foster Care and Community Placements

Storage and Apartment Set Up

Creating a safe place for a family to start a new life takes a lot of work and household items. We need storage units to store and organize furniture and household items for incoming families.

We can use specific gently used furniture but do not have the means to pick up or store  furniture. We have continuous needs for household items like cook wear, ethnic hygiene items, diapers, sheets, and more.

Our Amazon Charity List has a current list of our most important needs.

All volunteers who come in contact with clients must undergo extensive screening and background checks. This important step helps protect our vulnerable clients.

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Other Forms of Refugee Assistance

Unaccompanied Refugee Minors

Unaccompanied Refugee Minors are refugee children without a parent or guardian, who are eligible for resettlement in the U.S. Children are placed in foster care, enrolled in school and receive medical and dental care and have access to counseling services. Learn more about Unaccompanied Minor Foster Care.

Our team provides support to the child, the foster family or community placement and on-going case management to help prepare the client for independent living. Many clients will transition to an independent living apartment or community placement on their way to self-sufficiency.

Community Placement

Former foster youth who are participating in the Semi-Independent Living Program are in need of community placements. Community Placements allow clients who are 18 years old or older to be placed in a home without a foster care license. This option is seen as more of a mentoring role and allows the client to learn about living independently with the benefit of a safety net and mentor. The client would rent a room from the family with a portion of the small stipend they receive.

Our team provides support to the child, the foster family or community placement and on-going case management to help prepare the client for independent living. Many clients will transition to an independent living apartment or community placement on their way to self-sufficiency.

Employing Refugees

Finding work is the quickest way for refugees to integrate into their new community and to become independent as they build a new life for themselves and their families. Refugees are eligible for employment upon entering the U.S.

Learn more about hiring refugees and how Catholic Charities can help support your efforts.

  • Unaccompanied Refugee Minors are refugee children without a parent or guardian, who are eligible for resettlement in the U.S. Children are placed in foster care, enrolled in school and receive medical and dental care and have access to counseling services. Learn more about Unaccompanied Minor Foster Care.

    Our team provides support to the child, the foster family or community placement and on-going case management to help prepare the client for independent living. Many clients will transition to an independent living apartment or community placement on their way to self-sufficiency.

  • Former foster youth who are participating in the Semi-Independent Living Program are in need of community placements. Community Placements allow clients who are 18 years old or older to be placed in a home without a foster care license. This option is seen as more of a mentoring role and allows the client to learn about living independently with the benefit of a safety net and mentor. The client would rent a room from the family with a portion of the small stipend they receive.

    Our team provides support to the child, the foster family or community placement and on-going case management to help prepare the client for independent living. Many clients will transition to an independent living apartment or community placement on their way to self-sufficiency.

  • Finding work is the quickest way for refugees to integrate into their new community and to become independent as they build a new life for themselves and their families. Refugees are eligible for employment upon entering the U.S.

    Learn more about hiring refugees and how Catholic Charities can help support your efforts.