Resettlement challenges
After fleeing their homes and enduring years in refugee camps, some families do not have the option of returning to their countries of origin due to continued violence and persecution. About 1% of refugees are granted resettlement to a new country like the US. Many take a chance with resettlement seeking a better life for themselves and their children.
To leave all that one has ever known and begin again in a foreign place is no easy task. It requires a period of adjustment and support. Not only must families confront the loss of their community, they must also quickly learn a new language, culture, and way of life. With the language barrier alone, families come across a myriad of difficulties in gaining employment and accessing systems including healthcare, social services, and education. Without the right support, many experience significant hardships that come with unemployment and poverty.
City Hope exists to provide a helping hand for families in resettlement with an understanding that adjustment takes time, as well as knowledge of both the challenges and strengths unique to the community.
Who is a Refugee?
Millions of people around the world are uprooted from their homes and forced to flee due to war and persecution. Refugees are people who have crossed an international border to seek safety in another country. They leave behind everything that they had- homes, possessions, communities - in order to preserve their lives. Nearly half of the world’s 25.4 million refugees are children and youth.
Refugees are defined and protected in international law. The UN defines a refugee as one “who is unable or unwilling to return to their country of origin owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion.”
Many refugee individuals and families stay an average of 17 years in camps with no legal status in the countries of asylum. However, a number of refugees are able to integrate to their host countries and rebuild their lives there. Resettlement is the last resort granted to those who are deemed most vulnerable. Less than one percent of the world’s refugees are resettled to third countries like the U.S.
