International Rescue Committee

Resettlement: When refugees arrive in Charlottesville, the IRC helps them adjust to life in the U.S. IRC case managers ensure that all refugees receive comprehensive services and case management. The IRC provides safe and affordable housing, matches refugees with volunteer mentors, facilitates school enrollment for children, and makes referrals for medical care and other necessary services.

Employment Services: Jobs are critical to the success of newly arrived refugees. All refugees come to the U.S. legally and are given immediate authorization to work. The IRC provides ongoing job readiness training and works closely with local employers and business associations to match refugees with available jobs.  Within six months of arrival, the great majority of refugees are economically self-sufficient.

Education and Integration: Integration into the local community is an essential part of refugee resettlement. Refugees come to the IRC classroom daily to learn English and participate in workshops on topics such as financial literacy, life skills and cultural orientation.

Family Support: Licensed professionals on staff at the IRC provide parenting education, school liaison support and crisis intervention services to aid refugees’ adjustment to their new home.

Interpretation: Trained IRC interpreters speak 20 languages. The IRC’s interpreters work with over 70 community groups,  enabling local agencies and health service providers to work effectively with refugees and other immigrants.

Immigration: The IRC is accredited by the U.S. Board of Immigration Appeals.  Experts in immigration help refugees and immigrants with family reunification, permanent residency, and U.S. citizenship. 

The International Rescue Committee responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people to survive and rebuild their lives. Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, the IRC offers lifesaving care and life-changing assistance to refugees forced to flee from war or disaster.  The IRC enables refugees who are admitted to the United States to establish new lives and become self-sufficient, productive citizens who add to the vitality and promise of the nation. 

Since opening its doors in June 1998, the International Rescue Committee in Charlottesville has helped more than 2,600 refugees achieve economic self-sufficiency, a sense of security, and social integration into the larger community.  Among those currently being resettled in Charlottesville are refugees from places such as Bhutan, Burma, Iraq, Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Palestine, and Colombia.