Program Statistics

• 550 refugees and Cuban entrants were settled in 2010.
• RRISA staff comes from over 15 countries of origin speaking 25 languages.
• In 2010, the largest groups of refugees arrived from Burma, Bhutan, Eritrea and Iraq. Over twenty countries in total were represented.
• Since February 2010, RRISA has assisted 69 Haitian medical evacuees brought to Atlanta for treatment after the devastating January earthquake.

How to Get Involved

1. Donate to support RRISA's programs and services.
2. Donate household items – see the complete RRISA Wish List.
3. Help set up an apartment.
4. For more ways to get involved with the Resettlement Program, contact Jessy Brutus-Carre, Resettlement Manager, at 404.622.2235 ext. 223 or Jessy@rrisa.org
5. To co-sponsor a refugee family, contact Tom Van Laningham, sponsorship Developer, at 404.622.2235 ext 239 or Tom@rrisa.org

Refugee Resettlement
& Immigration Services of Atlanta

Resettlement: RRISA welcomes new arrivals
and ensures a smooth transition into the U.S.

Imagine having to leave your home and all of your belongings. Imagine getting to a new homeland after waiting many years in a refugee camp. How would you feel? Many refugees come to Atlanta feeling unsafe and unsure of what their future holds. RRISA is there to welcome them at the airport, bring them to a furnished apartment and help them with the services they need to adjust to their new life in a country far away from the war and persecution they have fled.

This program provides resettlement services to refugees, Cuban/Haitian Entrants asylees and victims of human trafficking. These people have been forced to flee their country because of a well-founded fear of persecution due to reasons of race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership in a particular social group. A refugee either cannot return home or is afraid to do so.

The resettlement program welcomes new arrivals and ensures a smooth transition into the United States. The process begins with notification of a family’s upcoming arrival. From there, the RRISA staff begins the documentation process to facilitate a safe journey to the United States. On the day of arrival, refugees are welcomed at the airport and brought to their new, furnished apartment where a warm meal awaits them.

Staff follows through to provide essential, immediate assistance to the families upon their arrival which continues over the subsequent six months. Services include:

• Case assurance
• Sponsorship arrangement
• Setting up of apartment
• Welcoming family at airport
• Cultural orientation
• School registration
• ESL registration
• Social Security application
• Georgia State I.D. application
• Minimal financial support designed by U.S. government standards
• Employment counseling and job placement
• Health care referrals and treatment if necessary.

Ongoing benefits for the newly arrived refugees include: case management access to health/social services transitional cash assistance.