When an Afghan Special Immigrant Visa holder arrived in Utah in July 2024 with his wife and six children, all under eighteen, their path to stability seemed uncertain. After completing the Voluntary Refugee and Placement (VR&P) program, the family enrolled in AAU's case management program, where they faced a critical challenge: the father's part-time position at Amazon wasn't enough to sustain their household of eight, and rental assistance had reached its limit.
The family's initial barrier was lack of childcare, the mother believed she couldn't work because someone needed to care for the children. Through persistent support from their AAU case manager and collaboration with an employment counselor at the Department of Workforce Services, the family began to see new possibilities.
Today, this family embodies resilience and determination. The father works two jobs, at a thrift store during the day and driving for Lyft in the evenings. The mother found creative employment at a daycare that allows her to bring her two youngest children with her, eliminating childcare costs while contributing to the family income. All school-age children are enrolled and thriving academically with support from our Youth Mentoring team. The older children have become fluent in English and they now interpret for their parents. The family can now pay their bills independently and is on the waitlist for a low-income housing program.
When asked if the children would need an interpreter for extracurricular activities like our ski program, the father confidently responded that it wouldn't be necessary. His older children now speak English fluently, demonstrating the family's remarkable adaptation to life in Utah.
This is one of hundreds of client stories from AAU's Refugee Services team, and our work to deliver trauma-informed case management tailored to each refugee family's cultural and linguistic needs. This past year, Utah welcomed over 700 refugees who received direct assistance from resettlement organizations. AAU partnering with the Utah Refugee Service Office, directly assisted 69 cases encompassing 175 individuals.
Community members interested in supporting our mission can make tax-deductible donations through aau-slc.org/donate. Every contribution helps sustain comprehensive, trauma-informed, culturally responsive services that create pathways from crisis to thriving for Utah's most vulnerable community members.
To maximize your impact, an anonymous donor will match every gift up to $10,000 from now through Giving Tuesday, December 2nd—doubling your impact to support refugees, refugee youth, and human trafficking survivors. Donate today to double your impact!
