Utah is Failing Refugee Community

None by KCPW

(KCPW News) The more than 15-thousand international refugees now living in Utah are better off than they were in their war-torn, poverty stricken homelands - but they are rarely as well off as they hoped to be. BYU professor Macleans Geo-JaJa came to that conclusion after interviewing hundreds of refugees for a newly-published study:

"The services that are being delivered fall short of what should be delivered," says Geo-JaJa. "The cultural sensitivity of the programs and the receptivity of the refugees by our community are lacking."

Geo-JaJa says the handful of agencies who serve Utah's refugee population end up leaving them stranded shortly after arrival - largely from lack of funding. The study found most refugees in Utah work minimum wage jobs and struggle to repay the State Department for their refugee flights as required by law. Furthermore, Geo-JaJa found most of the English language courses offered for refugees are during the day - when they need to work for their survival:

"So here you have a trade-off between learning the language so you can integrate better, or finding a job so you can maintain yourself and your family life," says Geo-JaJa.

The study is called "Struggling at the Golden Door: International Refugees in Utah." Hear a longer interview with Geo-JaJa and his co-author Garth Mangum of the University of Utah tomorrow at 10 a.m. on KCPW's Midday Metro.

Email to a friendPosted in KCPW Newsroom. Copyright 2009 KCPW