Since 1994, FIRM has operated as a faith-based non-profit providing wraparound services that include health navigation, community gardens, and community organizing to the more than 10,000 refugees in the Fresno area of the California San Joaquin Valley. As one of the country’s most unique interdenominational refugee agencies, we are now proud to call ourselves a local refugee resettlement agency! We are now a local affiliate of Ethiopian Community Development Council (ECDC). FIRM will welcome our new neighbors by picking them up from the airport and providing housing assistance, cultural orientation, and one-on-one case management to each family for the first 90 days.
ECDC has seven branch offices and 17 affiliates, which operate in 24 refugee resettlement sites across the U.S. “In its endeavor to expand its reach to be able to welcome our new neighbors in these parts of our country, ECDC is pleased to partner with FIRM and rely on its remarkable track record of building communities,” said Tsehaye Teferra, CEO and President of ECDC. ECDC has resettled over 66,000 refugees across the United States thus far.
FIRM is excited to further build “communities of hope with New Americans” with our new Reception and Placement program. Our first family under this program will arrive in March. We anticipate receiving between 20 and 30 families this year, mostly former US-allies from Afghanistan or Iraq and families from Ukraine and Syria with relatives waiting for them in Fresno.
You can help by:
- Donating to FIRM!
- Providing gift cards for food, household items, furniture, and other supplies
- Quality clothing donation
- Bicycles, bus tokens, and car seats
- Housing leads of managers who are willing to rent to newcomers
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