Who we are:
Interfaith Refugee and Immigration Ministries (IRIM) is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization that provides a full range of services to refugees and immigrants resettling in the Chicago metropolitan area. Every year, IRIM assists more than 3,000 refugees and immigrants from around the world find housing, learn English, acclimate to American culture, develop computer and other employable skills, find jobs, obtain medical and other care, access the public school system for their children, apply for citizenship, and obtain care for elderly family members. IRIM’s programs are made possible through the dedicated efforts of thirty-one staff members – many of whom were refugees themselves – and more than 200 volunteers.
Who we serve:
The majority of IRIM’s services are provided to refugees displaced from their homelands due to war or persecution. Refugees are brought to the U.S. through the U.S. State Department and funneled to agencies such as IRIM for resettlement throughout the U.S. In the past, the U.S. saw major resettlements of refugees from Eastern Europe, Vietnam, the former Yugoslavia, and various African countries. The majority of refugees currently being resettled in the U.S. and by IRIM are:
- Burmese who have fled the violence of the junta of Myanmar
- Bhutanese who have fled ethnic “cleansing”
- Iraqis who assisted the current U.S. military operations and Orthodox Christian Iraqis fleeing religious persecution
