IRIS-Integrated Refugee & Immigrant Services

Integrated Refugee & Immigrant Services (IRIS) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to help refugees and other displaced people establish new lives, strengthen hope, dare to dream, and contribute to the vitality of communities in Connecticut and across the country. We also provide support to Americans who are sponsoring refugees for resettlement.

In welcoming peoples fleeing persecution and conflict, we are honoring our national heritage as a country of immigrants as well as our commitments under U.S. and international law. IRIS helps newcomers with services and support critical to their transition to self-sufficiency and to making local communities across the U.S. their home.

HOUSING

IRIS provides basic needs on arrival including housing, furniture, groceries and household goods.

EMPLOYMENT

Through career counseling, job skills training, and outreach to employers, IRIS helps clients prepare for, start, and succeed in jobs.

health

IRIS schedules and accompanies clients to medical appointments and helps clients learn to navigate the system independently.

legal

Our legal team reunites families from overseas, helps refugees obtain U.S. citizenship and offers representation to people seeking asylum.

education

IRIS enrolls children in school and provides them with tutoring as well as daily English classes for adults. In addition, robust summer learning and higher education programs help our families reach their fullest potential.

CASE MANAGEMENT

Case managers help families reach self-sufficiency, as well as provide intensive case management and counseling support to refugees with the greatest needs.

we're hiring!

#Nation of Welcome

IRIS is launching our #NationOfWelcome campaign. Join us! Your story can be impactful in reshaping the narrative around refugees & immigrants. Share your immigrant story, your family’s migration experience, or your connection to IRIS and working with our multicultural community. Our team will reach out with more info on how to participate by sharing your photos, videos, or written testimony with us.

(Photos, videos & essays will be shared on IRIS’ social media, newsletters, website, and any other communication outlets)

Upcoming EVENT:

nuns on a bus - immigration roundtable

with Mirka Dominguez-Salinas, Manager of IRIS’ Services for Undocumented Neighbors (SUN) Program and Maggie Mitchell Salem, Executive Director

October 3rd at 2:30 PM
Fair Haven Community Health Care
374 Grand Ave New Haven, CT 06513

We invite you to join us for a roundtable discussion with the “Nuns on a Bus”, as well as Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro, local legislation and community partners. The roundtable discussion will focus on immigration and how FHCHC is supporting immigrants coming to Connecticut and more specifically, New Haven. “Nuns on the Bus” is a social justice campaign initiated by a group of Catholic nuns in the United States. Launched by the Catholic social justice organization NETWORK, the campaign involves nuns traveling across the country on a bus to advocate for issues such as economic justice, healthcare access, immigration reform, and the need for a more compassionate society. FHCHC is one of two stops in CT. REGISTER HERE