The Los Angeles Post

DPSS Celebrates L.A. County’s Rich Cultural Diversity During Refugee Awareness Month

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Los Angeles County is home to more than 10 million residents, 140 cultures and 224 languages.  In honor of the many contributions by Refugees in Los Angeles County, the Board of Supervisors has declared June 2020 as “Refugee Awareness Month.”

The California Department of Social Services Refugee Programs Bureau reports that nearly 5,000 refugees from over 30 different countries have resettled in L.A. County within the past five years.

The annual observance of Refugee Awareness Month is also an opportunity for the Department of Public Social Services (DPSS) to highlight its Refugee Employment Program (REP). The REP provides culturally and linguistically sensitive services, such as training and employment referrals for eligible refugees and asylees residing in the U.S. for less than five years. DPSS partners with many community, faith-based and resettlement organizations to assist refugees with beginning new lives in the United States, free from any political, religious or social issues they faced in their country of origin.

The declaration coincides with the United Nations High Commissioner’s declaration of World Refugee Day to be held on June 20, 2020. The Refugee Forum of Los Angeles and its member organizations will host online events which will include; cooking classes, children’s art workshops, a film festival and inspiring video interviews with refugees and asylees from around the world.

For more information, please visit   https://www.un.org/en/events/refugeeday/

DPSS is grateful to its partner refugee serving organizations, including:

  • County Office of Immigrant Affairs
  • County Dept. of Public Health
  • Armenian Relief Society
  • Catholic Charities of Los Angeles
  • Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles
  • Interfaith Refugee and Immigration Service
  • International Institute of Los Angeles
  • International Rescue Committee
  • JVS SoCal
  • Miry’s List
  • World Relief Southern California
  • Refugee Forum of Los Angeles

For more information about DPSS Refugee Employment Program services, please visit   https://bit.ly/DPSS-REP