Iryna Sobianina arrived in Orange County nine months ago with two bags of personal belongings, her 12-year-old daughter and the anxieties that come with having to build a new life in a foreign country.
When she arrived from her home in Ukraine after the whirlwind of leaving following the Russian invasion, she faced the new challenge of navigating the United States and supporting herself and her daughter. Among other things, Sobianina was worried about how her broken English would affect her ability to find a job.
“We just need a little bit of support and somebody who can show us… where to go,” Sobianina said.
That’s exactly what the Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs (OIRA) in Orange County will be designed to do.
Proposed by District 4 Supervisor Doug Chaffee and District 1 Supervisor Andrew Do, the Orange County Board of Supervisors agreed this week to establish the new office, which will connect immigrants and refugees with housing, legal support and other necessary resettlement resources.
The office will be located at the county’s Community Service Center in Westminster.
“When refugees arrive, their most basic needs are missing,” Chaffee said during a press conference Wednesday announcing the new program. “They need food, housing, transportation, education, medical services and jobs. With more than 930,000 of our Orange County residents being foreign-born, our immigrant population is strong, growing and instrumental to our county’s success.”
He said this new office will ensure immigrants and refugees have access to basic services and resources and it will be streamlined under one roof. Collaboration between the county and community organizers will be pivotal, he said.
“We plan on hiring a director for the office with the input of numerous community-based organizations already working with our immigrant and refugee community,” Chaffee said. “We have a draft of a proposed mission statement and vision. We want them,…
Read the full article here
