About Us
Who We Are
SEMIRC’s Members are experts and practitioners from the region’s refugee resettlement community who represent 25 organizations across refugee resettlement, social services, government, workforce development, education, faith, legal services, advocacy, and more.
Our History
SEMIRC originally convened in 2016 and, after a four-year hiatus, relaunched in 2021 in preparation for a drastic increase in the number of refugee arrivals across the country from 15,000 to 125,000. Little did we know that we’d soon face two, back-to-back refugee crises with the evacuation of Afghans from Kabul and the war in Ukraine. While these events have strained our local resettlement system, the Collaborative and its members have been able to improve information sharing and the coordination of service and support to meet this growing need.
SEMIRC’s Mission
We believe it is our humanitarian imperative to not only welcome our new neighbors, but support them as they adjust to their new homes. In turn, refugees and other New Americans contribute significantly to our communities in a multitude of ways.
How We Work
SEMIRC’s workgroups design and implement creative, collaborative strategies to address obstacles to integration for New Americans. Our current workgroups focus on advocacy, community engagement, cultural orientation, and housing. Additionally, to be responsive to shifting needs and trends in resettlement and immigration, we create ad hoc groups to address timely concerns and plan special events.
Our Members
- ACCESS
- America’s Community Council (ACC)
- American Red Cross
- Catholic Charities of Southeast Michigan
- Chaldean Community Foundation
- City of Detroit Office of Immigrant Affairs and Economic Inclusion
- D’Artillery
- Global Detroit
- International Institute of Metropolitan Detroit
- Islamic Center of Detroit
- Jewish Community Relations Council/American Jewish Committee
- Jewish Family Services of Washtenaw County
- Michigan Department of Health and Human Services
- Michigan Immigrant Rights Center
- Oakland County
- Oakland County Michigan Works
- Oakland Literacy Council
- Refugee Garden Initiative
- Samaritas
- Sangwa
- SEMCA
- Sterling Heights
- Strangers No Longer
- The Steps Forward
- USCRI Dearborn
