Refugees and Navigating COVID-19
The Refugee Services Office is closely monitoring the COVID-19 pandemic, under the direction of the Governor’s Office. Below you will find information and resources, including translated materials, to assist refugees. Please check back regularly as this information will be continually updated.
Utah Refugee Center
- The Utah Refugee Center is open to serve and assist customers, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 4 p.m.
150 North 1950 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116
For assistance call 801-618-5096. - Find Center updates and resources at facebook.com/UTRefugeeServices
Health and Wellness
Find the latest information about COVID-19 and Utah at coronavirus.utah.gov.
- The Utah Health Department has resources to help you understand and prevent COVID-19. Most are translated into several languages.
- Learn how to stop the spread of germs from the CDC. More information, including translated materials, is at cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/communication/factsheets.html.
- For myths and facts about COVID-19, visit the World Health Organization.
- Visit the Utah COVID-19 Community Task Force YouTube page.
- Find COVID-19 informational resources from the Cultural Orientation Resource Exchange (CORE)
SNAP Benefits
- You may be eligible for SNAP if your employment was disrupted due to COVID-19
- Submit an application online to determine eligibility at jobs.utah.gov/index.html.
- A COVID-19 and SNAP Benefits FAQ is at jobs.utah.gov/covid19/snapfaq.pdf.
- Be Cautious of fraud related to benefits. Translated information is available in Arabic, Burmese, English, Farsi, French, Karen, Kinyarwanda, Nepali, Refugee, Somali, Spanish and Swahili.
Housing
- TANF Family Housing
- Available for households with dependent children under age 18
- Adults must be able and willing to work
- Contact Azhar Yousif at 615-200-2239 or AzharY@aau-slc.org to determine eligibility.
- SL Housing
- Available for any individual facing a temporary crisis and living in Salt Lake City proper
- Contact Azhar Yousif at 615-200-2239 or AzharY@aau-slc.org to determine eligibility.
- Utah Community Action
- Utah Community Action provides deposit and emergency rental assistance, landlord-tenant mediation and case management.
- Call 1-800-359-2444 for assistance
- More information is at utahca.org/housing-case-management/
Food and Basic Needs
- Visit the nearest school for free meals for all children, ages 0 to 18.
- Utah Community Action Head Start Programs
- Free curbside pick-up meals for all children, ages 18 and younger, at 10 Head Start locations in Salt Lake and Tooele Counties.
- For more information, visit utahca.org/head-start/.
- Utah Food Bank
- Find your local food pantry by looking up your address on this site: utahfoodbank.org/covidresponse/.
- Utahns Against Hunger
- Information about emergency food resources is available at uah.org/covid19.
Call or text 211 for assistance locating essential services to meet basic needs. More information is at uw.org/211/covid19-resources/?.
Childcare
More information about childcare can be found at careaboutchildcare.utah.gov/.
- Check with your provider; there are recent income limit changes to help parents with child care assistance.
- To determine eligibility, submit an application for childcare assistance at jobs.utah.gov/customereducation/services/childcare/index.html.
COVID-19 & Childcare, an FAQ for Parents, is at jobs.utah.gov/covid19/ccfaqparents.pdf.
Translated Resources
The state of Utah has undergone an enormous translation project to make COVID-19 resources and information available in many languages.
- Find translated resources about COVID-19 symptoms and prevention at coronavirus.utah.gov/multilingual-resources.
- Languages include:
Resettlement Agency Resources
The Office of Refugee Resettlement has helpful COVID-19 information, including multilingual resources.
The Salt Lake City International Rescue Committee has COVID-19 materials. Translated materials are available in Amharic, Arabic, Burmese, Dari/Farsi, English, French, Kinyarwanda, Nepali, Oromo, Russian, Swahili, Tigrinya.