New Americans in Salt Lake County - A Qualitative Study of Service Providers to Immigrants and Refugees A Demographic Profile of Utah's Gateway ...
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New Americans
in Salt Lake County
A Qualitative Study of Service
Providers to Immigrants and Refugees
A Demographic Profile of
Utah's Gateway Region
March 2020Overview
Salt Lake County is home to over half of Utah’s new Americans. This population is ever-changing; the
number of arrivals, major country or region of origin, and reason for moving to Utah can fluctuate in any
given year. There is no monolithic population of new Americans in Salt Lake County – Salt Lake City’s
foreign-born population has different characteristics and needs than that of West Valley, South Salt Lake,
or Herriman. The diversity in these communities continues to grow, change, and impact the entire county
as people place roots and grow their families.
Those organizations serving Salt Lake County new Americans are continuously striving to adapt to
these dynamics. However, they are also seriously constrained by funding restrictions and requirements.
Because the new American population tends to earn lower than average incomes, challenges that
affect the wider population often impact new Americans more acutely. One example is the current
affordable housing shortage, which then worsens transportation accessibility as the population moves
farther from services and employment. Growing anti-immigration sentiment is compounding the
challenges that hamper the success of service providers as immigrants do not seek services due to
fear.
The Salt Lake County Office for New Americans and The Community Foundation of Utah contracted
with the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute to better understand the needs and demographic profile of
Salt Lake County’s immigrant and refugee populations and the organizations that serve them.
Through demographic and qualitative research approaches, the Gardner Institute learned that an
ever-shifting new American population necessitates fluidity from providers and the county in meeting
their needs.
• Utilizing available American Community Survey data, the demographic report details the
changing patterns and varying social and economic characteristics of Salt Lake County’s foreign-
born population.
• In-depth interviews of service providers to immigrants and refugees detail how they are
meeting clients’ needs in Salt Lake County, and any noted areas of improvement. The qualitative
report includes verbatim comments from service providers to illustrate common findings.
By pursuing this research, Salt Lake County is taking a proactive step toward understanding the
current and future needs of its new American residents.
Contents
A Qualitative Study of Service Providers to Immigrants and Refugees. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
A Demographic Profile of Utah's Gateway Region . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17New Americans
in Salt Lake County
A Qualitative Study of Service
Providers to Immigrants and Refugees
Marin Christensen, M.S., Research Associate
Dianne Meppen, Director of Survey Research
Samantha Ball, Ph.D., Research Associate
March 2020New American Services in Salt Lake County
A Qualitative Study of Service Providers to Immigrants and Refugees
Analysis in Brief
Utah, and particularly the populous Salt Lake County, is Key Findings
known as a welcoming place for new arrivals to the United · Services still needed - Service providers believe Utah does
States. Thousands of new Americans arrive in Utah each year, a good job welcoming new Americans, but services are still
with most settling in Salt Lake County. New Americans often needed to help new Americans best thrive in their new home.
come to the United States needing to adjust to a new language, Those needs include affordable housing, transportation
culture, and economy. Therefore, it is not uncommon for a new accessibility, employment and training opportunities,
American to be lower-income and face similar challenges of education and language learning assistance, health care
other low-income residents like unaffordable housing, lack access, including mental health, improved translation and
of economic opportunities, and inaccessible transportation interpretation services, food security, after-school programs,
options. These challenges are exacerbated for new Americans and civic and service engagement.
who also face language barriers, unfamiliar communities, and
· Barriers - Language barriers, difficulty navigating complex
foreign cultural expectations.
systems to access services, lack of information, and fear,
This study assesses the success of meeting the needs of
particularly for immigrants due to an increased focus on
these new Americans. It includes results from interviews
immigration, are barriers that prevent new Americans from
with 43 service providers to understand how needs are met,
initially seeking service.
what barriers remain, and what additional support could help
providers more effectively serve this population. · Support for providers - Better coordination with other
These service providers are confident in their ability to meet service providers was often mentioned as a way to improve
the needs of their clients, yet know there are likely more residents the referral process and broaden resource options for new
in need who are unaware of their services. Providers also suggest Americans, along with cultural competency training for staff,
additional services they could offer with the necessary resources. translation assistance, and additional resources.
Gaps in services for this population are identified as well as · Three ideas for Salt Lake County - Providers suggested
barriers in accessing any service. Organizing coordination among that Salt Lake County can help by being a convener of
service providers and the need for a comprehensive, maintained coordination among providers, house a one-stop-shop
online resource were offered as ways the county could better resource, and conduct cultural competency training.
serve new Americans.
How well are the needs of new Americans being met in Salt Lake County?
3.2
1 (Not at all) 2 3 4 (Very well) 5
How well is your organization meeting the needs of those you serve?
4.0
1 (Not at all) 2 3 4 (Very well) 5
Note: These ratings are an average of the answers provided by 43 service providers.
I N F O R M E D D E C I S I O N S TM 1 gardner.utah.edu I March 2020Table of Contents
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Barriers for New Americans Seeking Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Methodology. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Fear. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Limitations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Lack of access to information. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Service Landscape for New Americans in Language . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Salt Lake County . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 It’s overwhelming. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Opportunities to Better Serve New Needs of New American Service Providers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Americans in Salt Lake County . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Outreach Constraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Affordable housing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Lack of Coordination. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Transportation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Specific Support Providers Need to be Most Impactful . . . . 11
Employment and training opportunities. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Resources. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Education. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Coordination. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Health care access. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Cultural Competency. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Translation/interpretation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Translation Assistance for Materials. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Food security. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Suggested Action Steps for Salt Lake County . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
After school programs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Ideas for Future Research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Civic and service engagement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Appendix A: Questionnaire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Different needs of immigrants and refugees. . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Appendix B: List of Participants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Other . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
The Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute thanks Casey Mullen, graduate assistant, for her assistance with this report.
March 2020 I gardner.utah.edu 2 I N F O R M E D D E C I S I O N S TMIntroduction
“Utah has a better focus and opinion of new Americans than other places. In general, Utah is open-hearted.”
Utah, and particularly the populous Salt Lake County, is Methodology
known as a welcoming place to new arrivals to the United The Gardner Institute conducted 43 in-depth interviews with
States with many service providers invested in meeting their service providers to new Americans from non-profit, education,
needs. The Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute contracted with the government, and religious sectors. These interviews took place
Salt Lake County Office for New Americans and the Community between September 24 through November 26, 2019. Interviews
Foundation of Utah to conduct qualitative research with service were conducted over the phone and in person depending on
providers of immigrants and refugees (referred to as “new participant preference. The client provided a list of 80 service
Americans”) in Salt Lake County. The objectives of this research providers to include in the study, with a goal of 60 interviews.
are to understand how the needs of new Americans are being Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson sent an introductory
met, discover barriers to seeking services, and to identify where email to the targeted participants describing the importance
additional support could help service providers more effectively and purpose of the research. While best efforts were made, not
serve this population. all possible service providers participated. Participation from all
The Gardner Policy Institute conducted 43 in-depth interviews sectors was achieved, but not equally.
with service providers of new Americans. Interviews were ana- The questionnaire was jointly developed by Gardner Institute
lyzed to uncover themes and helpful, relevant verbatim com- researchers, the Office for New Americans, and the Community
ments are provided to illustrate the findings. Foundation of Utah, as well as feedback from national experts and
Organization for this report follows two questions which state partners like Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and
asked providers to rate both how the needs of new Americans Refugees, the New York City Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs,
are being served in Salt Lake County generally, and how well and the city of Houston’s Office for New Americans and Immigrant
they feel their organization is meeting the needs of those they Communities. The questionnaire can be found in Appendix B.
serve specifically. This report documents opportunities for All interviews were analyzed to find common themes.
the county and service providers to improve services to new
Americans in Utah. Limitations
By design, qualitative research findings are not generalizable
to all those that serve the new American population. Instead,
it allows for nuance, depth, and personalized context. These
findings should be treated as directional in nature.
Study findings suggested additional sector perspectives
would further strengthen the report, but multiple attempts to
interview additional sector representatives were not fruitful.
I N F O R M E D D E C I S I O N S TM 3 gardner.utah.edu I March 2020Service Landscape for New Americans in Salt Lake County
Service providers believe Salt Lake County is very welcoming More could be served:
to new Americans, and feel the county is a good partner to “I will say 2, because resources aren’t there to be able
their organization. However, providers notice needs that, if to just find that population and assure they have the
filled, would allow new Americans to thrive even better in their services they need. Because of culture and language and
new home. In some cases, they would like to fill these gaps but fear, they don’t know where to go or are afraid to try to
lack the necessary resources. In other cases, meeting particular find out where to go.”
needs would require action elsewhere.
“People that come to the places get good services, but
those that aren’t going or accessing services are missing
How well are the needs of new Americans being met in out and it’s hard to know who they are and why they aren’t
Salt Lake County? coming. I think we serve a third. I think there are two-thirds
3.2
out there that could totally benefit. I think if people knew
1 (Not at all) 2 3 4 (Very well) 5 about all of the services they would be utilized.”
“The people who know about services are being served
very well. Others have had to move so far out because of
Participants were asked to rate how the needs of new the cost of housing, so now they are nowhere near services.
Americans are being met in Salt Lake County. The mean rating We need to get a lot further out in Salt Lake County
of 3.2 speaks to the investment these providers have in the because that’s where a lot of people live right now.”
new American community as is explained by select comments Or served better:
below. Providers know some new Americans are not aware of
“Alignment through different agencies, manpower to
existing services, experience barriers to accessing services, or
follow up, and knowledge of all available resources
altogether need better service provision depending on need.
could be improved.”
The county is doing a great job: There is a gap in services:
“They (the county) are really trying to do a lot.” “There are not enough services out there, for the youth
for example, also mental health services and substance
“The county does better than the state. The money we
abuse services have disappeared.”
get from the state can only be used for legal residents.”
“[New Americans] get stuck with the housing for those who
“New Americans are being welcomed more.”
are seriously mentally ill and people they are trying to keep
“Overall I think the county has come a long way and they out of jail. We are competing entities for that type of housing.”
are a very good partner, and especially the mayor’s office
There are barriers:
does really great work.”
“Forms for government programs and services ask
“Because they are doing stuff like this study.”
unnecessary questions and create barriers for new
Despite barriers that are hard to break through: Americans. There are issues with intake processes,
“Persistent barriers for low income people like the cost language accessibilities, and unwelcoming
of living. Overall, there is difficulty meeting their needs environments at government office locations.”
despite adequate work and support from the county and Depends on the population:
LDS church.”
“For refugees, I think they are doing really well, I would
“County services for new Americans is great but some of give them a 4. Immigrants, I would give it a 1, because
the populations are a bit siloed and tight knit; breaking the focus seems to have always been on refugees.”
in can be a challenge and people don’t go beyond the
“I would say a 2 for broader new American community,
culture. County services are crosscutting and welcoming
and a 4 for refugees. The average is 3. They are being
but it’s hard for the county to break into the culture and
served well for the refugee community but there is just
group.”
too much happening and too many people doing the
same thing that prevents us from narrowing down what
is truly impactful and what is not.”
March 2020 I gardner.utah.edu 4 I N F O R M E D D E C I S I O N S TMOpportunities to Better Serve Transportation
New Americans in Salt Lake County Transportation was listed as both a need and a barrier to
Providers have noticed certain areas where additional accessing services. Participants noted that convenient bus
services are needed, or where existing services could be routes do not reach where new Americans tend to live and/or
enhanced. The most oft-cited services are affordable housing, work, that language barriers can prevent new Americans from
better transportation, employment opportunities, education, navigating the public transportation system, and obtaining
and health care (including mental health). These needs are drivers licenses is not easy for English language learners;
magnified for low-income individuals and families or those immigrants are especially negatively impacted, as refugees are
earning the minimum wage. able to take the Utah knowledge test in their native language
with the assistance of an interpreter. “
For some of these needs, service providers offered ways It’s hard to get from east to west. Any time you are
they would help if necessary resources were available. crossing over the center line you are taking at least 2 or 3
There are some needs where service providers do not offer buses and service is very slow in many areas. It can take
specific ideas on how they would help. This is usually a case 2 hours to a destination in Salt Lake. New Americans feel
where they see the need in the community, but it is not the this need more than others.”
specialty of their organization.
Additionally, applying for a driver’s license may not feel like
a safe option for immigrants due to the personal data required
(see p. 9 regarding barriers to accessing services).
Affordable housing
The inability to find affordable housing was often mentioned
Employment and training opportunities
as the most critical need. Families are moving farther away
from services to where housing is more affordable, and often “They are motivated and hard workers.”
multiple families are living together in one apartment or house New Americans come to the United States with a broad range
in order to afford housing. The latter can be in violation of rental of skillsets. Participants noted the convention to encourage an
agreements and result in eviction. education alone is short-sighted; new Americans should also
“When new Americans arrive, they start working, and be encouraged into trade training, as some might already have
it will take them a while to climb up the ladder by the training from their home country and trades can provide
improving their English, getting the certifications they good incomes.
need or getting the education they need. That is a crucial “Focus more on technical skills training or trade
time for those individuals to get housing because they school for employment opportunities like carpentry
work and maybe they have two jobs, or two or three and plumbing, rather than push for all new American
members of the family work. But they spend more children to seek high education. Labor and technical
than 80% on housing. Imagine that! The families don’t jobs pay good wages.”
have anything left for other things that they need like
They also stressed a need for a pathway to transition their
insurance, cars, education or other things.”
training from their home country to the United States, including
“Refugees are given housing assistance when they first the ability to earn what they deserve based on the training they
arrive, but after assistance stops they cannot afford already have. Often their only option is to start over for U.S.
the living conditions they were used to and have to accreditation, which can be expensive and requires literacy,
downgrade.” which takes time. These barriers often incentivize a new American
to opt for lower-wage, less-skilled work.
Providers would like to offer:
“Refugees and immigrants are filling an employment
• The building of affordable housing specifically for gap we have in hospitality and food service; traditional
large families. low-wage jobs, but we need to help them move to that
“New American families are larger, it’s harder for them next pathway.”
to find safe and affordable housing. They get denied “If you have an education and skills and you come from
application because they are a large family.” another country, I think it’s hard to take what you have
• The building of more transitional housing and find an equitable job here.”
• Rental assistance as “it is badly needed.” “It’s wasted talent.”
I N F O R M E D D E C I S I O N S TM 5 gardner.utah.edu I March 2020Education the children are placed in a grade based on their age,
Whether they are adults learning English and other skills, or regardless of whether they had prior formal education or
children being placed in the K-12 system, new American’s find not. So it is up to the community to make sure those kids
they have a lot of catching up to do and service providers often receive the support that they need.”
see them falling behind. School-aged new American children “Traditionally, a child that doesn’t speak English will take
are usually placed in the grade that accommodates their age six years to catch up with their peers and be proficient.
rather than ability. This is particularly tough for high school- We focus on greater than one years’ worth of growth
aged new American students: every year, so it will happen eventually, but that also
“They may learn to converse in English, but they are at means there is improvement to be made.”
a 3rd grade reading level and keep being promoted to Adults are also dependent on the community for education
the next grade, and then they graduate. They can talk services like learning English and other skills. Providers believe
and converse, but they aren’t ready to work, they can’t that while there are many organizations that provide English
read or write. Conversely, if they happen to be ready for language learning classes, there could be improvements in
college, culturally their parents will require them to stay how they are administered, like moving classes out of formal
at home and take care of the family.” centers and into community spaces or workplaces.
Service providers stress the importance of providing extra “We need to be working and advocating with employers
help in the form of tutoring and mentoring: to offer on-site ESL. We had an [expert] helping us look
“Support those students who need to catch up with for a tax incentive program for employers to offer ESL.
their American peers, because when they get here, I would love to see that get through.”
Providers would like to offer:
• “We would love to look at expanding ESL and GED programs to “[This mosque] is where you get educational
be more accessible to that population, but geared towards the programs, where you have the interfaith programs,
elementary language base. It’s too challenging for some.“ where you host the media, where you have adult
• Better transition from when a student goes from their 2-week, education programs, workshops, seminars, services,
1-room American school familiarity training into a school of social services, free health clinics, you know, all of
3,200 people “where it is easy to get lost. “These students need that takes place in the mosque. So, they probably
more direct mentoring and more translation help.” think ‘Eh, mosque, it’s just for the Friday prayers.’”
• Tutoring and help via after school programs, which • More interpretation services, or a better system that
participants noted are losing funding and disappearing even incentivizes independent contractor interpreters to
though after-school programs offer crucial supports. After- consider non-profit clients as equal to private clients.
school programs are further discussed in the next section. Currently, these interpreters are incentivized to take
jobs that pay the best, which are often not service
• Education-system navigation for parents.
providers.
• Scholarships.
• Translate printed materials into all needed languages.
• Help new American’s navigate into professional fields that can
• “Overall adult ESL; there are gaps for those who have
benefit other new Americans (social work, counseling, etc.).
high oral proficiency, but no literacy. Classes tend to be
• “We have a gap between community education programs and designed for emergent readers while there isn’t really
community colleges. A lot of students will jump to community curriculum for people who are almost fluent but can’t read
college and use their PELL Grants on classes they aren’t passing and write.”
because they aren’t prepped for that level.”
• English and computer classes for the next level, not
ESL-specific ideas: just basics. “What we are finding is our clients will open
- Increase ESL services in other areas of the city. up a business but lack the ability to understand business
- ESL at religious centers, which are often trusted community language.”
entities. Engage refugees at resettlement agency-orientation
about the different mosques (for example) in the area and
the programs they offer.
March 2020 I gardner.utah.edu 6 I N F O R M E D D E C I S I O N S TMHealth care access partnership with 1-800-CONTACTS, but when it comes to
Support utilizing and navigating the health care system was dental issues, I’m lost. There’s not a lot offered to them.”
often mentioned as a needed service: Access to mental health care services could be improved,
“Utah has one of the largest percentages of uninsured especially after the two-year case management runs its course
Latino children in the country. They are not getting for refugees when trauma is more likely to resurface:
enrolled in programs they are qualified for.” “Trauma doesn’t tend to start to emerge until after
“Getting them to the dentist. I can get them access to things are settled down.”
healthcare through numerous clinics, vision with our
Providers would like to offer:
General health care: level mental health training program. A barrier there is
• Health care system navigation and insurance enrollment funding to get into both grad school and into college in
assistance general. Once we’ve got folks into college, we could do a
• Better prevention and educating better job recruiting people.”
• Health navigators focused only on helping them access • More work around mental health and the social
insurance. “It’s a huge cost on the system but we have so adjustment around post-arrival and post-two year case
many who don’t know how to navigate it and have a fear of management time period. “We get funding for mental
applying.” health, but the way the funding is structured is not as
flexible as it could be.”
• More screenings
• Help meet the need for bi-lingual mental health
• Expansion of immunization services and STD treatment
providers. They are paid more in the hospital system,
Mental health: which makes it harder for non-profits to recruit them.
• “It would be nice to have an in-house therapist at each In the same vein, help create a path for new Americans
resettlement agency; imagine what they could do.” to obtain mental health degrees rather than technical
• Mental health option rather than punitive approaches for degrees.
youth. “We see that most of the time, kids being punished Dental:
[are those] who need help, that [punishment] does not serve • “We have dental, but it’s backed out quite a bit. Most new
the purpose.” American’s have never seen a dentist, and their treatment
• More mental health screenings and referrals for all plans are huge. We would love to expand dental services
children. to help more people, like mobile dental. But we don’t have
funding for that.”
• “I would like to see us do a better job recruiting individuals
whose first language is some other language into master’s
Translation/interpretation
exists. Additionally, interpreters who speak rare languages and
“It’s hard to serve those with limited English, but you find dialects are in high demand, and often take the higher-paying,
a way.” stable work than the last-minute emergency needs of a non-
All providers were asked how they accommodate those who profit agency.
do not speak English. If they don’t have interpreters on staff, Using an “outsider” translation service is viewed by new
they often have a contract with a service that offers 24-hour Americans as the safest option. “There is a safety concern of
translation of any language needed. If they don’t have that using a local interpreter and so then we will use a telephonic
sort of contract, they have relationships with providers who interpreter where we verify that somebody is out of state just to
do. However, participants still see translation and interpreter increase the sense of safety.” An “inside-outsider,” or someone
services as both a need and a barrier to accessing services. While they don’t know but who is from the local community, begets
service providers have the means by which to translate for new the most unease. The “outside-outsider” is accepted because
Americans, not all new Americans know that service provider new Americans feel more protected from having their privacy
I N F O R M E D D E C I S I O N S TM 7 gardner.utah.edu I March 2020violated or identity exposed. They also feel safe with “inside- “Follow what communities do in other places in Salt Lake
insiders,” or interpreters housed within a trusted agency. County, like Magna United. They come together and get things
“If a translator comes onsite, patients don’t really like done. Law enforcement, social work, medical, after-school
that because their communities are fairly small and they programs, clothing, a community room; they come together.”
feel like somebody is going to find out. So we talk to
them a lot about how this person isn’t local, we are not Civic and service engagement
giving them your name. And that seems to help a lot.” Some providers mentioned the need for new Americans to
be represented by people like them, and to have a voice in
There is also the concern of referring a new American to an decisions that affect them. Helping them engage through voter
agency the provider knows struggles to accommodate languages registration, running for office, or joining the boards of non-
other than English or Spanish, especially if it is a health-related profits that serve their communities are some of the methods
service including mental health and substance abuse treatment providers believe crucial to proper representation.
clinics.
“I know that the County does really great in reaching out to
“Most refugees speak some English but service providers new Americans to get involved and engage civically but I
need to slow down and pay attention. I have found that think that is another area that we need to do more. To make
taking someone to apply for something people kind sure that people that get their citizenship get registered
of freak out because of the heavy accent. There is an to vote and be a part of the community. I think we are not
unrecognized prejudice for non-English speakers.” doing great until we see a refugee elected into office, then
we can say refugees are very successfully integrated into the
Food security community. I think there is only one refugee so far that has
“We have some families where if they don’t eat here [at become a city councilor in West Valley.”
school] they don’t eat.” “Allow new Americans to have a voice in the services
Food insecurity was another oft-mentioned need, and not we’re offering. That is overlooked. Making decisions
just affording food, but quality, nutritious options. Some for people because they can’t speak up. When we give
new Americans may not be aware they are eligible for food people the ability to communicate, they can say ‘I don’t
stamps, and others might not access food pantries due to want that or need that.’ They have an opinion.”
fear of accepting help from the public and being targeted for “Barriers are not knowing how to look up ballot issues,
deportation even though most food pantries don’t document not feeling confident going to the polls or filling in mail-
who received services (see p. 9 for more about barriers). In a in ballots, not knowing if the thing they are voting for is
similar vein, one provider recommended that undocumented the right thing or how to research it in a language that is
residents should be eligible for food stamps. accessible and understandable, really basic things.”
After school programs Providers would like to offer:
Participants lamented after-school programs have continually
• Integrate more ongoing civic engagement education
lost funding even though they are crucial for tutoring, mentoring,
throughout case management to enhance what they
socializing, and as a child care option for new American families
(refugees) learn at orientation.
often working two or more jobs. In some cases, reduced funding
has resulted in after-school programs closing their doors. • Encourage voter registration and voting while helping
clients obtain citizenship. The 2020 Census is a great
“The state has poor funding for out-of-school programs. opportunity for providers to educate their clients.
We would like to be able to provide 100% of our students
after school and summer school services, but we can Different needs of immigrants and refugees
only provide it to 25-35% of kids, so we have to choose Participants noted that gaps in services depend on whether
the neediest kids and that’s really tough.” the new American is a refugee or an immigrant, especially
“After-school programs are often part of a community due to the process by which they arrive to the United States.
school so they are offering classes like ESL, American Instead, “we are lumping refugees and immigrants into similar
education system, and GED, and tend to focus on the categories when their needs can be so different.”
whole family. If we could do that for every school and “Refugees are better accepted than immigrants, and
community that would be awesome, a community have case managers to help them.”
school model.”
March 2020 I gardner.utah.edu 8 I N F O R M E D D E C I S I O N S TM“I think they have done really well with their refugee Legal services could be expanded, with one service provider
population but the immigrant population is completely hoping to be able to offer the following services in the future:
different. There isn’t a case manager with everyone and • Legal assistance instead of just legal advice.
also there are completely different issues in terms of legality • More racial justice and know-your-rights trainings.
and immigration status, language, culture, et cetera.” • Be available as technical resource for good policy.
“Refugees are more saturated, and I don’t think
there is enough resources or support for Latino and Barriers for New Americans Seeking Services
undocumented immigrants. I think they are the unseen While there are service gaps, it is important to consider the
part of the immigrant population.” barriers for new Americans seeking any service in the first place.
The lack of transportation, lack of translation or interpreter
Other services, lack of child care, and long waiting lists for services
Other gaps in services include addressing the specific needs like mental health care are among the many barriers cited by
of aging new Americans who may have come to a new country providers. A few others topped the list and are detailed below.
without learning the language and been taken care of by their
families, or who are wholly new to Utah but now need full-time Fear
care. It is more challenging for this age group to understand “They are trying to become less visible. They are not
new cultural expectations, and to find full-time caregiving seeking services they should.”
without an established community or tie to a religious network. Service providers have noticed immigrants are fearful of
One service provider of older Utah residents mentioned accessing services due to an increasing anti-immigration
that navigating a new language and culture while possibly climate in the United States, and many have noticed a drop
experiencing trauma is especially challenging for older new in service requests internally. Mostly government services are
Americans. They expressed the need for more support and new avoided because of record keeping and distrust of how that
American-specific programming such as ESL in senior centers; information will be used, but some are even fearful of seeking
grants to provide ESL in senior centers no longer exist and it has services from churches and food pantries.
been a challenge finding a partner to fill that gap.
“One policy that recently went into effect a couple of
Additionally, participants mentioned family-focused services
days ago, the Public Charge, is one thing that immigrants
like child care, parenting services, and general life skills on
and refugees worry about. If they receive benefits, how
subjects such as how to pay bills as still-needed services.
is that going to impact their status or perspective family
Establishing services and opportunities to learn in their own
members’ status? So people are scared.”
communities is seen as a need. Place-making and community
centers, like Sunnyvale (see p. 13), are seen as an important “We are thinking about safety a lot more often because
community resource that helps new Americans, specifically of we are mainly Latino. So with all of the things that
refugees, feel at home and supported. you have seen with the shootings in Texas, things like
Other providers said, despite the wrap-around care provided that, we have noticed is there has been a decrease in
by resettlement agencies, new Americans, specifically refugees, community-based attendance by the Latino community.
need more help navigating the American system and cultural They don’t want to feel targeted. We are [seeing] a little
expectations. less [clients] than usual. We had packed classes and now
it’s about half.”
“Acclimation assistance; many patients we see who are
new Americans say their case managers or volunteer Immigrants are keeping a low profile so as to avoid notice
mentors are overworked and spread thin, and they often which is a serious barrier for those who are in need of physical
feel left alone to figure things out on their own when it and mental health care services, assistance affording food, and
comes to learning about the legal system, paying bills, those experiencing domestic violence.
navigating the health care system.” “We have noticed a decline in patients willing to apply
“The biggest barrier to a program we had was understand- for services such as emergency Medicaid. A large chunk
ing the nuances we take for granted every day, how to of our program are deliveries. Undocumented women
flush the toilet, that children have to wear shoes to school, can apply for emergency Medicaid and we have seen
that children have to be on time to school, how to take out a notable decline in applications. Even with expanded
the trash.” Medicaid, there is anxiety about applying especially in
I N F O R M E D D E C I S I O N S TM 9 gardner.utah.edu I March 2020mixed status households. There has also been an increase providers who can help with translation services. In addition, if
in people requesting to have children taken off Medicaid.” something is translated, it is usually translated into Spanish and
“They feel like pariahs in the country under this political no other languages.
climate.” It’s overwhelming
“Resistance within the community is very real which can Navigating a new culture is overwhelming, as “new Americans
snowball into a larger health and safety issue, like not are often so focused on taking care of their basic needs that other
calling 911 when hurt.” things can fall by the wayside.”
Some providers lamented perceived cooperation between the “The process of accessing services can be very
Salt Lake County Sheriff and ICE, which supports a “deportation cumbersome and confusing, even for those of us who
pipeline” and legitimizes the fear of seeking services from this grew up here! And new Americans are just trying to
community. take care of bare necessities. Like, what is the difference
between county and state services? Then they go and
Lack of resource awareness there is a policeman at the door. It is not a friendly or
Not being aware of available services is seen as another major inviting environment. Even hospitals, new people are
barrier (as well as a theme throughout this report). A provider a little wary of going somewhere new and asking for
noted this can be especially true for second migration families, help. They like coming to us because we look like them.
or those who initially migrated to another state before they Also, every service provider has their own enrollment
came to Utah. Ideas to improve outreach and coordination is requirements, so a universal application would be great,
discussed on page 11. otherwise its overwhelming.”
“It would be helpful if everyone knew about 211.” Other barriers include cultural norms, for example in some
cultures, it is not appropriate for a female to be seen by a male
Language physician, and a majority of physicians in Utah are male.
Obviously, not understanding English is a deterrent to
accessing resources in Utah, especially if one is experiencing
the previously mentioned barrier of not being aware of service
Needs of New American Service Providers
Interviews reflect that Salt Lake County is home to passionate Outreach constraints: “They don’t know what
and committed service providers who strive to meet the needs they don’t know.”
of those they serve. Almost every organization rated themselves Providers are aware that not everyone who might need their
as a “4” (and that was the mean achieved) when asked “how well services know they exist. Overwhelmingly, new Americans
do you feel you are meeting the needs of those you serve?” A find out about services through “word-of-mouth,” usually as
perfect score (5) was usually not given because providers know a referral from other service providers or friends and family.1
they are doing their best with what they have, but are well The success of most referrals is dependent on the trust and
aware that more needs could be met if they had the resources relationship built between the two services and the client.
necessary to meet them. Specifics are provided in comments Given the importance of word-of-mouth in locating needing
below. services, some participants were asked how outreach efforts
could be improved for those word-of-mouth may not reach.
How well is your organization meeting the needs of those Most providers knew exactly what they would do if they had
you serve? the necessary resources, whether it be hiring specific outreach
4.0
staff or funding for innovative and expanded outreach efforts,
1 (Not at all) 2 3 4 (Very well) 5 like ads on buses or Spanish radio stations. Other providers
are at-capacity or have months-long waiting lists so additional
outreach would attract clients they couldn’t accommodate.
“Currently we don’t have a marketing budget.”
March 2020 I gardner.utah.edu 10 I N F O R M E D D E C I S I O N S TM“We don’t advertise because we have always been able to organizations, but wonder if they have a gap in knowledge of
do without it.” other providers they could refer new Americans to as several
“Absolutely, we could be more out there, but it would be, admitted “we don’t know what we don’t know.”
do we have the capacity?” “We are the best kept secret in the world. If they knew
“We would love to have our printed materials translated everything we do, they’d break down our doors. I would
into different languages and distributed at resettlement love to talk to other providers to tell them what we offer.”
agencies.” Better coordination among providers would expand the trust-
“They need education around what services they are ed provider network. Being included as a word-of-mouth referral
entitled to as residents of the US, things like Head Start, or helps establish trustworthiness from already-trusted service pro-
free immunizations or food stamps, health-promoting viders for services new Americans might need, especially those
resources.” whose biggest barrier to receiving services is fear.
“People could be cross-trained to help in understanding “Having a trusted individual and community partner
services available.” makes all the difference for us.”
There is worry that despite additional outreach efforts, “We need staff that understands the resources available
undocumented residents will be harder to reach due to increased to new Americans as well as the barriers.”
fear surrounding recent immigration policies. The importance
of utilizing trusted providers and community leaders to get the Specific Support Providers Need to be
word out about available services was stressed. Most Impactful
“One thing we struggle with is connecting with the Support needed differs from provider to provider, specifically
asylum population. People are afraid to seek services based on size, service, and model, but the most oft-mentioned
and so they are not coming. They are probably getting are described in order here.
resources from other places and so I think some strategic
Resources
outreach initiatives would be helpful.”
As might be expected, the majority of providers mentioned
“When we (a medical provider) first started, we advertised being limited by resources and funding. Examples of services
we were coming to a low-income income neighborhood they could provide if extra resources and funding were available
and zero people showed up. I talked to the community was detailed in the previous section, but include:
and asked ‘why didn’t you come?’ They said, ‘you guys
• Interpreters
are offering free care, you are up to something.’ They were
• Translation for printed and other materials
worried about an ICE bait and switch. So we switched the
• Prevention and education
whole model to work with leaders who have established
• Database to track numbers
trust. No more advertising.”
• Build affordable housing
“We need more people for outreach, to get feet on the • Not to serve more, but to serve better
ground and to build that trust.” • In-house therapists
• Outreach
Lack of coordination: “We don’t know what we don’t know.” • Expand services
While this study included service providers who solely serve • Rental assistance
the new American population, especially refugees, the majority • Providing ESL across the board instead of specific needs
of the service providers serve this population along with anyone
else who is eligible or in need. These providers would benefit Although smaller organizations may have more trust built
from partnering and coordinating with other new American with certain communities, they tend to get less funding. It was
service providers and agencies to help expand and streamline suggested that funding be broken up “into smaller chunks”
services and the referral process. Some organizations that across a span of many organizations as opposed to one large
offer necessary services – for example, mental health - rely lump sum for one big organization. Some participants believe
on partnerships with other more community-embedded giving more funding to trusted, smaller organizations would
have a bigger impact on the new American community.
I N F O R M E D D E C I S I O N S TM 11 gardner.utah.edu I March 2020Coordination “We know there are fewer refugee arrivals and are seeing
Better coordination would avoid duplication of services, assist more asylum seekers. I’ve seen increased fear in the Latin
the new American population in finding services they need, help community in accessing resources from a trusted source.
providers better understand what is available in the community They are less likely to access resources if they don’t trust
for their clients, and uncover community-trusted resources. them. Maybe if these communities could see better
Connecting with these trusted organizations is particularly alignment between agencies, that we all trust each other
powerful as it was intimated some isolate themselves by design and work together. We have agencies who will meet
in order to be “safe and culturally responsive places.” together and refer to each other, but it doesn’t happen
“We struggle to connect with that population. It’s hard to with all agencies, and maybe we don’t know if others do
gain entry into those communities.” that. There needs to be a better system for interagency
referrals and community to know we all work together
One participant mentioned a list of service providers they and trust each other.”
had compiled over 14 years, and knows it’s still not comprehen-
sive enough nor up-to-date. Cultural competency
While a regular meeting of service providers exists, many par- Another major response to how providers could better
ticipants didn’t know it existed and were enthusiastic to learn serve new Americans is cultural competency training for their
more. Several others suggested the Office for New Americans staff, especially for those providers who serve that community
would be the ideal convener of a more broad, bi-annual meet- amongst the broader population. It was noted that this is a big
ing including both refugee and immigrant service providers. An area of improvement as various cultures can have very different
additional idea is a regularly updated one-stop-shop resource societal norms, so competency training should be regularly
website for both providers and new Americans. updated depending on who is coming to Utah.
“The county could help, twice a year, bring together all “Our staff need training on the cultures of the new
hub groups from all municipalities within the county.” American children and families we’re serving to better
“We need stronger partnerships and a better understand where they are coming from and to interact
understanding of what is available.” with them appropriately.”
“Having them [service providers] be more coordinated “[Not being culturally competent] can have a
– have more community organizations come together detrimental effect on somebody wanting to come back
rather than running from place to place.” for services.”
“I think collaboration, getting resources; and one thing Another way to be ‘culturally competent’ is to offer services
that we don’t want is different providers who are already in a way that account for different cultural norms. For example,
providing services, we don’t want duplication.” seeking out mental health care will not be a priority for some
“They don’t want to come to you; figuring out where they cultures even if they’ve experienced significant trauma. One
are at, how to go into their communities, and understand service provider recommended a “promotores de salud’
what their needs are, like a liaison. Are we missing the approach, or community health workers. These are trusted
boat because I’m not sure where they are?” community friends from the same culture that do home visits
and checkups.
“I’ve worked a little in the refugee community, they create
their own nonprofit to serve people with a similar path
Translation assistance for materials
they had, language, similar culture; which is so needed
Several participants noted they have marketing and service
but duplicative. The role for the county government could
materials that would better serve new Americans if they were
be to have some of those organizations partner with
translated, yet they lack the resources.
existing organizations.”
“I find it pretty challenging to get things translated. Even
when have tried to translate for Spanish, often multiple
[Spanish speakers] don’t agree on the translation. So any
help with that because we have some materials.”
March 2020 I gardner.utah.edu 12 I N F O R M E D D E C I S I O N S TMSuggested Action Steps for Salt Lake County “[Sunnyvale] included a park revitalization project, New
Roots runs the farm stand there and started doing an
Service providers offered specific ways the Salt Lake County
emergency food pantry through the summer months
Office for New Americans could better help new Americans and
so that people could purchase produce and then go
those that serve them. These ideas are listed by how often they
get rice and beans and staples, no processed food was
were mentioned.
allowed. We had Kids Cafe Lunch, where lunch was
• Convene coordination: Participants noted the Salt brought to kids and did workshops with them there. It
Lake County Office for New Americans would be became a Saturday event for people. There is no reason
the ideal convener of a bi-annual meeting of service that we can’t do more ongoing things like that that are
providers to new Americans. A coalition that everyone focused on life skills and English Language acquisition
knows about and includes service providers of both in neighborhoods where refugees are residing. Place-
immigrants and refugees. making is a national initiative and I would like to see
• House a one-stop-shop resource, like a regularly- some training come to Salt Lake City so that we can
maintained website. identify and understand what it means to truly be a part
of a place-making conversation.”
“There needs to be a central informational portal where
they can get all of the information they need in one spot • Model own efforts: Model the outreach the county is
and I don’t think that exists.” doing for Census 2020 to spread the word to the new
American community about available services.
“A one-stop type of resource has been talked about ever
since I’ve been here. If it happens, it easily gets outdated.” “The planning and implementation of those resources
to educate the community about the 2020 Census, how
• Offer translation services (like for printed materials)
do we get that same focus and do it across the board for
and support a better in-person interpretation service
new American programs?”
system (described in services needed section).
• Conduct policy and advocacy training for new
• Spearhead cultural competency
Americans and providers
– Trainings for providers.
• Conduct leadership development for new Americans.
– Information campaigns to the general public.
“We need pipelines or pathways to move new American
• Define what constitutes a “new American.”
community members into positions of leadership and
• Lead out on “placemaking,” like Sunnyvale. power.”
“One thing that I think Salt Lake County could do · Address disparities in east versus west
more of is have more intentional conversations about neighborhoods, and white versus minority schools.
place-making like we have done with the Sunnyvale
“More resources and political will and power are needed
neighborhood and having things that are available
to make a difference. West Valley City is the most diverse
there that make it a vibrant neighborhood.”
yet their polices don’t reflect the diversity or how to involve
communities of color in decision making process.”
I N F O R M E D D E C I S I O N S TM 13 gardner.utah.edu I March 2020Ideas for Future Research
Discussion groups as one provider noted how a community leader adapted to the
There were many ideas and issues expressed in interviews not barriers their community faces by becoming the community’s
included in this report as only common themes are reported trusted resource, where they are driving community members
here. The county would benefit from conducting discussion to appointments and referring them to services. This “leadership
groups with service providers, using this report as a topic guide, role out of necessity” indicates there may be more service gaps
to uncover the nuanced needs and concerns based on service not uncovered from talking to service providers alone.
area, and discuss details of ideas expressed. For example, is “I think they get most of their help from others in the
competing for funding leading to inefficient housing assistance, community who have learned how to navigate.”
or are health care and social services out of sync and leading to
“Our agency identified a top-down approach to
new Americans falling through the cracks?
providing services to new American’s as a barrier and so
Discussion groups with providers could also aid in establishing: we adapted and rely on a bottom-up, community-based
• a future coordination effort that includes their approach to provide services.”
feedback and buy-in
• a data collective, as most participants are willing to Further research into the needs of immigrants and
contribute to a consolidated, de-identified data effort. undocumented residents
• feasibility of a one-stop-shop resource website It was noted by several participants that local focus has
tended to fall on refugees over immigrants and undocumented
In-depth interviews with new Americans residents. The needs and concerns of both populations are
very different. Immigrants and undocumented residents face
“We are not as mindful for the services they may need, considerable scrutiny and are not receiving the services they
we think they acclimate faster than they do.” need due to fear. Research could include a concerted qualitative
Several participants noted the necessity of getting feedback effort of trusted service providers and community leaders of this
about services provided in Salt Lake County by the recipients specific population.
of those services, new Americans. This is especially important
Conclusion
Service providers to new Americans paint Salt Lake County as new Americans, some service gaps will require the coordination
a landscape dedicated to meeting the needs of this population. of multiple entities including state, local, and non-profit sectors.
As one participant mentioned, it is apparent Salt Lake County is Service providers are confident in their and the county's
committed because "they are doing stuff like this study." willingness to make that happen.
The commitment of these providers is apparent in the Utah is lucky to be home to people from around the world
opportunities they suggest that would remove barriers and that settled here, and to these dedicated community leaders
help new Americans not simply survive, but thrive. While the that serve them.
county and providers strive to meet current and future needs of
March 2020 I gardner.utah.edu 14 I N F O R M E D D E C I S I O N S TMYou can also read
