FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 17, 2006
Media Contact:
Sunny Kim, Caritas of Austin
512-646-1261
skim[at]caritasofaustin.org

CARITAS OF AUSTIN TO HOST STATEWIDE
REFUGEE EMPLOYMENT TRAINING INSTITUTE

 Nonprofit to Lead Two-Day Initiative for Refugee Service Providers

AUSTIN, TX – Caritas of Austin announced today that it will host the Statewide Refugee Advanced Employment Institute from February 22 to 23 at St. David’s Episcopal Church. Refugee service providers from across Texas will participate in the two-day training event. The Employment Training Institutes train service providers on how to help clients develop basic skills necessary to find employment.

“Caritas is delighted to host this statewide institute,” said Jo Kathryn Quinn, director of Self-Sufficiency Services Department at Caritas. “This is the first time that we are hosting, and we look forward to meeting with other service providers from across Texas. This will be a great opportunity for Caritas’ Employment Program specialists to share best practices and strategies that will help them provide refugee clients with the tools to achieve self-sufficiency.”

RefugeeWorks, which is a branch of the U.S. Office of Refugee Resettlement, is conducting the institute hosted by Caritas. RefugeeWorks is the U.S. Office of Refugee Resettlement’s training and technical assistance arm.

Last year, Caritas’s Employment Program helped 215 clients find employment. Caritas assists documented refugees who have fled war or persecution in their native countries of Sudan, Liberia, Afghanistan and Vietnam, among others.

Since 1964, Caritas has assisted with basic needs such as food, rent and utilities and helped clients learn the skills they need to gain self-reliance. This year, Caritas will serve over 20,000 adults and children as Travis County’s largest source of non-governmental assistance. “Caritas” is from the Latin word for love, and in this spirit, anyone with a legitimate need is eligible to receive help.

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