Government places hundreds of refugees in Salt Lake County

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Richard Piatt reportingThe Wah family is among the 800 or so families who move to Salt Lake County every year as refugees.

Their unique situations are demanding enough that private donors and state and federal governments are chipping in assistance money.

Hundreds of people from around the world are placed in Salt Lake County by the U.S. State Department. They are relocated there to start a new life.

In the past, Eyewitness News has brought you the stories of community groups, making sure refugees have the support the need.

Government places hundreds of refugees in Salt Lake County

They are families, like the Wah family, who have been forced to flee their country after spending time in refugee camps. Those people need money and medical help.

The Utah Legislature has just allocated $200,000 a year, at the governor's request, for refugee help. That's on top of private donations and about a half million in federal funds that pay for programs.

But the demands keep increasing. Gerald Brown, with the State Office of Refugee Services, says, "These are people who have been persecuted, and they are legal people. And because they have been persecuted, they face unique and really tough challenges."

He has worked with refugees his entire career; mostly Cambodian refugees in Houston. Working with refugees is something the Salt Lake County mayor and the governor have both been active in.

But it is something a lot of Utahns really don't know that much about.

E-mail: rpiatt@ksl.com