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About Refugees in PA
Since the mid-1970s more than 100,000 refugees have made Pennsylvania their home, enriching the cultural diversity and strengthening the economy of the Commonwealth. Arriving from over thirty nations and representing a vast number of ethnic minorities, most have succeeded, over time, in adjusting to life in Pennsylvania, and the majority have become naturalized United States citizens and actively participate in local community life.
More than half of Pennsylvania's refugees reside in Philadelphia county, with significant representation in Allegheny, Bucks, Cumberland, Dauphin, Delaware, Erie, Lancaster and Lehigh counties. Throughout the Commonwealth, refugee communities have formed self-help groups, intended to preserve cultural heritage and offer culturally appropriate assistance to those needing extra support in making the transition to life in the US. In most cases, these mutual assistance associations work hand-in-hand with mainstream organizations, serving as culture brokers, intermediaries and interpreters, in order to facilitate mutual understanding and cooperative problem-solving in the resettlement process.
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