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A new Refugee Service Office will open in the Department of Workforce Services by the time the Legislature begins in January.
The office comes as the main recommendation after a year of meetings of the Refugee Working Group, convened by Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. and Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon.
"This has been a long journey and a much needed one," Corroon said. "We recognized we needed to do more, there are a lot of needs out there."
Huntsman described the office as a clearinghouse of information for the 20,000 refugees currently living in Utah and specifically for newly arrived refugees.
"They will continue to come because we are a land of opportunity and hope, and that will always attract those fleeing oppression," Huntsman said.
Many in refugee resettlement groups thought a large number of Iraqis would take refuge in the United States. However, the large influx anticipated this summer still hasn't materialized.
Catholic Community Services just resettled its first Iraqi family, said Vladimir Klaich, refugee resettlement program manager.
"This is just the beginning," he said. "We expect to have many more, but we don't know exactly when or how many will be coming."
However, leaders hope to be prepared to serve refugees from around the world.
A budget request of $200,000 through the Department of Workforce Services is in the governor's proposed budget said Palmer DePaulis, executive director of community and culture. The office also will handle about $3 million in federal money that Utah receives annually for refugee services. The current refugee resettlement program will become part of the new Refugee Services Office.
A search for a director and two staff members will begin immediately, and more staff will be added if needed, DeĀPaulis said.
"The money won't be used for staff, but for case management and resource building," he said.
The group will work closely with the two relocation organizations in Utah - Catholic Community Services and the International Rescue Committee.
Robert Simbe, employment coordinator for IRC, said finding housing for new refugees is a high priority.
"We have big families of seven to 11 people who can't find affordable housing," he said, adding a few families are staying in hotels, which is too expensive to last long. He hopes to see training for refugees who speak little to no English so they can obtain jobs in Utah.
Noor Ul-Hasan, who attended early meetings of the working group and volunteers assisting refugees, hopes the new office stays independent of other agencies.
"I hope it takes care of the gaps identified by the working group," she said. "I think it's good they're looking for outside people because sometimes new blood brings new ideas and new ways of thinking."
In addition to forming the office, Huntsman and Corroon will send letters to all agencies under their purview, asking them to identify and address the barriers and service gaps the working group has found.
"The political will is there to make these changes," DePaulis said. "This is not the end, but the beginning, and I look forward to it."