Staying afloat

Third in a six-part series

» Photo galleries: Refugees reborn

Nyaraan Kuay Simon will come into the world any day now with a country but without a home.

Her mother, Elizabeth Gatwech, a refugee from Sudan, can no longer afford to live in the well-kept two-story house on quiet Argyle Court.

The housing crisis for Gatwech and her family occurred — as it so often does in the refugee community — because of a misunderstanding.

In January, the Salt Lake City Housing Authority terminated her federal housing subsidy. She failed to fax in a required employment verification form the agency will not accept in person, a lesson the 27-year-old Gatwech learned the hard way.

The pregnant mother rearing four — soon to be five — daughters alone tried delivering the document in person, but the authority would not accept it. The copy she mailed apparently was lost.

"I guess it's just bad luck to me," Gatwech said. She will be out at the end of the month.

Housing is only one of myriad practical challenges facing refugees in Utah. Others include learning English, finding and keeping jobs, transportation and cultural differences.

The acclimation curve has steepened over the years.

Refugees have less time to get on their feet than they did when Congress passed the Refugee Act of 1980.

Over the years, Congress has slashed funding for refugee cash and Medicaid. Instead of 36 months' worth of benefits, refugees now only receive assistance for eight months. They're on their own after that time.

Some thrive, while most founder.