A mutually beneficial relationship between Indiana University and an organization that assists refugees is providing people vital employment opportunities as they begin a new chapter in their lives while filling open jobs at the school.
Exodus Refugee Immigration started a satellite office in Bloomington in 2022, and since then IU has employed more than 60 of its clients, mostly in three units: Dining and Hospitality, Capital Planning and Facilities, and Housing.
Exodus clients hired by IU have come from Afghanistan, Syria, Somalia, Colombia, Burma, Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Exodus pays a client’s first four months of rent and bills and assists with interview preparation and soft skills as the refugees work to become self-sufficient. Finding employment is expected, Clark said.
In roughly two years, IU has become the largest employer of Exodus clients in Bloomington. In June, IU received the Employment Partner of the Year award from Exodus.
“IU has gone above and beyond in every capacity to make this a positive experience for the clients,” Clark said.
Welcome at IU
Paris King, an employment consultant with Auxiliary Business Services who hires for IU Dining and Hospitality, said the positions Exodus clients have been hired for are great “foot-in-the-door” type jobs: cook, lead cook, kitchen utility attendant and stores representative. King said that about 20 to 25 Exodus clients have been hired by Dining and Hospitality since April 2022.
“They are so willing to jump in and do what we ask of them in their positions, and they are determined to work and do a good job,” King said.
Dining and Hospitality’s hiring managers try to place the new employees with other employees who speak the same language and try to accommodate them on shifts that help with their transportation situations, King said. IU Housing and Capital Planning and Facilities also have placed Exodus clients in buildings or on shifts with other employees who speak their native language. Translation apps also have been helpful.
King added that it’s been enjoyable meeting people from different countries and cultures and gaining new perspectives.
“Grace had people who wanted to work and we definitely needed help,” Gilliland said.
Since that connection, Capital Planning and Facilities has hired 17 refugees and 13 are still with the unit, all as custodians who help maintain the academic buildings on campus.
Because the jobs are entry-level, Gilliland said the expectation is that the refugees will explore different opportunities at the university that meet their interests and skill sets.
“Our unit actively promotes from within, so if they choose to build a career with us, and we sincerely hope they do, they can apply to our management training program. Graduates of the program are then eligible to apply to our entry-level supervisory positions,” Gilliland said.
She also makes sure to highlight the employee tuition benefits.
Dean Houshour, area manager for IU Housing, said that unit began a relationship with Exodus only in April but already has hired 12 of its clients. All are custodians who maintain residential buildings.
Houshour said IU Housing had as many as 38 open positions but that’s down to 11 thanks to Exodus and its clients sharing information about job opportunities with non-clients. He said the relationship between Housing and Exodus has been good, and their clients work hard and even ask for overtime.
“When I see these employees, they thank me for the job and I tell them, ‘Thank you for coming because you are helping us,’” Houshour said.
The refugees he has hired speak Burmese, Swahili, Somali and Arabic. One way Housing has tried to make Exodus clients feel welcome and build engagement with all employees is to use a “word of the day” at each building. If a building has an employee who speaks Swahili, for example, a chosen word will be posted around the building in the Swahili and English versions.
“It seems to be a good team-building experience,” Houshour said.
A good opportunity
Jose Gutierrez, 33, arrived in the United States in November 2022, coming from Honduras with his wife and two children. He was one of the first Exodus clients hired by Capital Planning and Facilities, Gilliland said.
“I feel safe and have all the things necessary for my family,” he said.
Support from Exodus and a local church covered their basic necessities and helped Gutierrez seek employment with IU. He splits his custodial work between the Geology and Psychology buildings, but he’s a “floater” who also helps in other areas as needed.
“I like the job because every night it’s interesting and I’m learning and doing new things. I feel everybody is friendly and that helps me,” he said. “Indiana University is the best opportunity to go up the next level in my career.”
Gutierrez is interviewing for a management training program with Capital Planning and Facilities that could help him become a supervisor.
Gloria Asifiwe, 34, is a refugee from the DR Congo who works for Capital Planning and Facilities as a custodian. She and her family arrived in Bloomington in October 2022. Asifiwe first worked for Dining and Hospitality for a year but switched to Capital Planning and Facilities because the schedule allows her time to focus on her English studies.
“I have applied to study English at Indiana University to better assimilate into American life and culture personally and professionally,” she said.
Asifiwe said she is thankful for Exodus’s support and appreciative of the opportunity at IU to be part of remarkable teams with Dining and Hospitality and Capital Planning and Facilities.
Emmanuel Kanamuli, his wife and four children came to the U.S. from the DR Congo in March 2023. He started working for IU in June 2023 and is a custodian with Capital Planning and Facilities.
“I like this job because I have a good schedule, I have peace and I have a good team,” Kanamuli said. “I find many people give me love.”
Kanamuli, 52, said he’s grateful for Exodus’s support, including help improving his English, and that IU has been a great opportunity. Kanamuli was a high school teacher in the DR Congo, and hopes those leadership skills could eventually help him secure a supervisor role at IU.
“I think Exodus did a good thing to put me here at IU,” he said.
