Our Purpose

We are a diverse group of individuals, religious leaders, members of faith communities, and community organizations who have come together for the purpose of helping refugees and asylum seekers, in light of the current migration crisis that has displaced millions of people. We are located in Birmingham, Alabama.

The group does not engage in any proselytizing or promotion of any particular religion or political affiliation.    ​

Our Mission

SUPPORT REFUGEES AND ASYLUM SEEKERS LOCALLY AND GLOBALLY BY:
  1. Educating the community and elected officials about the current refugee crisis and the process of refugee resettlement;
  2. Advocating for policies that address the root causes of the refugee crisis, and that increase U.S. support for refugees; and
  3. Providing direct support for refugees and asylum seekers in the United States and in the Birmingham community.

Our Vision

We envision a world where all refugees and asylum seekers find safety and live with dignity.

Our History

A Refugee Interest Group was organized in October 2016 to identify and implement ways to support refugees in Birmingham, AL, and around the world.  The group was started under the Justice Committee of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Birmingham (UUCB), and since its beginning has been open to all.  Some of the group’s partners have included the Birmingham Islamic Society, the Alabama Coalition for Immigrant Justice, the Jewish Community Relations Council, Greater Birmingham Ministries, the Alabama Adelante Worker Center, the Hispanic Interest Coalition of Alabama, Samford University, Birmingham Southern University, and the University of Alabama Institute for Human Rights and Sparkman Center for Global Health. 
In January 2019, the group initiated efforts to expand its membership to include leaders and members of more diverse faith communities and other community groups in order to increase our impact and effectiveness.  The group changed its name to the Birmingham Interfaith Refugee Ministry to reflect this expanded focus.  In July 2019, the group voted to change its name to “Alabama Interfaith Refugee Partnership” (ALIRP) to reflect the mission to serve refugees and asylum-seekers throughout Alabama. The group continued to operate under the organizational structure of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Birmingham (UUCB), until October 24, 2019 when it was approved as a 501(c)(3) non-profit charitable organization.  ALIRP has achieved "platinum" status as a non-profit organization from the Guidestar organization. As of April 2023, there were more than 80 active volunteers and more than 500 people on its email and newsletter list. 

In September 2021, the Inspiritus Refugee Resettlment program that was based in Atlanta received approval from the US State Department to open an office in Birmingham. ALIRP is pleased to partner with Inspiritus in welcoming refugees from Afghanistan to the Birmingham area. Through a special fundraising campaign held in September, 2021, the ALIRP sponsored six Afghan refugees, and a number of ALIRP volunteers have served on care teams for refugees who are receiving resettlement services through Inspiritus. ALIRP will also continue to support asylum-seeking families as they pursue their dreams of obtaining asylum and freedom from persecution.
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