A new $450,000 federal grant to Catholic Charities Maine will help pay for life, job and cultural skills training for newcomers and immigrants.

The grant money was awarded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services earlier this week, according to a joint statement by U.S Senators Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins.

Pierrot Rugaba, director of immigrant services for Catholic Charities Maine, said the grant is new money, set aside for secondary migrants, immigrants who settled to one area of the country and then moved.

The federal government pays for refugees as long as they remain in the area where they are settled. They lose those benefits once they move.

“Refugee funding is usually based on the number of people we resettle,” Rugaba said. “But this money is meant for communities impacted by unanticipated arrivals, such as secondary immigrants.”

Secondary immigrants have made up the bulk of new, non-English speaking arrivals in Maine since 2001. Many, including Lewiston and Portland’s Somali immigrants, originally settled in other parts of the country and chose to come to Maine on their own.

Catholic Charities Maine, the University of Southern Maine and the cities of Portland and Lewiston first applied for grant money in 2002.

The money helps pay to resettle new arrivals. That includes paying for English language classes and job training as well as case management staff to help the newcomers.