Welcoming Refugee Newcomers Pre-Arrival, Settlement and Integration

Transcription

1 Welcoming Refugee Newcomers Pre-Arrival, Settlement and Integration Heather Donald RSTP Trainer November 14, 2015 KCHC, Kingston, ON

2 Agenda for Today Part 1 Preparing for & Welcoming Newcomers Settlement Planning & Sponsor Role First year: Family, cultural adjustment, employment, housing, health Part 2 Managing Expectations Both sponsoring group & sponsored newcomers Video/Discussion LUNCH Part 3 Navigating Sponsorship: small group problem-solving Resources and Questions

3 Experience in this Room How many have sponsored refugees before? How many with new arrivals? Upcoming arrivals? How many are sponsoring through BVOR? Or family-linked cases? How many of you work (or have worked) in settlement?

4 What is the Private Sponsorship of Refugees? The resettlement of a refugee to Canada, in which 12 months of financial costs and settlement support are provided by private groups or organizations. Exception: BVOR program Refugees receive 6 months of government income support, and sponsors contribute 6 months + start-up costs Eskinder Debebe

5 Recent Changes to Private Refugee Sponsorship Syrian and Iraqi refugees can be sponsored by all sponsoring groups (do not need refugee status document) More refugee newcomers across Canada in the coming year (many from Syria) 25,000 Syrians Government-Assisted Refugees + PSRs Settlement Provider Organizations (SPOs) are already stretched.

6 Different stages of Pre-Arrival Process YOU Sponsors collect info & gather documents Sponsors complete forms & assist refugee applicants to do the same Mail complete application package to Centralized Processing Office in Winnipeg (CPO-W) CPO-W Screen application Create file Approval File will be sent to Visa Office (VO) VO Review Interview Initiate medical, security, criminality checks Approval Arrange for travel (IOM)

7 First: A Note on Resiliency Refugees strengthen societies through their cultural diversity and the contributions which they bring. - International Conference on the Reception and Integration of Resettled Refugees (ICRIRR), 2001 UNHCR

8 Settlement and Adaptation Settlement is A long-term, dynamic, two-way process through which newcomers would ideally achieve equality and freedom of participation in society

9 What are sponsors settlement responsibilities? Provide settlement support for the duration of the sponsorship period, such as Connect with a settlement agency Provide emotional and moral support Open a bank account

10 Providing Settlement Services (From Canada can rise to the refugee challenge Ottawa Citizen, Peter Showler)

11 Review Settlement Plan Lists the tasks that need to be done once the refugee arrives Identifies which group member will do what Describes contingency plans (budget beyond CIC minimums) Plan also allows the group to identify and address gaps in knowledge, and research local resources Core settlement team + engaging others Recommended Resources: - First Weeks Checklist (Ontario-specific) - Engaging members beyond the core group

12 What is a sponsor s role in Settlement? To Facilitate & Empower What is empowerment? Enabling [someone] to gain greater control over [his/her] environment and attain [his/her] aspirations. How can I empower?

13 Empowerment & Ethics Ethical practice Confidentiality Self-determination (independence) Boundaries Participatory Recommended Resource: Code of ethics for groups involved in the private sponsorship of refugees (Canadian Council for Refugees)

14 Issues In The First Year And Beyond Family Reunification Cultural adjustment / shock Employment Housing Health

15 Family Reunification Family members left behind One Year Window (OYW) Opportunity Echo effect - requests to sponsor relatives or friends who were left behind OYW Application must be submitted to CPO-W within one year of the Principal Applicant s arrival Sponsoring group responsible for family members coming through One Year Window, if PA not self-reliant

16 Cultural Adjustment / Shock Culture shock: a period of disorientation when experiencing a new culture completely normal! What can you do as a sponsor? Be especially supportive of women experiencing isolation. Try to help them to develop friendships outside of the home Accept that you cannot fix the situation be supportive throughout the ups and downs Talk about their interests, do leisure activities together Most important: open communication as much as possible

17 Stages of Cultural adjustment

18 Stages of Cultural adjustment

19 Some Dimensions of Culture It is useful to consider core dimensions when comparing cultural similarities or differences. The questions raise just some of the examples that define a culture. TIME AND TIME CONSCIOUSNESS What value is put on use of time and punctuality? SENSE OF SELF AND SPACE Is it appropriate to touch someone during a conversation? How close should you stand? COMMUNICATION AND LANGUAGE What are appropriate topics of discussion? How do you use body language and hand gestures? DRESS AND APPEARANCE What type of clothing is appropriate? How important is appearance? RELATIONSHIPS How important is your nuclear or extended family? What value is placed on titles, age?

20 Employment Support newcomers to improve their languages, skills and knowledge May need to first do English classes and/or Adult high school to improve their job options Connect them with employment counselors Register them in job search trainings Help them find a job Encourage them to enroll in professional training or vocational schools

21 Housing Sponsors must arrange temporary housing and support finding permanent housing to suit the refugees needs and budget. Considerations/challenges: Who signs the lease? Is a basement apartment appropriate? Managing expectations: house vs. apartment What are some challenges around affordable housing in Kingston?

22 Health Sponsors are responsible for connecting sponsored refugees to health care providers / family doctors and assisting with other health needs. Interim Federal Health (IFH) Program Ontario Health Insurance Program (OHIP) Ontario Temporary Health Plan (OTHP) Community Health Centres Other resources Recommended Resource: IFH Information Sheet (available handout)

23 A Note on Mental health Post-arrival challenges that can jeopardize mental well-being: Acculturation Unemployment (and underemployment) Discrimination Structural factors / Isolation The period of high risk for the development of depressive symptoms is between months post-arrival

24 Providing support as sponsors Normal reactions to abnormal situations Do not probe or insist; just listen Focus on strengths and the future Offer help early on but respect no decision Build the social support network to stop deterioration Involve them in meaningful activities/structured life Empower to make active decisions that affect them (regain control) Help find a family doctor but respect privacy and confidentiality Be a friend and be available

25 Settlement Outcomes

26 Settlement Experiences

27 Newcomers are generally responsible for: Paying the cost of transportation to their final destination in Canada. Repaying any immigration loans and other debts they take on. Participating in planning their immediate and long-term future. Keeping the sponsorship group informed of their plans and cooperating with sponsors. Showing initiative in adjusting to life in Canada. Contributing to their own finances upon securing employment. Being law-abiding. Becoming independent.

28 Sponsors responsibilities: Review Financial Support Family Size Additional member 12 Months of Income Support* Start-up Costs Estimated Total Annual Settlement Cost ($) 1 9,800 2,800 12, ,800 4,400 21, ,700 5,300 23, ,000 7,000 27, ,500 7,200 29, ,500 8,000 32,500 For BVOR, CIC provides income support for months 2-7 1,550 1,000 2,500

29 Financial Costs Potential Budget Challenges Health issues and prescription coverage Higher cost of living in the city Travel loan contribution (sponsor s choice) Connectivity (cell phone, landline, laptop, etc.) What could be other unforeseen costs or budget items to discuss with the sponsored family?

30 Part 2: Managing Expectations (5 minute break to stretch?)

31 Managing Expectations Expectations are Expectations are a normal and necessary ingredient of life. Expectations are how we frame our present and future based on past experiences, perceptions, emotions, imagination and desires.

32 Problematic Expectations

33 Pathways to Problematic Expectations Rumours Canada myth Lack of / false information Excitement Confusion about PSR vs. GAR vs. JAS vs. BVOR programs Lack of communication Lack of pre-departure orientation Popular media depictions of North American way of life Misunderstandings Interpersonal conflict Secondary migration Blocks building rapport Blocks communication efforts Sponsorship breakdown Unmet needs Unrealistic expectations re Entitlements Rights Quality/quantity of support Quality of life in Canada Opportunities in Canada Feeling neglected Feeling disadvantaged Feeling wronged Disappointment Confusion Frustration (anger) Distrust / resentment

34 Managing Expectations Monitor / Evaluate Conflict Resolution PLAN Pre-arrival communication strategy Orientation Participatory approach to Settlement Involve relatives in Canada

35 Refugee Sponsorship and Expectations: Sponsor and Refugee Perspectives

36 Part 3: Navigating Sponsorship Breakout groups: Troubleshooting

37 Case Scenario 1 Abida and her family were sponsored 2 months ago from a refugee camp. They have endured torture and do not know who if any of their family members have survived the violence in their home town. Abida has left behind a sister who does not have any means of supporting herself in Yemen. Due to recent unrest in the country, Abida has been worried about her sister and wants to support her. Your group learned that she sent money to her sister from the monthly allowance that you have been giving her. Some members of the group were not happy as they felt that she should have used the little amount of money to feed herself and the children. The funds were raised with the help of a number of volunteers and were intended for sponsorship purposes only. a.) Do you agree with members of this sponsoring group? b.) If you were part of this group, how could you have handled this situation?

38 Case Scenario 2 Our Refugee Committee is having real struggles in having our sponsored woman who will be off sponsorship soon to accept that she has to work at whatever job comes available. We need to get across to her that she has no option to turn down work. When she is off sponsorship in two months, social assistance is less support than our groups gives. She had an opportunity to do cleaning work and she said her husband in Turkey said she can't do cleaning. When we undertook the sponsorship there was no mention of a husband. We are very frustrated with her and looking to be done with any dealings with her. We continue to be stymied by this husband in Turkey who obstructs us at every turn when trying to get her more self-sufficient. Our church has subsidized her rent from the beginning because housing was so scarce and we will no longer do that soon. That is why we are trying to find different accommodation and to get her any work she can obtain. a.) Do you agree with members of this sponsoring group? b.) If you were part of this group, how could you have handled this situation?

39 Case Scenario 3 The community of Underhill was very excited about the arrival of the Smith family - their first sponsored refugee family. With a population of 9,590 people, Underhill is a scenic and calm community that offers the best of Canada s natural treasures: mountains, fresh green fields and proximity to the sea side. After over a year of waiting, the Smiths (a family of 4) finally arrived a month ago. Several of the committee members picked them up from the nearby airport and brought them to the basement apartment which they had rented and furnished for them. Today, the committee received a call from the family. They asked if they could move to Toronto. It took more than 12 months of hard work to fund-raise and collect the in-kind donations, and the group was under the impression that the family they would sponsor would be desperate. Members of the sponsorship committee are starting to doubt whether the family was really in need, and whether their funds should have been used to sponsor a different family.

40 Resources Settlement support: Kingston-area agencies (ISKA, KCHC, KEYS, KL&S, Language Assessment Services, and more) Experienced refugee sponsors in Kingston Sponsorship procedures / general questions: RSTP Sponsoring Group Handbook (RSTP) RSTP E-training courses & website resources + Settlement course NEW 2016

41 Questions? Refugee Sponsorship Training Program (RSTP)