Office of Refugee Resettlement ORR 101 Ken Tota, Deputy Director Office of Refugee Resettlement March 6, 2014
How Is This Talk Relevant to You? Community Services Programs: planning overall strategies for State and Local Communities Identifying service needs for communities, refugees & other ORR populations 2
What We ll Cover Today ORR Populations ORR Services and Funding Case Study Current Partnerships What you can do Questions & Answers 3
Unaccompanied Alien Children (UAC) UAC Countries of Origin (FY2013) Guatemala (37%) El Salvador (26%) Honduras (30%) Mexico (3%) Ecuador (2%) *Represents Oct 2013 Jan 2014 **Projection for FY2014 All Other (3%)
Did you know? More than 3 million refugees have been resettled by the U.S. since 1975. Over 15 million refugees estimated worldwide. Less than 0.5% are resettled annually. US takes the largest number of refugees worldwide. Over 9 million are in refugee camps for more than 5 years.
FY 2014 Presidential Determination for Refugees by Region Africa: 15,000 Somalis, Eritreans, Congolese (DRC) East Asia: 14,000 mainly Burmese (Karen, Karenni, Kachin) Europe/Central Asia: 1,000 Lautenberg cases and religious minorities from the former Soviet Union Latin America: 5,000 Cubans, some Colombians Near East/South Asia: 33,000 Iraqis, Bhutanese, and Iranian religious minorities Unallocated Reserve: 2,000 for emergency situations 7
What is Refugee Resettlement? http://www.rescue.org/video/home-us-refugee-resettlement
ORR Caseload Projections for FY2014 70,000 60,000 28,000 20,000 4,000 1,000 Overseas Refugee arrivals Unaccompanied Alien Children (UAC) Persons granted Asylum (asylees) Cuban/Haitian Entrants Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) Holders Certified Victims of Human Trafficking (and Eligible children)
FY2013 Top 4 Refugee Countries of Origin Country of Origin FY2013 Arrivals Iraq 19,487 Burma 16,299 Bhutan 9,134 Somalia 7,608 All other countries combined (60) 17,398 Total for FY2013 69,926
U.S. Resettlement Program: Oversight and Authority Pre-Screening by Resettlement Support Center (RSC) staff On-site interview by USCIS Refugee Corps (Circuit Rides) Fingerprinting and security clearance Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services State Department, Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration Placement allocations through 9 national Voluntary Agencies Cultural Orientation, medical screening and departure processing Reception and Placement : initial 30-90 days in U.S. Interim Cash and Medical Assistance Employment services, ESL, medical screening, recertification Specialized programs: Microenterprise Development, IDA, Survivors of Torture Department of Health & Human Services, Office of Refugee Resettlement
ORR s Village 9 national voluntary agencies 350 affiliated resettlement agencies Several hundred ECBOs 49 SRCs plus 49 SRHCs Several affinity groups (ARHC, SCORR, RCUSA, etc.) Plus, Mayors; Governors; local City Councils; public schools systems; Human Services offices; members of the business community; health care workers, and volunteers.
ORR State-Administered Services Each State has a State Refugee Coordinator and often a State Refugee Health Coordinator. The State Refugee Coordinator s office oversees services and refugee benefits to eligible clients in State and coordinates services within the State. Eligible clients are usually referred to State programs by voluntary agencies (volags).
Refugee Core Services Refugees are eligible for most of the same benefits as American citizens. Cash Assistance Medical Assistance Employment Housing Education Additional Social Services (Up to 5 years)
Refugee Mainstream Benefits Refugees are eligible for most of the same benefits as U.S. citizens, including: Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Medicaid Supplemental Social Security (SSI) -time limited before naturalization Food Stamps time limited as above For those categorically ineligible for these programs, ORR provides: Refugee Cash Assistance (RCA) Refugee Medical Assistance (RMA) RCA and RMA are available for up to 8 mos. from date of arrival/eligibility through the State Refugee office
State-Administered Social Services Refugees are eligible for social services for the first five years after arrival in the U.S. Services are provided in a linguistically and culturally appropriate manner, consistent with the refugees backgrounds, and include: Employment Services English as a Second Language Orientation Transportation Interpretation and Translation Skills / Vocational Training Health-related Services Recertification for professionals
ORR Funding by State http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/orr/state-programs-annual-overview
Special Programs for Refugees INDIVIDUAL DEVELOPMENT ACCOUNTS (IDA) PROGRAM MICROENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT: HOME BASED CHILD CARE PROGRAM ORR s Home-Based Childcare Program provides business opportunities to refugee women. Its focus is on childcare mentoring programs that will facilitate their integration into U.S. cultural norms and State Childcare requirements. The IDA program is modeled on ACF s Assets for Independence (AFI) savings program, which allows refugees to save for home or auto purchases, or pay for higher education expenses. Cecilia Johnson and her three children came to the U.S. in May, 2004 from Liberia as refugees. In February 2009 she bought a house where she and her family now live.
Other Initial Services Ethnic Community Self Help Program Grants to local community organizations for services, to build bridges among newcomer refugee communities and existing community resources Refugee Agricultural Partnership Program Provides new opportunities for self-sufficiency for refugees in agriculture and rural entrepreneurship
Collaboration Example: The Minnesota Model Community Action Agency and ORR Social Service Providers support services to: Support Partnerships with Schools / school readiness and after school programs Foster Translation and Support Services Community Emergency Services
Shared Areas of Support Services ORR Services are time-limited. Long term service needs include: Housing Employment Career Advancement / Vocational Training Financial Literacy Transportation Energy
Opportunities to Collaborate Visit ORR s website & click on the map to find refugee service providers, the State Refugee Coordinator (SRC) & others in your area: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/orr/stateprograms-annual-overview Participate in local quarterly refugee stakeholder meetings contact SRC for more info Collaborate with refugee service providers to provide information on services in the community. Reach out to refugees service providers to partner on upcoming initiatives and events. Partner with ORR ECBO. 23
Questions to Ask: Are we including all relevant populations particularly the most vulnerable and underserved/underrepresented such as refugees in our initiatives, discussions, events, agendas, listservs or meetings with federal, regional, and state/local partners? Are we including refugees in strategic plans and other agency communication? Are we including refugee stakeholders in public engagement/outreach initiatives? Are we considering refugee stakeholders as representatives in relevant boards, committees, and councils?
What Happens to Refugees Not Resettled? Photo courtesy: UNHCR Dadaab Refugee Camp Complex - Kenya
Dadaab Refugee Camp Kenya Photo courtesy: UNHCR
Sahar Aldurobi, from Iraq Resettled to Oklahoma in 2009
For more information, visit ORR s website at: www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/orr/