Refugee Assistance
Refugee
assistance provides benefits and services to refugees admitted
to the United States. Refugees are those who have a well-founded
fear of persecution in their country of origin because of race,
religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group
or political opinion. Eligibility for Office of Refugee Resettlement
(ORR)-funded benefits and services extends to refugees, asylees,
Cuban and Haitian entrants, certain Amerasians from Vietnam,
victims of a severe form of trafficking and specified family
members of trafficking victims.
In order
to be admitted to the United States, a refugee usually must
have a special tie to the U.S., such as former employment by
the U.S. government or a U.S. company, previous education, close
relatives living in the U.S. and/or persecution specifically
related to an individual’s association with the U.S. government.
Refugees may also be admitted on humanitarian grounds.
ORR provides
funds for the following programs: cash and medical assistance,
social services (including employment services), preventive
health services, the voluntary agency matching grant program,
the targeted assistance program, the victims of torture program
and the Wilson/Fish alternative program.
Funding
is available through discretionary grants for services. Public
and private non-profit organizations are eligible to apply for
discretionary grants. States receive formula grants for social
services and are reimbursed 100 percent for their costs of cash
and medical assistance.
Contact
Information:
Office
of Refugee Resettlement
370 L’Enfant Promenade, S.W.
8th Floor West
Washington, D.C. 20447
Telephone: 202-401-9246
Fax: 202-401-0981
Website: www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/orr/index.html
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Keywords:
refugee
assistance; social services.
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