Domestic Resettlement Program

Refugee Appropriations

In FY 1999, the refugee and entrant assistance program was funded under the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Act. In addition to this appropriation of $414.8 million, States received permission to spend prior year unexpended funds. At the end of the year, $15.8 million in FY 1999 appropriated funds remained unobligated.

Three Program Approaches to Domestic Resettlement

The domestic refugee program consists of three separate resettlement approaches:

(1) the State-administered program,

(2) the Wilson/Fish program, and

(3) the Match Grant program.

(1) State-Administered Program

Overview

Federal resettlement assistance to refugees is provided primarily through a State-administered refugee resettlement program. States provide transitional cash and medical assistance and social services to refugees, as well as maintain legal responsibility for the care of unaccompanied refugee children.

Cash and Medical Assistance

Needy refugees who meet the eligibility requirements for the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program, and the Medicaid program may receive benefits under these programs. Those who do not qualify for the TANF, SSI, or Medicaid programs, but who meet the income and resource eligibility standards of these programs, may receive special Refugee Cash Assistance (RCA) and Refugee Medical Assistance (RMA) through the refugee program during their first eight months in the U.S. Due to insufficient funding, ORR does not reimburse States for their costs of the TANF, SSI, and Medicaid programs.

In FY 1999, $177.2 million was appropriated for these maintenance activities. Of this, ORR obligated $167.2 million to reimburse States for their full costs for the RCA and RMA programs and associated State administrative costs. Cash and medical assistance allocations for each State are presented in the table on pages 8 and 9.

Social Services

ORR provides funding for a broad range of social services to refugees, both through States and in some cases through direct service grants, for the purpose of helping refugees to obtain employment and achieve economic self-sufficiency and social adjustment as quickly as possible. After deducting set asides mandated by Congress, ORR, as in previous fiscal years, allocated 85 percent ($68.8 million) of the social service funds on a formula basis ORR supplemented its FY 1999 $68.8 million formula award with $20 million in unexpended prior year funds. ORR also funded a special social service set-aside under which States provided (1) outreach and referral services to ensure access for eligible refugees to the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) and other programs for low-income working populations, and (2) specialized interpreter training and the hiring of interpreters to enable refugees equal access to medical and legal services.

Altogether, through both current year appropriations and prior year funds, ORR obligated $104.3 million for formula social services. Program obligations varied
according to each State’s proportion of total refugee arrivals during the previous three fiscal years. States with small refugee populations received a minimum of $75,000 in social service funds. Of total social service funds, ORR obligated $101.3 million to States under the State-administered program and $3.1 million to other agencies through privately administered Wilson/ Fish and other alternative programs.

In addition to these funds, ORR obligated about $99.6 million in social services funds to discretionary programs. A discussion of these discretionary awards may be found beginning on page 24.

Targeted Assistance

The targeted assistance program funds employment and other services for refugees and entrants who reside in local areas of high need. These areas are defined as counties or contiguous county areas with unusually large refugee and entrant populations, high refugee or entrant concentrations in relation to the overall population, or high use of public assistance. Such counties need supplementation of other available service resources to help the local refugee or entrant population obtain employment with less than one year’s participation in the program.

In FY 1999, ORR obligated $49.5 million for targeted assistance activities for refugees and entrants. Of this, $44.5 million was awarded by formula to 29 States on behalf of the 50 counties eligible for targeted assistance grants. States in the State-administered program received $43.4 million of these funds, and the remaining formula funds were allocated to State-wide Wilson/Fish alternative programs. An additional $4.9 million was allocated to communities in the form of discretionary grants through the Targeted Assistance Ten Percent program. A discussion of these discretionary awards may be found beginning on page 29.

The table on pages 8 and 9 presents the amount of funds awarded to each State under the formula allocation program. The amounts for individual counties are provided in the table on the right.

Unaccompanied Minors

ORR continued its support of care for unaccompanied refugee minors in the U.S. These children, who are identified in countries of first asylum as requiring foster care upon their arrival in this country, are sponsored through two national voluntary agencies—the United States Catholic Conference (USCC) and Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS)—and placed in licensed child welfare programs operated by their local affiliates, Catholic Charities and Lutheran Social Services, respectively.

Each refugee minor in the care of this program is eligible for the same range of child welfare benefits as non-refugee children in the State. Where possible, the child is placed with a local affiliate of USCC and LIRS in an area with nearby families of the same ethnic background. Depending on their individual needs, the minors are placed in home foster care, group care, independent living, or residential treatment. ORR reimburses costs incurred on behalf of each child until the month after his eighteenth birthday or such higher age as is permitted under the State’s Plan under title IV-B of the Social Security Act.

Since January 1979, a total of 11,588 children have entered the program through local affiliates in 41 States. Of these, 1,383 subsequently were reunited with family and 9,884 reached the age of emancipation. At the end of FY 1999, only 240 minors remained in the program. The number leaving the program by reaching the age of majority continues to accelerate. As a result, programs in 21 States have already phased out.

• increasing refugee self-sufficiency,
• avoiding welfare dependency, and
• increasing coordination among service providers and resettlement agencies.

• Preclusion of otherwise eligible refugees from public assistance, with cash and/or medical assistance provided instead through specially designed alternative projects.
  
  
• Creation of a "front-loaded" service system which provides intensive services to refugees in the early months after arrival with an emphasis on early employment.
  
  
• Integration of case management, cash assistance, and employment services generally under a single private agency that is equipped to work with refugees.
  
  
• Development of mechanisms for closer monitoring of refugee progress, including a more effective sanctioning system.