Enter Search Term Go Button Advanced Search

Annual ORR Reports to Congress - 1999

Discretionary Grants

Alternative Projects for Comprehensive Refugee Resettlement Services

In FY 1999, eight grants totaling $8,143,592 were awarded for Alternative Projects for Comprehensive Refugee Resettlement Services. Alternative Projects are designed to provide interim financial assistance, support services, and case management to newly arriving refugees in a manner that encourages refugee self-sufficiency and that fosters coordination among resettlement agencies and other service providers. Under this program the following agencies received funding:

• Catholic Charities, Diocese of San Diego, California, in partnership with International Rescue Committee, Jewish Family Services, and Alliance for African Assistance, was awarded $2,600,000.

• Colorado Department of Human Services, in partnership with Lutheran Refugee Services, Ecumenical Refugee Services, Jewish Family Services, Rocky Mountain Survivor Center, and Spring Institute for International Studies; was awarded $1,793,435.

• Mountain States Group, Inc.; Idaho, in partnership with World Relief, Immigration and Refugee Services, and Episcopal Migration Ministries, was awarded $943,737.

• Catholic Community Services of Baton Rouge, Inc., Louisiana; was awarded $253,867.

• Maryland Department of Human Resources, in partnership with International Rescue Committee, Lutheran Social Services, Immigration and Refugee Services of America, and Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, was awarded $699,502.

• North Dakota Department of Human Services, in partnership with Lutheran Social Services, was awarded $420,633.

• Associated Catholic Charities, Oklahoma, in partnership with the YWCA, was awarded $235,520.

• Immigration and Refugee Services of America\Vermont Refugee Resettlement Program was awarded $1,196,898.

The Alternative projects located in Colorado, Idaho, North Dakota, Oklahoma, and Vermont are Statewide projects; the projects in San Diego, California; Baton Rouge, Louisiana and Baltimore, serve specific localities. The eight projects are implementing a range of approaches to providing coordinated interim financial assistance and services as well as a range of employment incentives to encourage early employment. In all projects, financial assistance and services are provided both to refugees who are eligible for RCA and to refugees who are eligible for (TANF)

FY 1999 Community Service Employment Program

ORR instituted a new grant program, Community Service Employment (CSE), in FY 1998. There are communities across this country with large concentration of refugees, many of whom entered the United States over a decade ago. For some refugees, language skills, cultural barriers, the lack of financial resources, and years of relying on public assistance have isolated them from the mainstream, limited their employment opportunities, and hindered integration into American communities. ORR awarded $11,583,765 to seven continuation and four new grantees to provide community service employment for refugees who have experienced long-term difficulties in assimilation into American communities. The grants increased support to communities with large concentrations of refugees whose cultural differences made assimilation especially difficult.

The eleven grantees are:

Continuations

• Arab American & Chaldean Council, Lathrup Village, MI, $214,000.
• Cambodian Association of America, Inc., Long Beach, CA, $3,815,093
• Cambodian MAA of Greater Lowell, Inc., $263,000.
• Fresno County Economic Opportunities Commission, Fresno, CA, $3,785,359.
• Jewish Vocational Service, Kansas City, MO, $443,195.
• LaMaestra Family Clinic, Inc., San Diego, CA, $723,118.
• Wisconsin Dept. of Workforce Development, Madison, WI, $723,118.

New

• Lutherian Social Services of New England, Inc., Natick, MA, $452,804
• Cambodian Community of Greater Fall River, Inc., Fall River, MA, $423,844
• Merced Lao Family Community, Inc. of Merced, CA, $489,500
• Lao Khmu Association, Inc. of Stockton, CA, $306,898

Preventive Health

ORR published a new program announcement in FY 1999. Applicants were designated by State Refugee Corrdinators' or governors' offices. Thirty-seven projects were funded through awards totaling $4,670,105 to 36 States and the City of New York Department of Health. Through this program, ORR ensures outreach and access for newly arrived refugees to screening for contagious diseases.

The actual refugee health screening is billed either to Medicaid or RMA depending on eligibility and time of screening. In some areas, follow-up, treatment, and informational services were also provided through the preventive health funds. State Refugee Coordinators reported 58,742 preventive health screenings provided with RMA reimbursement in FY 1999.

Individual Development Account Program

Individual development accounts are matched savings accounts available for the purchase of specific assets. Under this program, the matching funds, together with the refugee's own savings, are available for fulfilling one (or more) of five savings goals. The five savings goals are: (1) home purchase or renovation; (2) microenterprise capitalization; (3) education or training; (4) purchase of an automobile if necessary to maintain or upgrade employment; and (5) purchase of a computer in support of a refugee's education or training.

Under the ORR-funded program, grantees provide matched savings accounts to refugees whose income is less than 200 percent of the poverty level and whose assets, exclusive of a personal residence, are less than $10,000. Grantees may provide matches of up to $2 for every $1 deposited by a refugee in a savings account. The total match amount provided may not exceed $2,000 for individuals or $4,000 for households. Upon entering an IDA program, a refugee signs a savings plan agreement. The agreement specifies the Savings Goal, the match rate, and the amount the refugee will save each month.

The IDA grantees also provide basic financial training to the refugees who enroll. The financial training is intended to assist refugees in understanding the American financial system. The IDA grantees also provide training focused on the specific savings goals. The specialized training ensures that refugees receive appropriate information on purchasing and managing their savings goal. For example, training is provided on how to purchase a home and refugees saving to start a microenterprise are assisted in developing business plans.

In FY 1999, ORR awarded grants totaling $5,324,364 to sixteen non-profit organizations to establish Individual Development Account (IDA) programs for refugees. The IDA grantees are located in California, Florida, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Washington, and Wisconsin.

The following agencies received grants under this program:

• Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County, San José, California was awarded $252,320.

• Catholic Charities/Diocese of San Diego, San Diego, California was awarded $270,445.

• El Rescate, Los Angeles, California was awarded $311,306.

• Fresno County Economic Opportunities Commission, Inc., Fresno, California was awarded $262,461.

• Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Miami, Inc., Florida was awarded $400,000.

• Lutheran Social Services of Northeast Florida, Jacksonville, Florida was $400,000.

• Institute for Social and Economic Development, Iowa City, Iowa was awarded $400,000.

• Jewish Family and Vocational Service, Louisville, Kentucky was awarded $449,000.
• International Institute of Metropolitan St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri was awarded $162,010.

• New York Association of New Americans, Inc., New York, New York was awarded $400,000.

• Jewish Family Services, Columbus, Ohio was awarded $262,500.

• Lutheran Family Service of Oregon and Southwest Washington, Portland, Oregon was awarded $118,051.

• Women's Opportunities Resource Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania was $400,000.

• Alliance for Multicultural Community Services, Houston, Texas was awarded $436,271.

• Lao Family Community, Inc., Milwaukee, Wisconsin was awarded $400,000.

• Wisonsin Community Action Program Association, Inc., Madison, Wisconsin was awarded $400,000.

Summary Of Targeted Asistance Discretionary Grants FY 1999

TAG Ten Percent Employment - Continuations

ORR awarded 26 grants totaling $11,212,491 to States to implement special employment services which cannot be met with formula social services or with TAG formula grants.

• Twelve distinct projects providing employment and microenterprise development services, California, $2,401,564

• English language training/technical assistance, Colorado, $ 351,355

• Enhanced employment services, Florida , $200,000

• Language & employment for older persons, women, youth, families in remote areas, Idaho, $231,577

• Coalition providing electronic assembly training & placement; Illinois
• JVS providing job placement services, $420,000

• Specialized employment services, Iowa, $200,000

• Collaboration providing microenterprise development, Kentucky, $120,000

• Catholic Charities of New Orleans; VESL project, Louisiana, $ 113,907

• Collaboration providing employment and family strengthening services, Maine, $ 100,000

• ESL for elderly refugees, Maryland , $ 131,003

• Two distinct projects: 1 provides a continuum of services to Cambodian families & 1 microenterprise training and loan program, Massachusetts , $ 853,600

• Two distinct projects: 1 providing employment services and 1 providing a range of services to refugees, Michigan, $ 398,730

• Nursing Assistant Training, Minnesota, $119,533

• Employment services and a range of educational services, Mississippi, $ 100,000

• Range of services to refugees in the City of St. Louis, Missouri, $200,000

• Collaboration providing employment services and community education, New Jersey, $$299,122

• Microenterprise development project, New York, $ 124,688

• Coalition providing microenterprise development, North Carolina, $ 121,864

• Collaborative effort providing job linking services, North Dakota, $ 212,500

• Collaboration providing a microenterprise development program, Oregon , $ 176,247

• Collaboration of Mutual Assistance Associations providing employment and training, Pennsylvania, $ 220,000

• Range of services provided by Lutheran Social Services, South Dakota, $ 120,000

• Joint venture providing microenterprise development, Tennessee, $ 160,934

• Refugee family violence project, Texas , $171,952
• Employment service projects; one for youth, one for women, youth/young adults, Washington, $367,425

• Collaboration providing an array of self-sufficiency services, Wisconsin, $3,373,582

Microenterprise Development Initiative

In FY 1999, ORR awarded 16 continuation awards, consisting of eight direct grant awards and eight as part od a State's targeted assistance grant award. In addition, ORR arwarded one third-year grant to provide technical assistance to ORR microenterprise grantees. The awards totaled $2,380,112. The awards to direct grantees for the and final project year totaled $940,167. The eight awards for the second and final project year totaled $1,332,945. The grant for technical assistance was $107,000.

These projects are intended for recently arrived refugees on public assistance who either possess few personal assets or lack a credit history meeting commercial lending standards. They are also intended for refugees who have been in the U.S. for several years and who wish to supplement salaried income. Microenterprise projects typically include components of training and techical assistance in business skills, credit, administration of revolving loan funds, and business management seminars.

Since the program's inception in September 1991, ORR has provided funding for 17 three-year microenterprise development projects that have achieved outcomes accumulated from the beginning of the program to September 30, 1998.

Client Businesses: Seven hundred ninety-eight (798) businesses have been developed under this program. Of these, 639 were new businesses and 159 were expansions of existing businesses. Fifty-three percent of the businesses were in service industries, 24 percent in retail, and 10 percent were in manufacturing. Eighty-nine (89) percent were still operating at the end of September 30, 1999.

Loan Funds: Since 1991, the ORR programs generated funds for loans that totaled $3,012,118, representing 414 business loans at an average loan amount of $7,276 to refugee entrepeneurs. ORR provided $1,182,215 of this amount in loan capital, leveraging an additional $1,829,903 in other sources of funding. The default rate was 1.6 percent of the amount of money loaned and 1.7 percent of the number of loans.

Client Characteristics: Over 4,617 refugees have participated in the training programs of groups or individual technical assistance. At the time of entry into training, 33 percent had been in the U.S. less than two years; 37 percent had been in the U.S. 2-5 years. Twenty-five percent had been in the U.S. over five years. About 64 percent were competent in English while 36 percent had little or no English language skills. The largest ethnic groups in the training classes were: Vietnamese (37 percent), Soviets (23 percent), Laotian (7 percent), Hmong (8 percent), Ethiopian (4 percent), Bosnian (4 percent), and Somali (2 percent).

Thirty-three (33) percent of the participants were women and 67 percent were men, with some clients not noted. Married clients equaled 68 percent and singled equaled 32. Thrity-seven percent had owned businesses prior to entry in to the ORR program program.

Grants have been awarded as follows:

Ethiopian CommunityDevelopment Council, Arlington, VA	$124,595
Fresno County Economic Opportunity Commission, Fresno, CA	$157,000
Costal Enterprises Portland, ME	$149,710
Chinatown Manpower Project New York, NY	$157,000
Jewish Family and Vocational Services of Middlesex County Edison, NJ	$88,862
New York Association for New Americans, New York, NY	$150,000
Economic and Employment Development Center, Los Angeles, CA	$120,000
Institute for Social and Economic Development, Iowa City, IA	$107,000
State of Wisconsin ADVOCAP, Inc; Community Action Programs Service, Inc; Wisconsin Dairyland Economic Opportunity Council; and Wisconsin United Coalition of Mutual Assistance Association	$300,000
State of California Fresno Economic Opportunities Commission	$224,700
Sacramento Employment and Training Agency in contract with Interfaith Service Bureau	$79,200
State of Massachussetts Jewish Vocational Service Center and Vietnamese Aid in Boston	$150,000
State of Oregon Mercy Corps International and International Refugee Center of OR	$176,247
State of Kentucky Catholic Charities of Louisville in contract with Jewish Family and Vocational Service in Louisville	$120,000
State of north Carolina Self-Help	$121,864
State of Tennessee World Relief in Nashville and Tennessee Network for Community Economic Development	$160,934

English Language Training (ELT), Technical Assistance

In FY 1999, under the Targeted Assistance Discretionary Grant Program, ORR provided $227,520 to the Colorado Refugee Services Program to subcontract to the Spring Institute for International Studies to continue the technical assistance and consultations to English language training (ELT) programs around the country. Technical assistance and training are provided by a network of seven partners including the Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL); the Refugee Education and Employment Program (REEP) in Virginia; the Minnesota Department of Children, Families and Learning; the Comprehensive Adult Student Assessment System (CASAS) in California; the International Institute of St. Louis, Missouri; the California Department of Social Services, Refugee Programs Branch; and the Spring Institute.

Community and Family Strengthening and Integration FY 1999 Funds

ORR provided 25 new grants and continued 14 additional projects, with awards totaling $7,809,075 to public and private non-profit organizations. Community and Family Strengthening and Integration projects are designed to serve refugees in the areas of English language training, parent-school relationships, intergenerational relationship, youth development, crime prevention, spouse and child abuse intervention, citizenship promotion, and community activities. These grantees committed to share up to 40 percent of the costs of these projects.

• Catholic Charities of Santa Clara -- education, support and counseling for Vietnamese families, California, $250,000

• International Rescue Committee, San Diego -- classes for mothers and children, California, $240,000

• International Rescue Committee/San Jose -- organizational development for Bosnian MAAs, California, $248,562

• Alliance for African Assistance, San Diego -- community strengthening, California, $160,000

• World Relief Corporation/Sacramento and Stockton -- life skills and literacy training for men, women, and youth, California, $350,000

• Jewish Family and Child Services, East Bay -- (with Afghan Coalition, Asian Community Mental Health Services, and Cambodian Council) youth leadership, women's development, intra-family violence intervention and volunteers, California, $286,148

• Jewish Family & Children/Great San Francisco -- family strengthening for former Soviet refugees through language and self-advocacy, California, $297,764

• Refugee Transitions/IRC San Francisco -- (with IRC) Bosnian literacy and community support in the East Bay area, California, $96,507

• SEARAC -- (with four local MAAs) community strengthening through SNAP (Successful New Americans Project), District of of Columbia, $299,995

• National Crime Prevention Council -- promote refugee law enforcement relations, reduce intra-family violence, and develop refugee youth leadership, National, $348,924

• Catholic Charities Legal Services, Inc., Miami -- community outreach, case management, and technical assistance regarding legal rights and services, Florida, $192,770
• Refugee Women's Network, Inc., Georgia, $362,805

• Bridging the Gap Project, Inc.., Atlanta -- liaison among refugees and law enforcement and public housing systems, Georgia, $249,522

• New Comer's Network, Atlanta -- school liaison for refugee youth, Georgia, $185,400

• Family Resource, Inc. -- language access and interpreter capacity-building, Iowa, $145,957

• Catholic Charities of Kansas -- youth services, Kansas, $88,698

• IRC/Boston -- school and youth support, Massachussetts, $200,000

• Association Advancement of Hmong Women, Twin cities -- (with Centre for Asian Pacific Islanders, Lao Assistance Center, Lao PTA, and Southeast Asian Community Council) family support and education services and access to public services through the development of bilingual case workers, Minnesota, $250,000

• International Institute, Minneapolis -- English training, parenting education, and citizenship preparation for Sudanese women, Minnesota

• Catholic Social Services, Charlotte -- ELT for homebound and after school mentoring programs for refugee youth, North Carolina, $107,500

• Lincoln Interfaith Council -- Iraqi community development and citizenship services, Nebraska, $137,063
• Southern Sudan Community Association -- community and family strengthening, Nebraska, $208,340

• Jewish Family and Vocational Service of North Middlesex county, New Jersey, 250,000

• Tolentine-Zeiser Community Life Center, Bronx, New York, $75,000

• NYANA -- comprehensive family programming for Bukharan refugee community, New York, $250,000

• HIAS, New York, $153,073

• Catholic Charities of Syracuse -- improves access to domestic violence intervention and parental understanding of child protective services. New York, $100,000

• International Institute of Buffalo (with Concerned Ecumenical Ministry) family services including domestic violence response, school liaison, and legal and immigration services, New York, $200,000

• National Coalition for Haitian Rights -- civil rights and responsibilities project to improve Haitian/law enforcement relations, New York, $250,000

• Jewish Family Services, Columbus -- (with Community Refugee and Immigration Services) parent-school liaison, family violence prevention and Somali youth services, Ohio. $154,447

• Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon (supporting Russian Oregon Social Services - ROSS) MAA - development to provide culturally and linguistically appropriate counseling, Oregon, $221,932

• IRCO-International Refugee Center -- domestic violence intervention, Oregon, $125,000

• International Institute of Erie -- child care development, Pennsylvania, $145,400

• City of Providence -- comprehensive Southeast Asian refugee youth services. Rhode Island, $250,000

• Refugee and Immigration Services -- school liaison and youth development, Virginia, $229,954

• Central Seattle Community Health Centers (with Refugee Women's Alliance and Somali Community Services) family and community strengthening for hard-to-serve refugees, Washington, $230,000

• Hmong Education Advancements, Milwaukee (With Hmong American Women's Association. University of Wisconsin-extension and Neighborhood House parenting and youth service, Wisconsin, $187,601

• Wausau Area Hmong MAA, Winconsin, $80,413

• Lacrosse Area Hmong MAA -- youth and family services, including gang prevention, citizenship and elderly programs, Wisconsin, $200,000

ORR Standing Announcement

In FY 1999 the Office of Refugee Resettlement, seeking to assure that refugees are welcomed in their U.S. communities of resettlement with sufficient services to begin their new lives, revised and reissued the standing announcement with the following categories: Category 1, Preferred Communities; Category 2, Unanticipated Arrivals; Category 3, Community Orientation; Category 5, Mental Health Services; and Category 6, Ethnic Community Organizations.

This announcement provides for two application dates each year, January 31 and June 30.

Category 1: Preferred Communities

In Category 1, ORR seeks to promote opportunities for refugee self-sufficiency and effective resettlement. To that end, funds are made available for grants to voluntary agencies to increase placements of newly arriving refugees in preferred communities where there is a history of low welfare utilization and a favorable earned income potential relative to the cost of living.

In FY 1999, ORR awarded ten continuation grants totaling $2,824,499 to national voluntary agencies to enhance entry level services in preferred communities with good employment opportunities needed by newly arriving refugees.

Two third-year continuations were awarded to the following:

• Immigration and Refugee Services of America, Colchester, VT; Manchester, NH; Twin Falls, ID; Erie, PA; Bowling Green, KY, $304,978

• United States Catholic Conference, Grand Rapids, MI; Lansing, MI; Lincoln, NE; Memphis TN; Mobile, AL; Phoenix, AZ; Pittsburgh, PA; Richmond, VA; Rockford, IL; Amarillo, TX, $345,636

Eight second-year continuations were awarded to:

• Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society: Episcopal Ministries, Concord and Franklin, NH; Fargo and Bismark, ND; Tucson, AZ; Boise, ID; and Lexington, KY, $473,124

• Ethiopian Community Development Council, Inc., Arlington, VA, $129,145

• Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, Tucson, AZ; Greensboro, NC; and Richmond, VA, $176,500

• International Rescue Committee, Tucson and Phoenix, AZ; and Atlanta, GA, $222,650

• International Rescue Committee, Dallas, TX; Baltimore, MD; Charlottesville, VA; and West New York, NJ, $276,703

• Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services, Sioux Falls, SD; Baltimore, MD; Atlanta, GA; Mechanicsburg, PA; Greensboro, NC; and Utica, NY, $402,039

• National Council of Churches/Church World Service, Grand Rapids, MI; New Windsor, MD; Houston, TX; Lincoln, NE; Austin, TX; and Buffalo, NY, $273,371

• World Relief Corporation, Atlanta, GA; Tampa, FL; and Nashville, TN, $220,353

Also, ORR awarded supplemental funding totaling $951,174, to provide special services under the Preferred Communities Initiative to newly arriving refugees that are HIV positive. These HIV sites are Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, Brooklyn, San Diego, and Minneapolis.

Category 2: Unanticipated Arrivals

The Unanticipated Arrivals program is intended to provide resources that bridge the gap between the arrival of refugees and the time when their numbers are included in the population-based formula social service funds. Situations that Unanticipated Arrivals funding are intended to mediate include those where bilingual staff are needed for new arrivals, where refugee services do not exist, and where available services are not sufficient to meet the needs of the additional refugees.

In FY 1999, ORR awarded thirteen grants totaling $2,539,101 to provide services for a significant and unanticipated increase in the number of arriving refugees. They are as follows:

• Alliance for Multicultural Community Services, Texas, $168,000; to provide case management and employment services to Kosovar refugees in Houston

• Church Avenue Merchants Association, New York, $209,550; to provide intensive case management, language interpretation and social adjustment services to Kosovar refugees in New York City

• Dane County Human Services, Wisconsin, $161,500; to provide intensive case management, ESL, and employment assistance to Kosovar refugees in Madison

• Hennepin County Welfare Department, Minnesota, $250,000; to provide outreach and linkage to county and community resources to assist East African refugees and secondary migrants from Somalia and Ethiopia in resettlement in Minneapolis

• International Institute of Minnesota, $250,528; to provide case management, community orientation, and employment services to newly arriving and secondary migrant African refugees (including Somalis and Ethiopians) in Minneapolis/St Paul

• International Institute of New Hampshire, Manchester, New Hampshire, $173,619; to provide culturally and linguistically appropriate services to address issues facing African refugees in the following areas: ESL, health, orientation, legal issues, social adjustment, and employment

• International Rescue Committee, Arizona, $109,115; to provide enhanced orientation, employment counseling, assistance with medical appointments, housing, and school registration and benefit applications for Kosovar refugees resettling in Phoenix

• International Rescue Committee, Georgia, $158,952; to provide extended social adjustment services, medical and employment-related interpretation, ESL, and child care for Kosovar refugees in Atlanta

• International Rescue Committee, New York, $395,072; to provide case management, ESL, employment services, community outreach, and assistance with immigration issues and translation services to Kosovar refugees resettling in New York

• Jewish Family Services, Inc., Wisconsin, $226,617; to provide case management, interpreter services, ESL, employment, mental health, and advocacy to Bosnians and Kosovar refugees in Milwaukee.

• Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services, New York, $262,892; to provide VESL classes in Staten Island, Queens, and Manhattan to refugees from Sierra Leone and Liberia, as well as culturally and linguistically appropriate case management, employment services, and transportation.

• Tolentine Zeiser Community Life Center, Inc. New York; $101,616; to provide orientation and related services, interpreter services for medical care, hospitals, and mental health services, child care services, and pre-employment counseling to Kosovar refugees in the Bronx.

• Western Kentucky Mutual Assistance Association, Kentucky, $71,640; to provide case management, ESL, and employment services to Kosovar refugees resettling in Bowling Green.

Category 3: Community Orientation

In FY 1999, ORR funded 11 community orientation projects (4 new and 7 continuations) for a total $1,298,669. These are:

• Lutheran Family Services of Oregon, Portland, OR, $100,000; to provide orientation to newly arriving--18 months or less-- refugees on health and social services available in Oregon and Southwest Washington to ensure access to these services. The project will serve as a bridge between refugee communities and health and social service providers. The majority of the targeted refugees are Russians, with a small number of Bosnians.

• National Alliance of Vietnamese-American Service Agencies (NAVASA) in cooperation with five local Vietnamese mutual assistance associations (St Paul, MN; Springfield, MA; Oklahoma City, OK; Montgomery County, MD; and San Francisco, CA), $260,000; to provide orientation and social adjustment services to newly arriving Vietnamese refugees admitted under the Resettlement of Vietnamese Returnees (ROVR) provision. With local staff's training and supervision, volunteer mentors will be recruited to assist new refugees.

• U.S. Catholic Conference (USCC) Las Vegas, NV; Lansing, MI; and St Louis, MO, $69,423; to incorporate orientation materials into ESL classes for newly arriving refugees in Las Vegas; provide additional focus on at-risk refugees, such as women, elderly and disabled refugees, in Lansing; and assist Bosnian refugees in St. Louis.

• HIAS for Phoenix. AZ, $27,313; to design, test, and implement an orientation curriculum appropriate to newly arriving African refugees. The new curriculum will be made available to other service providers.

Seven community orientation projects, funded in 1998, were provided continuation grants in FY 1999:

• Kurdish Human Rights Watch, Inc. (KHRW), Fairfax, VA, $102,597; to provide cultural orientation to newly arriving Kurdish refugees and assylees at 18 sites throughout the U.S., and to conduct cross-cultural training for refugees service providers. Staff from KHRW offices in Fairfax, VA and San Diego provide services.

• International Service Center, Harrisburg, PA $170,628; to provide culturally and linguistically appropriate orientation programs for newly arriving refugees and cultural awareness training for service providers; to identify and provide specialized orientation for new ethnic communities and at-risk refugees such as the elderly, homebound women and youth.

• Ethiopian Community Development Council, Inc., Arlington, VA, $105,000; to provide culturally and linguistically appropriate orientation and training to newly arrived refugees; to conduct orientation for service providers and to promote the integration of the refugees through various media and activities involving interaction between the refugees and the community at large.

• The African Community Resource Center (ACRC), Los Angeles, CA $150,000; to influence orientation and youth project for African refugee youth 12-18 years of age who are resettled in two sites: Los Angeles and San Diego, CA.
• Ethiopian Community Development Center (ECDC), Virginia $105,000; to conduct outreach to newly arrived refugees from Africa via a weekly radio program, monthly newsletter, cross-cultural orientation to 200 refugees, and workshops for service providers. A mentoring program will be established between arriving African refugee families and African-American families.

• USCC/Washington, D.C. National Office $111,963; to fund four affiliates for delivery of outreach and orientation services to newly arrived refugees and to provide a mechanism for the new ethnic organizations to develop their own community organizations. The four affiliates are located in Atlanta, GA; Portland, ME; Baton Rouge, LA; San Diego, CA.

• USCC/Washington, D.C., National Office, $117,521; to fund three affiliates in Louisville, KY; Orlando, FL; and Phoenix, AZ for delivery of outreach and orientation services to newly arrived refugees.

Category 4: Technical Assistance for Employment Services

In a continuing effort to improve employment services and to increase the capacity of employment service providers to help refugees attain employment, ORR awarded a cooperative agreement to Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services, New York, New York for $256,014 for technical assistance and training to refugee employment service providers. Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services, in collaboration with their subcontractor, Refugee Works, provides technical assistance and training nationwide to refugee employment service providers. Technical assistance was provided by identifying model and best practices for providing employment services to refugees, by conducting on-site analysis of employment services and providing the TA needed to improve outcomes, and by providing training in basic employment services skills to newly hired or less experienced staff, to agencies experiencing staff turnover, or to agencies which lack expertise in employment services.

Category 5: Mental Health

Newly arriving refugees come with anticipation of their new lives. They also have difficult adjustments with the resettlement experience. Some arrive having experienced severe trauma related to their flight. ORR supported the following activities under the Mental Health program: 1) training and ongoing consultation for direct service workers to increase their knowledge and skill in working with refugees experience distress, 2) orientation programs for refugees to U.S. mental health services, 3) orientation for mainstream mental health professionals to refugees and refugee programs, and 4) clinical services to refugees of populations new to U.S. communities where there is little understood about their cultures and mental health characteristics.

Awards under the mental health program were given to:

• East Dallas Counseling Center, Dallas, TX $133,185
• Survivors International of San Francisco, San Francisco, CA $ 62,966
• Catholic Social Services, Archdiocese of Mobile, Mobile AL $ 31,439
• United States Catholic Conference, Washington, DC $ 30,442
• Catholic Charities of Syracuse, Syracuse, NY $ 25,000
• Catholic Charities of Portland, Portland, ME $ 29,560
• Child & Family Services of the Pioneer Valley, Spreingfield, MA $119,622
• Catholic Charities of Boston, Boston, MA $35,457
• Bethany Christian Services of Grand Rapids, Grand Rapids, MI $150,000
• International Institute of New Jersey, Newark, NJ $131,620
• International Institutte of Boston, Boston, MA $272,117
• Arab-American & Chaldean Council, Southfield, MI $250,000
• Catholic Charities of San Diego, San Diego, CA $106,427
• Center for Victims of Torture $200,000
• Alliance for African Assistance $100,000
• United States Catholic Conference $77,228

Richmond, VA affiliate

• International Rescue Committee $84,229 Phoenix, AZ affiliate
• Hmong National Development $31,000
• Asian Americans for Community Involvement $128,861
• Lutheran Family Services of OR & SW WA $55,431
• United States Catholic Conference $126,660
• Affiliates in Louisville, KY and Davenport, IA
• Khmer Health Advocates $63,220
• Chicago Health Outreach $100,000
• Victims Services $298,921
• Regents of the University of Minnesota $168,144
• New York School of Medicine/Bellevue Hospital $199,864
• Immigration and Refugee Services of America $350,000
• Mountain States Group of Boise, ID $135,179
• Jewish Family Services of Gulf Coast, Clearwater, FL $91,799
• PA Department of Public Welfare $182,500

Category 6: Ethnic Community Organizations

ORR supported five national and 8 local ethnic organizational projects with awards, totaling $1,963,978. The organizations provided self-help networks, developed newsletters and web sites to enhance ethnic community communication, and conducted needs assessments and leadership training as follows:

Nationals

• Kurdish Human Rights Watch, Vienna, VA -- $300,000
• Ethiopian Community Development Center, Arlington, VA -- $175,000
• Free Iraq Foundation, Washington, DC -- $223,890
• National Coalition for Haitian Rights, New York, NY -- $170,000
• Kurdish Human Rights Watch San Diego, CA -- $134,164
• Bay Area Somali Consortium, CA -- $103,365
• Somalian Women's Association, Minneapolis, MN -- $155,000
• Iraqi Community Association of San Francisco, CA -- $189,634
• Mohauk Valley Resource Center, NY, Bosnian organizing -- $68, 400
• ROZA Promotions, Staten Island, NY, Liberian organizing -- $100,000

Other

ORR has awarded additional, unrelated grants, contracts and interagency agreement grants totaling $479,194 to support the services awards granted above.

• SEARAC, Washington, DC, Conference for contract, planning and support, $358,194

• Arnold H. Leibowitz for a study on citizenship as it relates to current refugee populations, $21,000

• Victim Services Inc, specialized services for survivors of torture who seek treatment in the greater New York City area, $100,000

Kosovar Refugee Emergency Grants

ORR awarded $3,112,944 to public and private non-profit agencies who resettle newly arriving refugees under a Reception and Placement cooperative agreement with the Department of State to augment the refugee resettlement program for Kosovar refugees.

The following national voluntary agencies received Kosovo Refugee Emergency Grants:

• Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society: Episcopal Ministries, $180,000
• Ethiopian Community Development Council, Inc., $190,000
• Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, $200,000
• Iowa Department of Human Services, $409,500
• International Rescue Committee, $373,750
• Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, $413,000
• National Council of Churches/Church World Service, $257,860
• United States Catholic Conference, $776,250
• World Relief Corporation, $260,214

This is a Historical Document.