 Annual ORR Reports to Congress - 2000
Discretionary Grants
Alternative Projects for Comprehensive Refugee Resettlement Services
In FY 2000, ORR awarded eight continuation grants totaling $9,075,883 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, $3,619,950
· 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, $1,905,000
· Mountain States Group of Boise, Idaho in partnership with World Relief, Immigration and Refugee Services, and Episcopal Migration Ministries, $974,584
· Catholic Community Services of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, $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, $800,000
· North Dakota Department of Human Services, in partnership with Lutheran Social Services, $475,000
· Associated Catholic Charities, Oklahoma, in partnership with the YWCA, $102,520
· Immigration and Refugee Services of America/Vermont Refugee Resettlement Program, $944,962
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 (Maryland) serve specific localities. The eight projects implemented 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 were provided both to refugees who are eligible for RCA and to refugees who are eligible for TANF.
Community Service Employment Program
In FY 2000, ORR awarded eleven Community Service Employment (CSE) grants totaling $11,162,769. 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. These subsidized employment grants assist refugees who have experienced long-term difficulties in assimilation into American communities.
The following eleven organizations received CSE grants:
· Arab American and Chaldean Council, Lathrup Village, Michigan, $456,000
· Cambodian Association of America of Long Beach, California, $2,661,969
· Cambodian MAA of Greater Lowell, Massachusetts, $1,500,000
· Fresno County Economic Opportunities Commission of Fresno, California, $816,300
· Jewish Vocational Services of Kansas City, Missouri, $247,597
· La Maestra Family Clinic, San Diego, California, $1,400,000
· Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development, $1,999,530
· Lutheran Social Services of New England, Natick, Massachusetts, $452,804
· Cambodian Community of Greater Fall River, Fall River, Massachusetts, $500,000
· Merced Lao Family Community, Merced, California, $489,500
· Lao Khmu Association, Stockton, California, $639,069
ORR provided continuation funding to thirty-seven projects. Awards to 36 States and the City of New York Department of Health totaled $4,716,155. 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 Refugee Medical Assistance (RMA) depending on eligibility and time of screening. In some areas, interpretation, follow-up, treatment, and informational services were also provided through the preventive health funds. State Refugee Coordinators reported a total of 52,322 preventive health screenings provided with RMA reimbursement in FY 2000.
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: home purchase or renovation; microenterprise capitalization; education or training; purchase of an automobile, if necessary to maintain or upgrade employment; and 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 goals. For example, the grantees are provided training on how to purchase a home and how to develop a business plan for a microenterprise.
In FY 2000, ORR awarded grants totaling $10,095,171 to the following 29 non-profit organizations to establish IDA programs for refugees:
· International Rescue Committee, Phoenix, Arizona, $199,871
· Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County, San Jose, California, $241,638
· Catholic Charities/Diocese of San Diego, San Diego, California, $852,600
· El Rescate, Los Angeles, California, $1,607
· Fresno County Economic Opportunities Commission, Fresno, California, $250,000
· International Rescue Committee, San Diego, California, $350,045
· United Community Resources Agency, Los Angeles, California, $300,000
· Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Miami, $400,000
· Catholic Charities, Diocese of St. Petersburg, St. Petersburg, Florida, $318,960
· Lutheran Social Services of Northeast Florida, Jacksonville, Florida, $400,000
· Lutheran Ministries of Georgia, Atlanta, Georgia, $400,000
· Mountain States Group of Boise, Idaho, $53,907
· Institute for Social and Economic Development, Coralville, Iowa, $500,000
· Jewish Family and Vocational Services, Louisville, Kentucky, $449,000
· International Institute of Boston, Boston, Massachusetts, $213,333
· International Institute of Metropolitan St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, $298,030
· Lincoln Action Program, Lincoln, Nebraska, $100,000
· Catholic Charities of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse, Syracuse, New York, $225,253
· Chinatown Manpower Project, New York, New York, $200,000
· International Institute of Buffalo, Buffalo, New York, $105,577
· New York Association for New Americans, New York, New York, $720,515
· World Relief, Nashville, Tennessee, $99,161
· Jewish Family Services, Columbus, Ohio, $507,500
· Lutheran Family Service of Oregon and Southwest Washington, Portland, Oregon, $118,051
· Women's Opportunities Resource Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, $400,000
· Alliance for Multicultural Community Services, Houston, Texas, $1,261,620
· Ethiopian Community Development Council, Arlington, Virginia, $328,503
· Lao Family Community, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, $400,000
· Wisconsin Community Action Program Association, Madison, Wisconsin, $400,000
Targeted Assistance Discretionary Grants
ORR awarded 13 grants totaling $7,908,354 to States to implement special employment services not implemented with formula social services or with TAG formula grants.
· Florida ($243,790) for interpretation/ translation, community outreach, employment counseling, and case management.
· Maryland ($233,821) for orientation and acculturation and for English and civics courses for women between the age of 18 and 80.
· Louisiana ($164,801) for computer-assisted language learning and literacy.
· Michigan ($637,749) for community orientation, social/employment services, and vocational ESL.
· Mississippi ($150,000) for job placement, vocational ELT, and community orientation.
· Minnesota ($3,575) for community services for the deaf, academic ELT for medical career advancement, nursing assistant training, ELT exchange programs for youth, and community orientation for Somalis.
· Oregon ($250,000) for work site assistance with language and vocational training.
· Illinois ($274,578) for parenting and domestic violence prevention, ESL classes for adult and children after school, and electronic assembly training classes.
· California ($949,649) for employment assistance for youth and parents, family violence prevention, family day care and literacy training, licensed vocational nurse training, employment and placement services.
· North Carolina ($275,000) for ESL and employment services, health care, and youth mentoring.
· Texas ($285,855) for family violence prevention, Sudanese MAA support groups on women's issues, and ESL classes.
· Ohio ($362,792) to assist eligible refugees, particularly women, find work within a year after arrival.
· Wisconsin ($3,621,744) for employment training, microenterprise development, case management, parenting assistance, tutoring and ESL after school for at-risk youth, mental health assessment, case management, counseling/referral, family violence prevention, and intervention services.
Technical Assistance
ORR supports the work of its grantees in various program areas through several “technical assistance” grants with organizations uniquely qualified to advance the field, improve program achievement, and develop organizational capacity to improved performance. In FY 2000, ORR supported technical assistance grants for employment, English language training, microenterprise, child welfare and refugee families, IDAs, and refugee housing. Through this support, ORR intends to equip grantees with the best technical help for continuous improvement in programs, in their capacity to serve refugees, and in their impact on refugee lives and economic independence.
· Spring Institute for International Studies, $275,000
· Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, $368,682
· Mercy Housing, $244,926
· Institute for Social and Economic Development, $250,000
· U.S. Catholic Conference, $400,000
· Institute for Social and Economic Development, $450,000
Microenterprise Development Program
In FY 2000, ORR awarded 19 new microenterprise grants. The total funds awarded to develop and administer microenterprise programs was $2,850,851. In addition, a new microenterprise award was approved as part of a State’s targeted assistance grant. ORR also awarded one grant to provide technical assistance to ORR microenterprise grantees.
The microenterprise development projects are intended for recently arrived refugees on public assistance, refugees who possess few personal assets, and refugees who lack a credit history that meets commercial lending standards. The projects 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 technical assistance in business skills and business management, credit assistance, and administration of revolving loan funds and loan loss reserve funds.
Since the inception of the Microenterprise Development Program in September 1991, ORR has awarded 42 microenterprise development grants (31 three-year and 11 two-year grants) to 27 agencies. These projects have achieved the following outcomes from the beginning of the program to September 30, 2000.
Client Businesses: One thousand seventy-eight businesses have been assisted under this program. Of these, 802 were new business starts, and 216 expanded existing businesses. An additional 60 existing businesses were strengthened or stabilized. Sixty-one percent of the businesses were in service industries, 28 percent in retail, and 11 percent were in manufacturing. Eighty-eight percent of the businesses were still operating at the end of each grant period.
Loan Funds: Since 1991, ORR microenterprise projects have generated funds for loans totaling $3,780,215 representing 526 business loans at an average loan amount of $7,187 to refugee entrepreneurs. Of this amount, ORR provided $1,614,511 in loan capital, which leveraged an additional $2,165,704 from other sources of funding. The program reported a low default rate—3.5 percent of the amount of money loaned and 4.9 percent of the number of loans.
Client Characteristics: Over 6,242 refugees have participated in the group training or individual technical assistance provided by these projects. At the time of entry into training, 34 percent of the participating refugees had been in the U.S. less than two years, 39 percent had been in the U.S. between two and five years, and 27 percent had been in the U.S. over five years. About 64 percent were fluent in English, while 36 percent had little or no English language skills. The largest ethnic groups in the training classes were: Vietnamese (33 percent), Soviets (23 percent), Bosnian (8 percent), Hmong (8 percent), Laotian (7 percent), Somali (3 percent), and Ethiopian (3 percent).
Thirty-four percent of the participants were women and 66 percent were men. Sixty-eight percent of the participants were married and 32 percent single. Forty-four percent had been business owners prior to entry into the ORR program.
ORR awarded the following grants in FY 2000:
· Alliance for African Assistance, San Diego, California, $159,135
· Economic and Employment Development Center, Los Angeles, California, $150,000
· Ethiopian Community Development Council, Arlington, Virginia, $169,143
· Fresno County Economic Opportunities Commission, Fresno, California, $157,000
· Institute for Social and Economic Development, Coralville, Iowa, $160,000
· Interfaith Services Bureau Sacramento, California, $127,457
· International Institute of Metropolitan St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, $148,111
· International Rescue Committee, San Diego, California, $159,956
· Jewish Family and Vocational Services, Louisville, Kentucky, $155,721
· Jewish Family Services, Columbus, Ohio, $160,000
· Lincoln Action Program, Lincoln, Nebraska, $150,978
· Mercy Corps International Portland, Oregon, $149,263
· National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., Miami, Florida, $150,000
· New York Association for New Americans, New York, New York, $160,000
· Pacific Gateway Center, Honolulu, Hawaii, $135,427
· Research and Development Institute, Houston, Texas, $150,000
· Vietnamese Association of Illinois, Chicago, Illinois, $110,000
· Worker Ownership Resource Center, Geneva, New York, $129,396
· World Relief, Nashville, Tennessee, $169,264
Community and Family Strengthening and Integration
In FY 2000, ORR provided 25 new grants and continued 24 additional projects, with awards totaling $11,565,015 to public and private non-profit organizations. Community and Family Strengthening and Integration (CFSI) projects are designed to serve refugees in the areas of English language training, parent/school relationships, inter-generational family values, 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.
· World Relief Corporation of Sacramento and Stockton collaborating with Lao Khmu Association, Lao Family Community and Asian Advancement Association ($242,500) for life skills and literacy training for men, women, and youth
· Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. (CLINIC) to lead a national consortium of ten partner agencies to assit refugees with a full range of professional accredited citizenship services adjunct to filing the application. ($700,000).
· Alliance for African Assistance, San Diego, with St. Luke’s Episcopal Church and the Somali Youth and East African Center ($200,000) to promote stable, self sufficient, integrated refugee families
· Catholic Charities of Santa Clara with the San Jose Police Department, the Mayor's Gang Prevention Task Force, Santa Clara County Juvenile Probation, Health and Social Services Department and the Vietnamese Parent Association ($201,270) for education, support and counseling for Vietnamese families
· International Rescue Committee/San Diego ($296,398) for classes for mothers and children
· International Rescue Committee/San Jose ($281,658) for organizational capacity building for the Bosnian American Association, the Bosnia and Hercgovina USA Center, and the Bosnia and Hercegovina USA Society
· Jewish Family and Children's Services/San Francisco ($297,764) for language and self-advocacy training for former Soviet refugees
· Merced Lao Family Community/Merced County with the Merced County Public Health Department, Human Services Agency and Private Industry Training Department ($99,626) for family crisis counseling and emergency services
· Jewish Family & Children's Services of East Bay with Afghan Coalition, Asian Community Mental Health Services, and Cambodian Council ($286,148) for youth leadership, women's development, intra-family violence intervention, and volunteers
· St. Anselm's Cross-Cultural collaborating with South East Asian Culture and Education Foundation, Camp Fire Boys and Girls, the Orange County Family and Community Center and the City of Westminster Community Service Department ($300,000) to provide outreach and referral services and increase parent and school interaction
· Refugee Transitions/IRC San Francisco collaborating with the Oakland school system ($96,507) for Bosnian literacy and community support in the East Bay area
· Asian American LEAD collaborating with Georgetown University, DC Voice, and the Columbia Heights/Shaw Family Support Collaborative ($204,349) for parenting education, family conflict management and problem solving
· Gulf Coast Jewish Family Services with Catholic Charities, Lutheran Services Florida, and the Florida Department of Children's Health ($250,000) to improve school readiness among refugee children, focusing on English language and cultural training for children
· Jacksonville Area Legal Aid ($219,109) for legal services for refugees and asylees
· Catholic Charities Legal Services/Miami ($192,770) for community outreach and case management on legal rights and services for Haitian women, children, seniors and people with special needs
· Bridging the Gap Project/Atlanta ($40,000) to complete work on liaison among refugees, law enforcement and public housing systems
· Newcomers' Network collaborating with the Department of Family and Children's Services ($185,400) for school liaison for refugee youth
· Catholic Community Services collaborating with Kansas City (Kansas) Community College, Police Department and St. Joseph’s Neighborhood Watchdogs ($73,179) to provide refugee youth services
· International Rescue Committee/Boston collaborating with Somali Community Services and Somali Women and Children's Association ($220,000) to provide support services for Somali youth and women
· Child and Family Service of Pioneer Valley with the Corporation for Public Management, Men's Resource Center and Vietnamese American Civic Association ($399,905) for domestic violence intervention with the Russian and Vietnamese communities
· Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services ($297,450) for parenting skills, cross cultural training and access to services
· Amherst H. Wilder Foundation ($371,363) for community capacity building and leadership training
· Association for the Advancement of Hmong Women with the Center for Asian Pacific Islanders, Lao Assistance Center, Lao PTA, and Southeast Asian Community Council ($250,000) for family support and education services and access to public services through the development of bilingual case workers
· Catholic Social and Community Services with the Biloxi Police Department, Public Schools and the Harrison County Family and Juvenile Court ($115,000) for assistance to families with at risk youth
· Hmong National Development with Hmong Women's Heritage Association, Sacramento, Wausau Hmong Mutual Association Wisconsin, Hmong American Women's Association, Milwaukee, and University of Wisconsin ($399,754) for community organizing and ethnic community based organization development
· National Crime Prevention Council ($348,924) to promote refugee law enforcement relations, reduce intra-family violence, and develop refugee youth leadership
· National Immigration Forum collaborating with Positive Communications, The Tarrance Group and Lord Media ($310,000) to teach refugee leaders how to develop and implement effective communication programs and work with the media
· Refugee Women's Network ($400,000) to train in community building, parenting, health and dealing with domestic violence
· Southeast Asia Resource Action Center (collaborating with the Cambodian Association of Greater Philadelphia, the Fresno Center for New Americans, the Indo-Chinese Community Center and the Research and Development Institute) ($299,995) for community strengthening through the Successful New Americans Project (SNAP)
· Lincoln Interfaith Council with Asian Community and Cultural Center ($137,063) for Iraqi community development and citizenship services
· Southern Sudan Community Association collaborating with the Visiting Nurse Association and Metropolitan Community College ($208,340) for orientation classes for newcomers and assistance with guardianship for unaccompanied minors
· Jewish Vocational Service of Metrowest ($193,913) to assist elderly or homebound refugees with ELT, citizenship and access to services
· Jewish Family and Vocational Services of North Middlesex County with the Jewish Federation and the Jewish Community Center ($138,500) for cultural and leadership training for refugees from the former Soviet Union
· Jewish Board of Family and Children's Services with NYANA, Kings Bay YM-YWHA, Jewish Community House of Bensonhurst, and Shorefront YM-YWHA ($250,000) to improve parent interaction with public schools, employment assistance, ELT and leadership training
· Catholic Charities of Syracuse with Vera House ($100,000) for parenting and domestic violence workshops
· International Institute of Buffalo with Concerned Ecumenical Ministries ($220,000) for family services including domestic violence response, school liaison, and legal and immigration services
· National Coalition for Haitian Rights with the Haitian Centers Council, the Community Action Project, the Haitian American Alliance, New York State Regional Community Policing Institute and the Haitian American Law Enforcement Fraternal Order ($240,000) for civil rights and responsibilities project to improve Haitian and law enforcement relations
· New York Association for New Americans with the Jewish Child Care Association, Forest Hills High School, Queens College Hillel and Elmhurst Hospital Center ($250,000) for comprehensive family programming for the Bukharan refugee community
· Catholic Social Services collaborating with the Missionaries of Charity, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department and the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Senior Center ($107,500) for refugee youth support and English language training
· Jewish Family Services with Community Refugee and Immigration Services and Jewish Family Services ($115,835) to increase parent/school interaction and prevent domestic violence
· International Institute of Erie collaborating with Gannon University, Service Corps of Retired Executives, Multi Cultural Health Education System, Bosnian American Cultural Education System, Bosnian American Cultural Association ($145,400) for parenting workshops and child care center
· City of Providence, the Mayor's Council on Drug Abuse and Alcohol, the Indo-Chinese Advocacy Project, the Cambodian MAA, the Socio-Economic Development Center for Southeast Asians, and the Hmong MAA ($187,500) for comprehensive Southeast Asian refugee youth services
· Salt Lake City Corporation with the Mayor's Office, the County Community and Economic Development Division, the Refugee Resource Center, Catholic Community Services, the Human Rights Resource Center, and the International Rescue Committee ($383,143) for a consortium of agencies providing parenting skills, mediation, housing orientation, and legal and other support services for refugees
· Immigration and Refugee Services of America with the Vermont Refugee Resettlement Program, The Howard Center for Human Services, and the Vermont Department of Developmental and Mental Health Services ($141,214) to alleviate family violence and substance abuse and provide access to care
· Refugee and Immigration Services ($265,167) for school liaison and youth development
· Center for Multicultural Health with the Refugee Women's Alliance, Somali Community Services of Seattle and the Ukrainian Community Center of Washington ($306,186) for orientation workshops and casework to help refugees access health and human services in Seattle
· Lacrosse Area Hmong MAA with New Horizons Women's Shelter and the Family Resources Agency ($200,000) for marriage/parenting workshops, job skills and employment literacy training
· Hmong Educational Advancements collaborating with Hmong American Women's Association, University of Wisconsin Extension and Neighborhood House ($187,601) for domestic violence intervention/prevention, parent education and training
· Wausau School District with the Children's Service Society, the Wausau Area Hmong Mutual Association, the Job Service of Marathon County, the University of Wisconsin, the Boys and Girls Club, and the Neighbor's Place ($237,584) to improve Hmong access to education, employment and healthcare.
ORR also awarded two cooperative agreements under a new Priority Two for Integration Technical Assistance. The grantees are the International Rescue Committee and the National Conference of State Legislatures. The purpose is to provide technical assistance and training to refugees, refugee service agencies, and other community organizations to assist in the integration of refugees into the mainstream of American community life. Through these projects, communities and organizations will be assisted in helping refugees gain access to, participate in, and contribute toward, the economic, educational, social and civic life of the communities in which they live.
ORR Standing Announcement
In FY 2000 ORR, 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 its 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. Category 4, Technical Assistance, was not funded in FY 2000.