Wilson/Fish Alternative Program

The Wilson/Fish amendment to the Immigration and Nationality Act, contained in the FY 1985 Contin­uing Resolution on Appropriations, directed the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services to develop alternatives to the regular State-administered program for the purpose of:

The Wilson/Fish authority allows projects to establish or maintain a refugee program in a State where the State is not participating in the refugee program or is dropping out of the refugee program or a portion of the program. These projects are considered under Category 1 in the Wilson/Fish announcement.

The Wilson/Fish authority also provides public and private non-profit agencies the opportunity to develop new approaches for the provision of cash

Wilson/Fish Grantees
State/County Grantee	RCA for TANF- Types	RMA	Social Services
Alabama - Catholic Social Services of Mobile (Cat. 1)	No	Yes	Yes
Colorado Department of Human Services (Cat. 2)	Yes	No	Yes
Kentucky, Catholic Charities of Louisville (Cat. 1)	No	Yes	Yes
Massachusetts Office of Refugees and Immigrants (Cat.2)	No	No	Yes
Nevada, Catholic Charities of Southern Nevada (Cat. 1)	No	Yes	Yes
North Dakota Department of Human Services (Cat. 2)	Yes	No	Yes
San Diego, Catholic Charities (Cat 2)	Yes	No	Yes
South Dakota, LSS of South Dakota (Cat 2)	Yes	No	Yes
Vermont, IRSA  (Cat. 2)	Yes	No	No
Idaho (Mountain States) (Cat. 2)	Yes	No	Yes

and medical assistance, social services, and case management. These projects are considered under Category 2 in the Wilson/Fish announcement.

No additional funding is appropriated for Wilson/Fish projects; funds are drawn instead from regular cash and medical assistance grants and social services allocations. Wilson/Fish alternative projects typically contain several of the following elements:

On April 22, l999, ORR published a revised standing announcement for Wilson/Fish projects (64 FR 19793). Wilson/Fish programs no longer are restricted to the amount of funds expended in the prior State-administered program. In addition, programs may be approved to serve families otherwise eligible for the TANF program.

In FY 2002, Wilson/Fish projects were operated by private non-profit agencies in Kentucky, Nevada, South Dakota, Alabama, Vermont, Idaho, and San Diego County, California. In addition, there were three Wilson/Fish projects, (Massachusetts, Colorado, and North Dakota) that were publicly administered.

Additionally, in FY 2002, ORR reviewed applications for and funded Wilson/Fish projects for the period starting September 30, 2002 as presented in the table on page 12.

As in past years, Wilson/Fish program managers worked closely with ORR staff to establish outcome goal plans for their programs. The program goals established for FY 2002 are based on the program measures adopted for the State-administered program. For an explanation of each program measure and the outcomes for each project, see the section entitled “Partnerships to Improve Employment and Self-Sufficiency Out-comes,” beginning on page 16.

Matching Grant Program

The Matching Grant program, funded by Congress since 1979, provides an alternative approach to State-administered resettlement assistance. The program’s goal is to help refugees attain self-sufficiency within four months after arrival, without access to public cash assistance. Participating agencies agree to match the ORR grant with cash and in-kind contributions; twenty percent of their match must be in cash. The Agency must match at least $1,000 for each $2,000 in Federal funds per enrollment.

The Matching Grant program is characterized by a strong emphasis on early employment and intensive services during the first four months after arrival. ORR requires participating agencies to provide maintenance (food and housing), case management, and employment services in-house. Additional services, such as language training and medical assistance, may be provided in-house or arranged through referral to other programs. Refugees in the Matching Grant program may use publicly funded medical assistance.

Calendar Year 2002 marked the 23rd anniversary of the Matching Grant program. In those twenty-three years, more than 2 million refugees have come to this country and nearly 510,000 refugees (20 percent of all refugees) were served through the Matching Grant program.

In CY 2002, more than 23,000 refugees, Cuban/Haitian Entrants, asylees and victims of trafficking participated. These 23,000 refugees were served by 239 affiliate sites of the nine voluntary agencies, or Volags, in 122 cities in 41 States. ORR had projected 29,000 clients to be served, but the interrupted flow of refugee arrivals took its toll on the program.  Agencies took extraordinary measures to conduct outreach to asylees and Cuban/Haitian entrants to maintain the program.  In CY 2001, ORR took emergency steps to provide additional resources and services to refugees and to maintain the infrastructure of the Matching Grant program during this critical time.  ORR continued those steps for CY 2002. Despite the downturn in the economy, and its particular impact on traditional entry-level jobs, the program was successful in achieving self-sufficiency at 120 days for 74 percent of its clients.

The Matching Grant voluntary agencies work with ORR staff to establish goal plans to measure continuous improvement in client outcomes. Goal plans measure self-sufficiency and retention goals for individual participants as well as for cases. It measures the proportion of cases that are self-sufficient at four months and at six months after arrival in the U.S. Additionally, goals are also established for individual refugees in terms of job placements, wages, and health benefits. Summaries of the progress reports of the nine participating agencies follow, with all data reported over the calendar year.[1]

Church World Service (CWS) received $3,184,000 to enroll 1,592 refugees in 25 sites. CWS enrolled 1,559 refugees despite the dramatic decline in arrivals. CWS reported 1,136 clients achieved self-sufficiency of the 1,544 that reached the 120-day mark, or 74 percent of the clients achieving self-sufficiency. The primary groups were Bosnians, Sudanese and Cubans. The largest sites were Miami, Florida; Richmond, Virginia; and Houston, Texas.

CWS	Cases		Individuals
Self-sufficient (120 days)[2]	578	73%	1,136	74%
Self-sufficient (180 days)	329	98%	687	96%
Entered Employment			713	72%
Average Hourly Wage Health Benefits[3]			$7.85     467	72%

Episcopal Migration Ministries (EMM) received $2,388,000 to serve 1,194 refugees at 24 sites in the Matching Grant program. Despite the low number of arrivals after September 11,  EMM enrolled 810 refugees and asylees. The largest ethnic groups served were Bosnian and Sudanese.

EMM	Cases		Individuals
Self-sufficient (120 days)	320	75%	544	77%
Self-sufficient (180 days)	333	95%	620	83%
Entered Employment			305	73%
Average Hourly Wage Health Benefits			$7.51 232	76%

Ethiopian Community Development Council (ECDC) initially received $888,000 in CY 2002 to serve 444 Matching Grant clients in six sites. ECDC met their enrollment goals by October 2002 and was subsequently awarded a supplemental award of $130,000 to serve an additional 65 clients.  ECDC ultimately enrolled a total of 509 refugees into Matching Grant. The major ethnic groups served arrived from Sudan, Bosnia, and Somalia.

ECDC	Cases		Individuals
Self-sufficient (120 days)	162	84%	286	84%
Self-sufficient (180 days)	166	93%	228	91%
Entered Employment			182	85%
Average Hourly Wage Health Benefits			$7.70 120	71%

Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS) requested $6,818,000 to support activities in CY 2002, carrying forward $1,124,000 in unexpended CY 2001 funds to serve 3,409 clients. HIAS ultimately served 2,196 clients in the Matching Grant program, the vast majority from the successor republics of the former Soviet Union and Iran. Of those refugees, 754 were completely self-sufficient after six months in the U.S. HIAS continued to see a steady decline in caseload reflecting changes in the Former Soviet Union. While sixty-three affiliates participated in the Matching Grant program, sixteen of these received no Matching Grant eligible clients in 2002.  Many others enrolled fewer than ten clients. HIAS affiliates served 58 asylees compared to 38 the previous year.  New York City, Chicago and Los Angeles enrolled the largest number of participants.

HIAS	Cases		Individuals
Self-sufficient (120 days)	328	31%	628	30%
Self-sufficient (180 days)	368	86%	1,616	73%
Entered Employment			462	30%
Average Hourly Wage Health Benefits			$8.27 233	68%

Immigration and Refugee Services of America (IRSA) received $9,720,000 to resettle 4,860 refugees at sixteen sites. IRSA ultimately enrolled 4,140 clients in Matching Grant. Miami continues to be the largest program, enrolling 2,518 clients of the newly eligible Cuban parolee population. More than 53 percent of the caseload consisted of Cuban/Haitian entrants, 23 percent were asylees and 24 percent were refugees.

IRSA	Cases		Individuals
Self-sufficient (120 days)	1,834	85%	3,512	86%
Self-sufficient (180 days)	1,848	98%	3,529	98%
Entered Employment			2,278	84%
Average Hourly Wage Health Benefits			$7.01 1,100	53%

International Rescue Committee (IRC) received a grant award of $6,710,000 to enroll 3,335 clients at its sixteen regional offices. By the end of the year, 2,688 new arrivals were enrolled in the program, the shortfall arising from the interruption of refugee arrivals after September 11. More than thirty-five ethnicities were represented in the IRC caseload. Of 2,688 clients reaching their 120^th day, 2,107, or 78 percent were self-sufficient. At the largest site in Miami, Florida, 1,028 clients enrolled in the program, with 93 percent self-sufficient within four months.

IRC	Cases		Individuals
Self-sufficient (120 days)	981	80%	2,107	78%
Self-sufficient (180 days)	978	88%	1,932	91%
Entered Employment			1,319	73%
Average Hourly Wage Health Benefits			$7.66 649	56%

Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS) received $8,482,000 to serve 4,241 clients in CY 2001. LIRS enrolled 3,219 clients during the year at 30 sites. 3,195 individuals completed 120-days in the program, 2,559 of whom became self-sufficient within 120 days.

LIRS	Cases		Individuals
Self-sufficient (120 days)	1,131	76%	2,607	79%
Self-sufficient (180 days)	1,222	97%	2,683	98%
Entered Employment			1,431	75%
Average Hourly Wage Health Benefits			$8.20 929	71%

United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) received $17,060,000 million to serve 8,530 clients at 67 sites. USCCB ultimately enrolled 6,270 clients in CY 2002. Of 6,162 reaching the 120^th day after arrival, 4,590 reached self-sufficiency. The number of self-sufficient participants by the end of 180 days was 3,902.

USCCB	Cases		Individuals
Self-sufficient (120 days)	2,261	75%	4,590	76%
Self-sufficient (180 days)	2,727	91%	3,902	88%
Entered Employment			2,962	70%
Average Hourly Wage Health Benefits			$7.36 1,736	65%

World Relief Corporation (WRC) received $3,600,000 to resettle 1,800 refugees in its ten affiliate sites. WRC enrolled 1,379 clients. Of 1,369 clients reaching 120 days, 1,079 were self-sufficient by the 120-day mark. The largest ethnic groups served were Eastern European and African refugees.

WRC	Cases		Individuals
Self-sufficient (120 days)	484	77%	1079	79%
Self-sufficient (180 days)	475	98%	1171	98%
Entered Employment			695	78%
Average Hourly Wage Health Benefits			$7.58 511	85%

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