 Appendix C
Resettlement Agency Reports
(The following reports were prepared by the Voluntary Resettlement Agencies. Each report expresses the judgments or opinions of the individual agency reporting.)
Church World Service
The Immigration and Refugee Program (IRP) is the largest program of Church World Service, Inc (CWS), an independent 501(c) 3. Church World Service is involved in relief, social and economic development, and education and advocacy, and operates in over 70 countries around the World. Most recently, following the September 11 terrorist attacks, CWS has developed and implemented a domestic recovery hotline and provided relief efforts in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
CWS/IRP is unique among voluntary agencies in that ten national Protestant denominations partner with us in the resettlement of refugees. Through our partnerships with national denominations and local congregations, CWS/IRP cases often have easy access to a wide array of community services, including pro-bono medical services, low-cost housing, and a volunteer network of transportation providers. CWS/IRP national program and policy are designed by the Immigration and Refugee Program Committee (IRPCOM), which is composed of representatives from each of the following communions: American Baptist Churches USA; the Southern Baptist Convention; the United Methodist Church; Presbyterian Church USA; Christian Church (Disciples of Christ); Church of the Brethren; the Episcopal Church; Seventh-day Adventist Church; Christian Reformed Church; Reformed Church of America; and the United Church of Christ.
CWS/IRP operates through a national network of 29 affiliates and 16 sub-offices located in twenty-four states. Affiliate partners are independent, ecumenical, community-based organizations that organize sponsorships, community resources and deliver refugee services as part of their commitment to CWS/IRP refugees in their respective resettlement areas. They range in size and scope from refugee service units of local interfaith councils to large multi-service agencies that provide wide-ranging services to many segments of the refugee, asylee and immigrant population(s). Through CWS/IRP and the national denominations involvement in refugee and immigrant issues, the affiliate network is uniquely qualified to see the larger context of their work, realize resettlements that are firmly rooted in the community, and provide access to programs that address needs beyond the requirements of the Cooperative Agreement with the Department of State/BPRM.
In FY 2000, CWS/IRP resettled 6,408 refugees and 3,723 Cuban and Haitian entrants.
FY 2000 USRP Refugee Arrivals
Africa 1,839
E. Europe/Former Soviet Union 3,009
Latin America 316
Near East 813
Southeast Asia 431
Total 6,408
FY 2000 Entrant Resettlements
Cuba 2,965
Haiti 758
Total 3,723
Episcopal Migration Ministries
Episcopal Migration Ministries (EMM), a program of the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society of the Protestant Episcopal Church, responds to refugees, immigrants and displaced persons both domestically and Internationally. EMM operates a national resettlement program through 26 diocesan programs that agree to organize parish sponsorships and community resources as part of their commitment to ensure the provision of reception and placement services to refugees. Programs range in size and scope from multi-service centers in major urban areas to smaller diocesan programs and refugee ministry units of state councils of churches. In FY 2000, EMM resettled 2,433 refugees from the following regions:
Africa 580
E. Europe/ Soviet Union 1,330
Latin America 118
Near East 278
Southeast Asia 127
Total 2,433
EMM also enrolls over 40 percent of its annual refugee caseload in the voluntary agency Matching Grant program and with ORR-funded special grants provides enhanced resettlement services to HIV+ refugees and young Sudanese men recently arrived from the Kakuma camp in Kenya. Several EMM sites with substantial resettlement potential have had their resettlement capacity enhanced with ORR preferred community grants.
EMM links the Episcopal Church with the worldwide Anglican Communion in responding to refugee crises internationally and represents the Church in advancing the need for safe and humane treatment of all forcibly displaced persons.
Ethiopian Community Development Council
The Ethiopian Community Development Council, Inc. (ECDC) is a non-profit community-based organization dedicated to helping resettle refugees and promote cultural, educational and socio-economic development programs in the refugee and immigrant community. ECDC also conducts humanitarian and socio-economic development programs in the Horn of Africa.
With headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, ECDC serves both as a resettlement agency and as the national office for seven affiliates providing similar services in local communities around the country. Through informational and educational programs and services, ECDC seeks to generate greater public awareness of the needs of uprooted people around the world and to enhance appreciation for the contributions that refugee newcomers make to our national life.
With funding support from ORR, ECDC provides technical and informational support to existing and emerging African community based organizations around the nation through the African Resource Network (ARN). Most of these organizations were started by former refugees who experienced first-hand the difficulties of adjusting to a new culture, benefited from available public and private support systems, and now extend similar assistance to others who follow in their paths. ARN publishes a monthly newsletter, African Refugee NETWORK, conducts leadership training workshops and an annual national conference on African refugees.
Since receiving designation as a national resettlement agency in 1990, ECDC has welcomed and assisted more than 6,600 refugees from around the world as they began new lives in a new homeland. Of that total, 677 were resettled duringin FY 2000, with more than half of that number enrolled in the ORR-funded Matching Grant Program. Eighty-six percent of those refugees achieved self-sufficiency within four months.
Affiliates of ECDC who participate in the refugee resettlement program are: the African Community Refugee Center, Los Angeles, CA; Alliance for African Assistance, San Diego, CA; African Immigrant and Refugee Resource Center, San Francisco, CA; Alliance for Multicultural Community Service, Houston, Texas; Ethiopian Community Association of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois; ECDC/ Multicultural Community Services, Arlington, Virginia; and Somali Community of Minnesota.
Refugees resettled in FY 2000 arrived from the following geographic regions:
Africa 507
Eastern Europe 70
Southeast Asia 40
Near East60
Total 677
Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society
All HIAS affiliates receive Reception and Placement grant funds to assist in meeting the needs of refugees in their initial phase of resettlement. Many HIAS affiliates also elect to supplement these services with private funding and other resources, enabling them to participate in the ORR Voluntary Agency Matching Grant Program as a way of further enhancing their ability to assist refugees to attain economic and social self-sufficiency.
HIAS World Headquarters is located at 333 Seventh Avenue (17th Floor), New York, NY 10001-5004. The HIAS website may be found at http://www.hias.org.
During FY 2000, HIAS and its member agencies resettled 6,505 refugees, among them 5,555 from the former Soviet Union, 695 Iranians, 223 Bosnians, 31 Africans and 1 Kosovar.
Immigration and Refugee Services of America
Immigration and Refugee Services of America (IRSA) is the country’s oldest non-sectarian network providing assistance to immigrants, refugees, and their descendants. For more than 40 years, IRSA has worked with the U.S. Committee for Refugees (http://www.refugees.org ) for the protection and assistance of refugees., asylum seekers, and internally displaced persons around the world. The IRSA network helps the foreign born adapt to life in the U.S. through social services, community programs, and training.
During 2000, IRSA and its partner agencies in 30 cities throughout the U.S. resettled 7,343 refugees from all over the world
Europe 3,237
Former Soviet Union 510
Africa 2,039
Near East 887
Asia 367
Latin America 303
Total 7,343
IRSA’s headquarters is at 1717 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W., Suite 200, Washington, D.C. 20036. E-mail can be sent to irsa@irsa-uscr.org.
International Rescue Committee
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) was founded, at the request of Albert Einstein, in 1933 to help refugees fleeing Nazi persecution. For the past 68 years, IRC has been serving refugees in need around the world—a population now estimated at over 22.3 million, the majority of whom are women and children. IRC helps victims of racial, religious, and ethnic persecution and strife to rebuild their shattered lives. IRC resettles approximately 13 percent of the total number of refugees admitted to the U.S. each year.
During FY 2000, the IRC resettled 9,606 refugees. Of this number, 826 were from Latin America, 2,469 were from Africa, 3,643 were from Eastern Europe, 672 were from East Asia, and 1,996 were from the Near East.
Iowa Department of Human Services
Bureau of Refugee Services’ Mission
The State of Iowa’s refugee resettlement program, in existence since 1975, continues to grow to more appropriately meet the needs of refugees from around the world. As a part of State government and representing the people of Iowa, we are committed to helping victims of persecution rebuild their lives.
The Bureau of Refugee Services’ mission is to offer a home and a future for victims of persecution while helping them become self-sufficient. This enriches our State through the sharing of talents, skills and culture.
Originally, the Bureau’s interest was Indochinese refugee resettlement. However, efforts are now focused on resettling an increasingly large number of displaced Bosnians.
The Bureau of Refugee Services resettlement model is based upon a team environment which encompasses the following areas: job development and placement, translation and interpretation, case management, core reception and placement activities, sponsor and resource recruitment, social adjustment and administration. Iowa’s State Coordinator for Refugee Affairs is Ms. Jessie K. Rasmussen, Director of the Department of Human Services The Deputy Coordinator and Program Manager is Mr. Wayne Johnson, Chief of the Bureau of Refugee Services.
Iowa’s resettlement model is unique. The Bureau of Refugee Services’ initial involvement with refugee clients is via the Department of State Reception and Placement program. Because the Bureau is also the designated State agency for post reception and placement services funding from the HHS Office of Refugee Resettlement we are able to provide an unbroken continuum of services for clients resettled by the Bureau.
Iowa’s Bureau of Refugee Services conducts initial resettlement efforts from its headquarters located in Des Moines, Iowa and also from two sub offices in Davenport, Iowa and Sioux City, Iowa.
A continuing philosophy that refugees need to become self-sufficient as quickly as possible is core to resettlement for the Bureau.
Emphasis is on early placement of refugees in jobs as this promotes economic independence, generates tax income and helps local economies. Use of welfare-type assistance is discouraged, except in emergency situations or as temporary support which leads to self-sufficiency.
Resettlement Statistics
During the fiscal year 2000, the Bureau resettled a total of 414 refugees. The program continues to receive a positive response from communities across the State.
The Bureau can be contacted at 1200 University Avenue, Suite D, Des Moines, Iowa 50314 or at www.dhs.state.ia.us/homepages/dhs/refugee.
BRS Resettlement, FY 2000
Ethnicity/ Number
Bosnian 313
Kosovar 1
Vietnamese 100
Total 414
BRS Resettlement, FY 1975 to FY 2000
Bosnian 2,839
Cambodian 368
Hmong 452
Kosovar 72
Lao 1,895
Liberian 10
Tai Dam 2,375
Vietnamese 3,592
Total 11,664
Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service
Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS) was organized in 1939 to assist WWII refugee survivors to rebuild their lives in the United States, and is now the largest Protestant resettlement agency in the U.S. Over the years the agency has grown to include immigration services, children's services, and advocacy for refugees, immigrants, asylum seekers and those in immigration detention through 27 affiliate offices, 18 sub-offices and countless partners and volunteers across the country.
In FY 2000, LIRS resettled 6,588 refugees from Europe; 3,694 from Africa; 1,188 from the Near East; 412 from East Asia; and 306 from Latin America for a total of 12,188. Nineteen LIRS affiliates participate in the Matching Grant Program and nine are Preferred Community sites. LIRS also manages the ORR-funded RefugeeWorks project, a national refugee employment-training program.
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is the public policy and social action agency of the Roman Catholic Bishops in the United States. Within USCCB, the Office of Migration and Refugee Services (MRS) is the lead office responsible for developing Conference policy at both international and national levels that addresses the needs and conditions of immigrants, refugees, migrants, and people on the move. MRS assists local churches and specialized ethnic apostolates in responding to the pastoral needs of these populations, aiding in the development and nurturing of a welcoming and supportive Church in the United States.
MRS works with the federal government and local churches to resettle refugees admitted to the U.S. into caring and supportive communities in more than 100 diocesan refugee resettlement offices in 44 states. In FY 2000, USCCB/MRS resettled 18,133 refugees through the Reception and Placement (R&P) program and 3,898 Cuban and Haitian parolees through a cooperative agreement with the Department of Justice.
In FY 2000, USCCB/MRS administered a total of $24,683,279 in grants ORR-funded to provide comprehensive services to eligible refugees, parolees and asylees. In CY 2000, USCCB/MRS enrolled a total of 7,760 clients in the Matching Grant program operating in 50 diocesan sites in 26 states plus the District of Columbia. Outcomes indicate that 97 percent of enrolled clients achieved self-sufficiency at 180 days, and $8,911,931 was reported in matching private cash and in-kind donations, representing a 62 percent match of all Federal dollars. USCCB/MRS expanded its Preferred Communities Grant to build the capacity to resettle refugees admitted via HIV waiver through training and coordinating intensive medical case management services in four diocesan resettlement programs. USCCB/MRS placed 27 medically needy refugees into services supported by grant funds in FY 2000 and an additional 12 family reunification cases served in diocesan resettlement programs without the benefit of ORR funds.
USCCB/MRS has established a unique expertise in administering a comprehensive program of refugee transitional assistance through a case management delivery system, supported by Federal funding obtained through the Wilson/Fish alternative legislation. In FY 2000, the Kentucky and Nevada Wilson/Fish Projects provided refugee cash and medical assistance as well as culturally and linguistically appropriate case management and employment-related services to more than 2,000 refugees and asylees. USCCB/MRS successfully transferred this expertise to Catholic Charities organizations in Baton Rouge, Oklahoma City, and San Diego, each funded by ORR to administer alternative comprehensive refugee assistance programs for the period FY1999-2001. The San Diego project represents a culmination of 10 years’ experience in successfully administering the first Wilson/Fish Demonstration Project, now operating as a private consortia of county-wide refugee services. In FY 2000, USCCB/MRS was awarded ORR funding through the Planning, Training and Technical Assistance grant to assist the diocesan resettlement network to enter into State public/private partnerships to administer refugee transitional financial assistance and social services.
World Relief
World Relief is the international assistance arm of the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) which represents approximately 43,000 congregations nationwide, and also includes 250 parachurch ministries and educational institutions. As the humanitarian arm of the NAE, World Relief provides disaster and relief assistance in approximately 25 countries throughout the world. In FY 2000 World Relief resettled over 9,000 refugees and immigrants through its network of 27 resettlement sites in the U.S. Participation in the resettlement of refugees is viewed as an extension of World Relief’s mandate to empower the local evangelical church to minister to those in need.
Founded in 1944 to aid post World War II victims, World Relief is now assisting self-help projects around the world. The commitment of World Relief to refugees worldwide is evidenced by both its U.S. resettlement activities and its overseas involvement. In cooperation with the State Department and UNHCR, World Relief administered the Guantanamo Refugee Project from July 1994 to January 1996, which provided social services and vocational education to Haitian and Cuban detainees. World Relief continues to work with refugees and displaced persons overseas.
In the U.S., World Relief participates with the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration (PRM), in the resettlement of refugees from all processing posts around the world. In addition to the Reception and Placement program, several World Relief affiliate offices receive grants and hold contracts to operate various programs serving the local refugee population, including employment services, life skills training, citizenship services, youth services and ESL classes. Most of our affiliate offices provide refugee-related immigration services, and five of the affiliate offices have accredited immigration staff. World Relief’s first ORR Matching Grant program was begun in Ft. Worth Texas in FY 1994. In FY 2000 ten of the affiliate offices participated in the Matching Grant program.
In FY 2000 the U.S. resettlement program of World Relief was administered through its national office in Congers, New York. Under the supervision of a senior management structure, resettlement activities are carried out through a nationwide network of 27 resettlement sites divided into four geographic areas with four area directors. Affiliate offices are monitored through monthly reporting, desk audits, and on-site visits. The national office also provides liaison with Refugee Council USA, the Refugee Data Center and the International Organization for Migration. In addition, it is responsible for all pre-arrival processing, post-arrival tracking, and travel loan collection.
World Relief placements are made through coordination between local and national staff and are expected to include opportunity for involvement of our church constituency, favorable employment opportunities, accessibility to local service provision, coordination within the local resettlement community, and positive ethnic community support. All cases are monitored and tracked at 90 days for core services, and at 180 days for employment outcomes.
From the inception of its refugee resettlement program in 1979, World Relief local offices have constructed a large network of churches, colleges, seminaries, home mission groups, and para-church organizations which together provide a broad range of support and services for refugees. In FY 2000 this included cash contributions, transitional housing, gifts-in-kind, technical assistance, public relations assistance, and a variety of volunteer services.
World Relief FY 2000 Arrivals
Africa 1,620
East Asia 578
Eastern Europe 2,523
Former Soviet Union 3,296
Western Hemisphere 293
Near East/South Asia 863
Total 9,173