 Annual ORR Reports to Congress - 2001
Discretionary Grants
During FY 2001, ORR continued to fund a wide range of discretionary grants targeting individuals and communities with special needs. Unlike formula social service programs, these funds are awarded competitively and may provide services to refugees in the
Community Service Employment Program
In FY 2001, ORR awarded three Community Service Employment (CSE) grants totaling $952,804. 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 population, 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 three organizations received CSE grants:
- Lutheran Social Services of
- Lao Khmu Association of
ORR provided continuation funding to 37 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 2001.
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 annual 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 provide training on how to purchase a home and how to develop a business plan for a microenterprise.
In FY 2001, ORR awarded grants totaling $12,423,859 to the following 29 non-profit organizations to establish IDA programs for refugees:
- International Rescue Committee,
- Catholic Charities of
- Catholic Charities/Diocese of
- El Rescate,
- International Rescue Committee,
- United Community Resources Agency,
- Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Mi- ami, $400,000
- Catholic Charities, Diocese of
- Lutheran Social Services of
- Lutheran Ministries of
- Mountain States Group of
- Institute for Social and Economic Development,
- Jewish Family and Vocational Services,
- International Institute of
- Catholic Charities of the Roman Catholic Diocese of
- International Institute of
- World Relief,
- Jewish Family Services,
- Lutheran Family Service of
- Women's
- Ethiopian Community Development Council,
- Lao Family Community,
Targeted Assistance Discretionary Grants
In FY 2001 ORR awarded 13 continuation grants totaling $7,908,354 to States to implement special employment services not implemented with formula social services or with formula targeted assistance grants.
- Minnesota ($413,575) 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.
- California ($949,649) for employment assistance for youth and parents, family violence prevention, family day care and literacy training, licensed vocational nurse training, and employment and placement services.
- 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.
ORR supports the work of its grantees in various program areas through several technical assistance cooperative agreements with organizations uniquely qualified to advance the field, improve program achievement and develop organizational capacity to improve performance. In FY 2001, ORR supported technical assistance grants for employment, English language training, microenterprise, child welfare and refugee families, Individual Development Accounts, and refugee housing. ORR's intent through this support is 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) for English Language Training
- Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service ($368,682) for Employment Services
- Mercy Housing ($244,926) for housing for refugees
- Institute for Social and Economic Development ( $250,000) for Individual Development Accounts
- Institute for Social and Economic Development ( $500,000) for Microenterprise and other initiatives
Microenterprise Development Program
In FY 2001, ORR awarded 19 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 program's inception in September 1991, ORR has awarded 42 microenterprise development grants (31 three-year grants and 11 two-year grants) to 27 agencies. These projects have achieved the following outcomes from the beginning of the program to
Client Businesses: Since September 1991, 1,402 businesses have been assisted under this program. Of these, 999 were new business starts, 265 were expansions of existing businesses, and 138 represented strengthening or stabilization of existing businesses. Fifty-one percent of the businesses were in service industries, 32 percent were in retail, and nine percent were in manufacturing. Eighty-nine percent of the businesses assisted were still operating at the end of the grant period.
Loan Funds: Since 1991, the ORR microenterprise programs generated funds for loans that totaled $4,922,815, representing 650 business loans at an average loan amount of $5,816 to refugee entrepreneurs. Of this amount, ORR provided $2,046,911 in loan capital, which leveraged the additional $2,875,904 in other sources of funding. The default rate has been 1.5 percent of the amount of money loaned and 1.7 percent of the number of loans.
Client Characteristics: Nearly 7,700 refugees have participated in training programs and group or individual technical assistance. At the time of entry into training, 36 percent had been in the U.S. less than two years; 38 percent had been in the U.S. 2-5 years; and 26 percent had been in the U.S. over five years. About 63 percent were competent in English, while 37 percent had little or no English language skills. The largest percentages of ethnic groups in the training classes were: Vietnamese (29 percent); Soviets (22 percent); Bosnian (10 percent); Hmong (8 percent); Laotian (6 percent); Somalis (4 percent); and Ethiopian (4 percent).
Thirty-four percent of the participants were women and 66 percent were men. Married clients equaled 68 percent and singles equaled 32 percent. Forty-four percent had been business owners prior to entry into the ORR program.
ORR awarded the following grants in FY 2001:
- Economic and
- Ethiopian Community Development Council,
- Institute for Social and Economic Development,
- Interfaith Services Bureau of
- International Rescue Committee,
- Jewish Family and Vocational Services,
- Jewish Family Services,
- Mercy Corps International of
- National Council of Churches of Christ in the
- Research and Development Institute,
- Vietnamese Association of
- World Relief, Nashville, Tennessee, $200,000
Community and Family Strengthening and Integration
In FY 2001, ORR provided 25 new grants and continued 24 additional projects, with awards totaling $12,417,406 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 have committed to share up to 40 percent of the costs of these projects.
- Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. (CLINIC) to lead a national consortium of ten partner agencies to assist refugees with a full range of professional accredited citizenship services adjunct to filing the application, ($700,000)
- World Relief Corporation of
- 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 ($181,143) for education, support and counseling for Vietnamese families
- International Rescue Committee/San Diego ($266,758) for classes for mothers and children
- International Rescue Committee/San Jose ($295,741) for organizational capacity building for the Bosnian American Association, the Bosnia and Hercegovina USA Center, and the Bosnia and Hercegovina USA Society
- Jewish Family and Children's Services/San Francisco ($267,988) 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 ($89,663) for family crisis counseling and emergency services
- Jewish Family and Children's Services of East Bay with Afghan Coalition, Asian Community Mental Health Services, and Cambodian Council ($257,533) for youth leadership, women's development, intra-family violence intervention, and volunteers
- St. Anselm's Cross-Cultural collaborating with Southeast 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 ($270,000) to provide outreach and referral services and increase parent and school interaction
- Refugee Transitions/IRC San Francisco collaborating with the
- Asian American LEAD collaborating with
- Jacksonville Area Legal Aid ($196,915) for legal services for refugees and asylees
- Catholic Charities Legal Services/Miami ($173,496) for community outreach and case management on legal rights and services for Haitian women, children, seniors and people with special needs
- Newcomers' Network collaborating with the Department of Family and Children's Services ($166,860) for school liaison for refugee youth
- Catholic Community Services collaborating with Kansas City (Kansas) Community College, Police Department and St. Joseph's Neighborhood Watchdogs ($60,480) to provide refugee youth services
- International Rescue Committee/Boston collaborating with Somali Community Services and Somali Women and Children's Association ($198,000) 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 ($359,915) for domestic violence intervention with the Russian and Vietnamese communities
- Amherst H. Wilder Foundation ($334,227) 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 ($225,000) 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 ($103,400) for assistance to families with at risk youth
- Hmong National Development with Hmong Women's Heritage Association,
- National Crime Prevention Council ($314,032) 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 ($279,000) to teach refugee leaders how to develop and implement effective communication programs and work with the media
- Refugee Women's Network ($360,000) to train in community building, parenting, health and dealing with domestic violence
- Lincoln Interfaith Council with Asian Community and
- 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 ($124,650) for cultural and leadership training for refugees from the former
- Jewish Board of Family and Children's Services with NYANA, Kings Bay YM-YWHA, Jewish Community House of Bensonhurst, and Shorefront YM-YWHA ($225,000) to improve parent interaction with public schools, employment assistance, ELT and leadership training
- Catholic Charities of Syracuse with Vera House ($90,000) for parenting and domestic violence workshops
- International Institute of Buffalo with Concerned Ecumenical Ministries ($198,000) 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 ($216,000) 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 ($225,000) 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
- Jewish Family Services with Community Refugee and Immigration Services and Jewish Family Services ($104,252) to increase parent/school interaction and prevent domestic violence
- International Institute of Erie collaborating with
- 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 ($168,750) 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 ($344,725) 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 ($127,093) to alleviate family violence and substance abuse and provide access to care
- Refugee and Immigration Services ($238,600) for school liaison and youth development
- Center for Multicultural Health with the Refugee Women's
- Lacrosse Area Hmong MAA with New Horizons Women's Shelter and the Family Resources Agency ($180,000) for marriages and 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 ($168,861) 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 ($213,826) to improve Hmong access to education, employment and health care.
ORR also awarded two cooperative agreements for 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.
In FY 2001 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. A total of 27 new awards, 41 continuations, and 8 supplemental awards were approved under this announcement. The categories are as follows: