 |
Refugees come to the United States for protection from persecution and in search of freedom, peace, and opportunity for themselves and their families. The mission of the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) is to help refugees, Cuban/Haitian entrants, asylees, victims of torture, victims of human trafficking and unaccompanied alien children. Most are helped to establish a new life founded on the dignity of economic self-support encompassing full participation in opportunities which Americans enjoy. Others receive assistance for a temporary stay while an immigration claim is reviewed. ORR also assists Americans abroad in need of assistance repatriating to the United States.
The Refugee Assistance Program
Between 1983 and the end of 2002, 1,847,224, refugees resettled in the United States. In order to be designated as refugees, people must have a well-founded fear of persecution in their country of origin because of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion. Persons are admitted as refugees after they are so determined by the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration and The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services.
The Refugee Assistance Program provides assistance to refugees and others eligible for their programs so they can achieve economic self-sufficiency and social adjustment within the shortest time possible following their arrival into the United States .
The challenge for this office is to use the funds it administers to best fulfill the mission in a manner that supports and builds upon refugees' aspirations.
- Transitional and Medical Assistance
- Social Services Initiatives
- Health Prevention Program
- Voluntary Agency Matching Grant Program
- Targeted Assistance Grant Program
- Victims of Torture
- U.S. Repatriate Program
- Unaccompanied Alien Children Services
- Victims of Human Trafficking
Transitional and Medical Assistance
Cash and medical assistance are available to needy refugees who arrive in the United States with no financial resources. The refugee assistance is paid entirely from federal funds and is available for eight months following arrival. Refugees eligible for other cash or medical assistance programs such as Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF), Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Medicaid, are enrolled in those programs instead. ORR also administers foster care programs for unaccompanied refugee minors in 13 States and * Wilson-Fish private programs as alternatives to State Programs.
* Wilson-Fish is a legislative amendment passed in 1985 to allow for private refugee programs to exist in States declining participation, or droping out of the national refugee program. Federal policy is to encourage broad national dispersion of refugees, so where States opt out, or reduce their participation, private programs can be established.
Funding
— In 2004, $199 million is available for Cash and Medical Assistance to refugees.
Social Services
To help refugees become self-supporting as quickly as possible, ACF also provides funding to State governments and private, non-profit agencies which are responsible for providing services, such as English language and employment training. Refugees receiving cash and medical assistance are required to be enrolled in employment services and to accept offers of employment. Discretionary social services are also provided through a variety of ORR grant initiatives that focus on the special needs of refugees.
Funding
— In 2004, $152 million is available for Social Services programs.
Preventive Health Services
Funds have been provided to State public health departments for preventive health assessment and treatment, and to protect the public health from contagious diseases.
Funding
— In 2004, $4.8 million is available to Preventive Health Services.
Voluntary Agency Matching Grant Program
During the refugees' first four months in the United States, voluntary resettlement agencies take responsibility for resettling refugees and assisting them to become self-sufficient through private initiatives without recourse to the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program of public assistance. The Voluntary Agency Matching Grant Program requires a match from private funds or donated goods and services to partner with monies provided by the federal government.
Funding
— In 2004, $50 million is available for the Voluntary Agency Matching Grant Program from the Transitional Assistance and Medical Services account.
Targeted Assistance Grant Program
Additional resources have been targeted for communities facing extraordinary resettlement problems because of a high concentration of refugees and a high use of public assistance by the resident refugee population. Special employment and supportive services are directed to those refugees to reduce and avoid the use of public assistance.
Funding
— In 2004, $49 million is available to the Targeted Assistance Grant Program.
Victims of Torture
ORR uses these funds to provide direct services to victims of torture, including treatment and rehabilitation, social and legal services, and research and training for health care providers to enable them to treat the physical and psychological effects of torture. The Victims of Torture funding provides a comprehensive program of support for domestic centers and programs for victims of torture.
Funding
— In 2004, $9.9 million is available for the Victims of Torture program.
The U. S. Repatriation Program
HHS administers the U.S. Repatriation Program to assist United States citizens and their dependents who are identified by the Department of State as needing to return from a foreign country to the United States, but do not have the resources to do so. This financial assistance is repayable to the U.S. Government and is used under the following circumstances:
- illness
- threatening situation in a foreign country
- the citizen is without funds.
For situations involving the evacuation of a group of Americans from a foreign country, HHS may be requested to establish reception sites as well as provide individual assistance. The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) operates both individual and group repatriation programs through agreements with state agencies.
A National Emergency Repatriation Plan is also established by HHS in coordination with other involved federal agencies, voluntary organizations and states to implement large scale repatriation operations in the event of a national security emergency. Under the National Emergency Repatriation Plan, states carry out the operational responsibility for the reception, temporary care, and onward transportation of those returned to the United States. States include emergency repatriation in their overall Emergency Operations Plan used to respond to emergency situations.
Funding
— In 2004, $1 millon is available for the Repatriation Program.
Unaccompanied Alien Children (UAC)
On March 1, 2003, the Homeland Security Act of 2002, Section 462, transferred functions under U.S. immigration laws regarding the care and placement of unaccompanied alien children (UACs) from the Commissioner of the Immigration and Naturalization Service to ORR.
Responsibilities under the law include:
- making and implementing placement determinations and policies
- identifying sufficient qualified placements to house UAC
- ensuring that the interests of the child are considered in decisions related to the care and custody of UAC
- reuniting UAC with guardians and/or sponsors
- overseeing the infrastructure and personnel of UAC facilities
- conducting investigations and inspections of facilities housing UAC
- collecting and comparing statistical information on UAC
- compiling lists of qualified entities to provide legal representation for UAC.
Responsibilities under the law include: making and implementing placement determinations and policies, identifying sufficient qualified placements to house UAC, ensuring that the interests of the child are considered in decisions related to the care and custody of UAC, reuniting UAC with guardians and/or sponsors, overseeing the infrastructure and personnel of UAC facilities, conducting investigations and inspections of facilities housing UAC, collecting and comparing statistical information on UAC, and compiling lists of qualified entities to provide legal representation for UAC.
Funding
— In FY04, $52.8 million is available to support the Unaccompanied Alien Children’s Program.
Victims of Trafficking Program
The human trafficking program offers individuals determined to be victims of a severe form of trafficking access to benefits to the same extent as refugees and increases public awareness about human trafficking. The director of ORR has authority delegated from the HHS Secretary to certify victim eligibility for benefits and services. The HHS hot line number for victims to come forward or for others to report suspected cases is (1-888-373-7888).
Funding
— In 2004, $9.9 million is available for the Trafficking Program
ORR Highlights:
Between 1983 and the end of 2002, 1,847,224 refugees resettled in the United States. In FY 2003, approximately 39,200 refugees, entrants and Amerasians and 30,000 asylees were admitted to the United States for resettlement or granted asylum. In FY 2004, over 50,000 refugees are expected.
Special Initiatives for ORR
At any one time ORR has a number of initiatives underway to address emerging or persistent problems in the resettlement process. These range from health, to housing to economic adjustment. In addition to the Healthy Families Program launched as a special initiative in 2003, there are two of current note:
- The Refugee Health Promotion/Disease Prevention Initiative seeks to go beyond current screening of arriving refugees and the provision of primary and mental health care services to train community based ethnic organizations – Mutual Assistance Associations (MAAs) - to address different health problems found among recent arrivals. These ethnic organizations have the capacity to bridge cultural and information gaps to ensure that refugees successfully navigate the American healthcare system and receive needed care.
- The Rural Initiative is a recent collaboration with the U. S. Department of Agriculture and the Kellogg Foundation to help refugees find employment or develop businesses in agriculture. Many refugees come to the United States from rural areas and once here, earn their livelihood in agriculture. This project will target newly arriving refugees to open self-employment opportunities in agricultural production, processing, distribution and sales.
Office of Refugee Resettlement
Administration for Children and Families
370 L'Enfant Promenade, SW
Washington, DC 20447
Phone: 202.401.9246, FAX: 202.401.5487
Visit Our Website
E-mail US
Updated August 2004
Office of Public Affairs (OPA)
