(3) Voluntary Agency Match Grant Program

FY 1999 marked the 20th anniversary of the Match Grant program. In those twenty years, more than two million refugees have come to this country and 430,249, or 20 percent of all refugees, were served through the Match Grant program.

The Match 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.

Since mid-1996, ORR has matched each dollar of agency contribution of cash or in-kind services with $1.40 of ORR funds, with a maximum Federal contribution of $1,400 per refugee.

In 1999, ORR announced significant changes in the Match Grant program. Beginning with the second trimester, ORR raised the Federal contribution to $2 per $1 of agency cash and in-kind services with the maximum Federal contribution of $2,000 per refugee. Furthermore, ORR directed Voluntary Agencies (VOLAGS) to raise the in-hand weekly cash allowance to adult refugees from the existing $20 to $50 or the maximum amount that would not disqualify a refugee from Medicaid benefits.

While ORR was preparing the supplemental awards, the crisis in the Balkans led to an unanticipated increase in arrival of refugees from Kosovo. In response, ORR issued an addendum to the Match Grant program to enable agencies to serve Kosovar refugees in the Match Grant program. These changes resulted in ORR increasing overall funding for the Match Grant program to an annual budget of $49 million. This amount was offset by slightly more than $6 million of unexpended funds resulting from the dramatic decline in arrivals from the Former Soviet Union anticipated by Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS).

The Match 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 Match Grant program may use publicly funded medical assistance.

Refugees from the Soviet Union and its successor republics had been the primary beneficiaries of the program since its commencement in 1979. With the decline in arrivals from the former Soviet Union, the Match Grant Program has served an increasingly diverse population. In 1999, participants were from the former Soviet Union, Kosovo, Southeast Asia, Bosnia, Ethiopia, Somalia, Iraq, and a host of other countries. Nine voluntary agencies operated programs in 202 locations last year and provided resettlement services to 31 percent of all refugee arrivals.

Except for HIAS, which places almost all eligible refugees into the program, grantees generally use the following criteria to select refugees for program participation: family size, resettlement site, motivation for employment, and willingness to participate in the program. HIAS' dramatic decline in arrivals resulted in a significant carry forward of funds for the second straight year.

As with the Wilson/Fish and State-administered programs, Match Grant voluntary agencies work with ORR staff to establish goal plans to measure continuous improvement in client outcomes. Because the program emphasizes family self-sufficiency (independence from cash assistance), goal plans measure the proportion of cases that are self-sufficient at four months after arrival in the U.S. and self-sufficiency retention two months later. Goal plans establish self-sufficiency and retention goals for individual participants as well as cases. Other goals for individuals are established for job placements, wages, and the availability of health benefits.

Church World Service (CWS) was awarded $1,627,000 to enroll 850 refugees in 15 sites including 145 Kosovars. Syracuse, NY joined the program in January. CWS actually enrolled 933 refugees, and 88 percent of the families became self-sufficient in 1999. The primary groups were Kosovars, Bosnians, and Cubans. The largest sites were in Richmond, Virginia; Greensboro, North Carolina; and Houston, Texas.

CWS	Cases		Individuals
Self-sufficient (120 days)1	271	82 %	746	81 %
Self-sufficient (180 days)	213	100%	564	100%
Entered Employment			396	80%
Average Hourly Wage			$7.34292	77 %
Health Benefits 2

Episcopal Migration Ministries (EMM) received $1,115,800 to serve 797 refugees in the Match Grant program. EMM enrolled 721 refugees at 15 sites and 684 refugees became self-sufficient during 1998. The largest ethnic groups served were Bosnian, Iraqi Kurd, and Somali.

EMM	Cases			Individuals
Self-sufficient (120 days)	225	96 %		684	95 %
Self-sufficient (180 days)	212	98 %		616	99 %
Entered Employment				379	96 %
Average Hourly Wage				$6.75	80 %
Health Benefits				379

Ethiopian Community Development Center (ECDC) received $877,400 in 1999 including $300,000 to serve 150 Kosovar refugees and a total of 445 Match Grant clients. ECDC ultimately expended $703,400 on 358 Match Grant clients, including 150 Kosovars. Their network comprised four sites in 1999: Houston, Texas; Chicago, Illinois; San Diego, California; and Washington, D.C. The major ethnic groups served were from the Eastern Europe and Africa. ECDC had a notable increase in average hourly wage to $7.35/hr.

ECDC	Cases			Individuals
Self-sufficient (120 days)	147	84 %		354	88 %
Self-sufficient (180 days)	123	89 %		301	90 %
Entered Employment				193	93 %
Average Hourly Wage				$7.35
Health Benefits				161	87 %

Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS) was awarded $11,369,800 in FY 1999 funds, but only expended $8.8 million as the number of refugees from the former Soviet Union dropped by more than 2,500. This included $800,000 awarded as an addendum to the initial award to serve 400 Kosovo refugees. They served 4,846 newly arriving refugees in the Match Grant, the vast majority from the successor republics of the former Soviet Union. This included 108 refugees from Kosovo; a smaller number of arrivals than originally anticipated due to the conclusion of the war. Of those refugees who completed six months in the U.S., 1,401 were completely self-sufficient. Self-sufficiency for the Kosovar population was higher than the overall population as 46.6 percent of the cases were self-sufficient within 120 days with job placements averaging $9.41/hr. Sixty-eight communities, a decline of six, participated in the program during 1999. The six largest were New York City, San Francisco, Chicago, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and Boston.

HIAS	Cases			Individuals
Self-sufficient (120 days)	728	33.4%		1,689	32.5%
Self-sufficient (180 days)	615	90 %		1,401	88.0%
Entered Employment				1,015	30.3%
Average Hourly Wage				$8.74
Health Benefits				478	68.5%

HIAS is unique in the Match Grant program in that it places virtually its entire eligible refugee population in the Match Grant program, thereby extending services to many refugees who find it difficult to obtain employment within the four-month time frame.

Immigration and Refugee Services of America (IRSA) was awarded $3,392,400 to resettle 1,800 refugees at ten sites in 1999. This included funding for 200 Kosovars. IRSA enrolled 1,800; 1,574 completed the 120 days of services. Of these, 1,433 were self-sufficient. Bosnian, Kosovar, Vietnamese, Somali, and Iraqi refugees were the largest client groups; the largest of their ten sites were Kansas City and St. Louis, Missouri; Houston, Texas; and Erie, Pennsylvania.

IRSA	Cases			Individuals
Self-sufficient (120 days)	612	91%		1,433	91%
Self-sufficient (180 days)	489	98 %		1,242	99%
Entered Employment				875	92%
Average Hourly Wage				$6.80
Health Benefits				683	81%

International Rescue Committee (IRC) received an initial grant award of $3,932,400 for its 1999 program to enroll 2,025 clients, a 100 percent increase from the previous year. By the end of the year, 1,624 new arrivals became self-sufficient by the end of the 120-day period. Sixteen sites participated in the Match Grant. The largest site was San Francisco, California. The largest ethnic groups served were Kosovars, Bosnians, and Cubans.

IRC	Cases			Individuals
Self-sufficient (120 days)	763	69 %		1624	76 %
Self-sufficient (180 days)	755	99%		1620	99 %
Entered Employment				975	80 %
Average Hourly Wage				$8.77
Health Benefits				610	68 %

Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services (LIRS) was awarded $8,605,400 in 1999 including a $2 million addendum to serve 1,000 Kosovars. However, only $5.6 million was expended. They ultimately enrolled 3,656 of whom 3,446 completed 120 days of service at the time of this report. Of these, 2,913 became self-sufficient within 120 days. There were nineteen affiliates participating in the Match Grant program in 1999.

LIRS	Cases			Individuals
Self-sufficient (120 days)	978	84%		2,913	85%
Self-sufficient (180 days)	814	99 %		2,242	99 %
Entered Employment				1,548	90 %
Average Hourly Wage				$7.18
Health Benefits				1,250	85 %

United States Catholic Conference (USCC) received $15 million to serve 7,830 clients at 51 sites. Three new sites began Match Grant services, Indianapolis, Kansas City and New York. The largest groups served were Bosnians, Kurds, Kosovars, Vietnamese, Serbs, and Cubans.

USCC	Cases			Individuals
Self-sufficient (120 days)	2,433	80 %		6,781	81 %
Self-sufficient (180 days)	1,979	81 %		5,280	76 %
Entered Employment				3,824	71 %
Average Hourly Wage				$7.05
Health Benefits				2,748	76 %

World Relief Corporation (WRC) received $2,475,200 to resettle 1,300 refugees in five sites in 1999, including 300 Kosovars. WRC enrolled 1,294 refugees, with 1,130 reaching the 120-day mark by year's end, of which 1,044 became self-sufficient. The largest ethnic groups served were Eastern Europeans and Kosovar refugees. Tampa, Atlanta, and Ft. Worth were their largest sites. Atlanta and High Point, North Carolina joined the program. Of note, average hourly wage increased by $1.

WRC	Cases			Individuals
Self-sufficient (120 days)	340	93 %		1044	92%
Self-sufficient (180 days)	283	92 %		789	99 %
Entered Employment				508	87 %
Average Hourly Wage				$7.34
Health Benefits				358	76 %

Special Initiatives

(a) Partnerships to Improve Employment and Self-Sufficiency Outcomes

State Outcome Goal Plans

In FY 1999, the Office of Refugee Resettlement undertook a joint effort with States to improve State performance in refugee employment and self-sufficiency outcomes. States and California counties have since been required to establish annual outcome goals aimed at continuous improvement of performance along the following six outcome measures:

These performance measure outcomes must be viewed in the overall context of increasing arrival numbers, but a decreasing caseload. A caseload is defined as the unduplicated number of active employable adults enrolled in employment services. In FY 1999 the caseload decreased by eight percent. The rate of job placements increased by one percent, and 71 percent of refugees who found employment retained their employment for ninety days, consistent with 73 percent in FY 1998. The rate of cash assistance terminations increased by two percent in FY 1999. Sixty-seven percent of full-time placements offered health insurance, compared with 61 percent the year before.

Twenty-eight States and two California counties exceeded their placements from last year. Connecticut, Georgia, Maine, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Virginia exceeded their placements last year by more than one third.

Twenty-three States and three California counties increased the number of cash assistance terminations over the previous year. Six States (Arkansas, Florida, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Mexico and Rhode Island) reported that every cash assistance recipient terminated assistance after job placement.

Twenty-six States and three California counties improved the job retention rate over the previous year. Retention rates of over 90 percent were reported in Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Indiana, New Hampshire, North Carolina, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Vermont, and Wisconsin. Among larger States, retention rates met or exceeded 80 percent in Florida and Oregon. Among California counties, Contra Costa, San Joaquin, and Yolo recorded high rates of retention.

FY 1999 saw significant improvement in the quality of jobs found for refugees. Forty States and nine California counties reported higher wages at placement than in FY 1998. Delaware ($8.57), Massachusetts ($8.75), South Dakota ($8.24) and San Francisco County ($8.92) reported the highest average wage at placement. Twenty-nine other States reported an average wage at placement of $7.00 or above, compared with only twenty States the year before.

Refugees found employment not only at higher wages, but also with more benefits. Thirty-three States and four California counties increased their rates of health benefit availability over FY 1998. Arkansas found health insurance for all 12 if its job placements (100 percent), and Hawaii found health insurance for all 18 of its full-time job placements (100 percent). Rhode Island found health insurance for 56 of its 57 full-time job placements (98 percent). Seven other States - Arizona, Delaware, Indiana, Minnesota, North Carolina, Ohio and Virginia - reported that at least 90 percent of its entered employments included health benefits. In eleven other States, at least 80 percent of refugees found employment with health benefits available.

ORR also tracked the cost per job placement in each State and California county. This measure is the ratio of the total employment service funds used by the State for employment services divided by the number of entered employments recorded during the fiscal year. The State average unit cost was $1,498 per job placement. The range was quite wide, however, from a low of $301 per placement (Louisiana) to a high of $6,398 per placement (West Virginia). In California counties, unit costs ranged from $615 per placement (Merced) to $5,846 per placement (San Diego). California's overall average unit cost was $2,847.