Serving Refugees & Immigrants in Ohio 8 Serving Immigrants in Ohio.pdf · Serving Refugees &...
Transcript of Serving Refugees & Immigrants in Ohio 8 Serving Immigrants in Ohio.pdf · Serving Refugees &...
Serving Refugees & Immigrants in Ohio:
Who are Ohio’s Refugees and Asylees?
Presenter: Karin Blythe, Senior Services Program Manager Community Refugee & Immigration Services (CRIS) Columbus, Ohio
Agenda
A. Refugees: Definitions, Background and
Numbers in Ohio
B. Refugees and Public Benefits
C. Older Adult Refugees and You
Alien, Immigrant,
Refugee:
Are They All the Same?
Alien vs. Immigrant vs. Refugee
UNDOCUMENTED
How Do Refugees Come to
the United States?
How Does a Refugee Become a
“Refugee”? ■ War, persecution or fear of persecution in home
country
■ Flee homeland to foreign country
■ United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
(UNHCR) ■ International agency to safeguard the rights and well¬
being of refugees
■ Determines best “Durable Solution”
■ Refers cases for resettlement
“Durable Solutions” for Refugees
Life in home country
Flee to a ‘host’ country due to persecution or
fear of persecution
Return home
Integrate into host country
Resettlement in third country
Access to the U.S. Refugee
Resettlement Program ■ Priority 1 — Any Nationality — referral from UNHCR or
U.S. Embassy
■ Priority 2 — Special Groups
■ Priority 3 — Family Reunification for Certain Family
Members from Designated Countries (FFY 2012 —
Afghanistan, Bhutan, Burma, Burundi, Central African
Republic, Chad, Colombia, Cuba, Democratic People’s
Republic of Korea, Democratic Republic of Congo,
Eritrea, Ethiopia, Iran, Iraq, Republic of Congo,
Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Uzbekistan, and Zimbabwe)
Source: Proposed Refugee Admissions Report to Congress for FFY 2012
After Referral for U.S. Resettlement
■ If resettlement is the only Durable Solution and
a referral is made to the U.S.:
■ U.S. Department of State — Bureau of Population,
Refugees and Migration
■ Overseas Processing Entity (OPE)
■ Voluntary Agencies (V OLAGs)
■ Department of Homeland Security — U.S.
Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)
■ International Organization for Migration (IOM) —
Travel Loan
Assistance to Refugees in the U.S. ■ Resettlement Agency (RA) — Local affiliate of a
VOLAG who does the ground work
■ Secures and prepares housing
■ Meets at airport
■ Links to benefits and services
■ Not financially responsible “sponsors”
■ Department of Health and Human Services — Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR)
■ Ohio Department of Job and Family Services — responsible for state refugee resettlement program
■ Local County Department of Job and Family Services — responsible for administering refugee benefit programs
Where do most refugees come
from?
The Uprooted:
10.4 Million External Refugees
15.5 Million Internally Displaced Persons
Less than 1% make it to the U.S.
Source: UNHCR Global Trends 2011
Admissions to the U.S. in FFY 2011
Category U.S. Ohio
Non-Immigrants (Aliens) 53,082,286 285,414
Lawful Permanent Residents
(Documented Immigrants) 481,948 5,618
Refugees 56,384 1,688
Total 53,620,618 292,720
Less than 0.11% of all alien admissions to the U.S. were refugees, and less than 0.6% of Ohio alien admissions
were refugees. Source: U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Secondary Resettlement
Some refugees move to another state or city
after they arrive to the United States. Their
new home city/state is called “secondary
resettlement”
It is VERY difficult to accurately track this
variation, both incoming and outgoing
How Many Refugees Come to Ohio?
FFY 2013 FFY 2014
2,814 2,825
■ 98.8% of refugees who arrived between October
2006 and September 2013 were resettled in
Franklin, Cuyahoga, Summit, Montgomery and
Hamilton counties
Source: U.S. Department of State, Refugee Processing Center
2013
Source: Ohio Dept. of Job and Family Services: Refugee Services
FFY 2013 & 2014 Refugee Arrivals by County
Cuyahoga Franklin Hamilton Montgomery Summit Lucas
Arrivals
FFY
2013
(2,767)
613 1,296 203 177 478
Assured
FFY
2014
(2,825)
685 1,335 180 210 385 30
*In 2013, only 5% were age 60+ and 5% were age 50-59.
1983-2003 Russia (13,000)
Yugoslavia (3,400)
Vietnam (3,300)
Laos (1,400)
Somalia (1,200)
Source: Ohio Dept. of Job and Family Services: Refugee Services
2004-2013
Somalia (5,700)
Bhutan (4,600)
Burma (2,000)
Iraq (1,900)
Where are Ohio’s Refugees Coming
From?
Country # Ohio Refugee
Arrivals FFY13
% of Ohio Arrivals
FFY13
Bhutan 1,192 42%
Somalia 501 18%
Iraq 447 16%
Burma 215 8%
❖ Arrivals from other countries include: Eritrea, Dem. Rep.
Congo, Sudan, Ethiopia, Burundi, Nepal, Rwanda, Afghanistan,
Colombia, Congo, Iran, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, India, Ecuador,
Moldova, Bangladesh, Georgia, Ivory Coast, Jordan and
Zimbabwe 18
Where are Ohio’s Refugees Coming
From?
Bhutan
• Racial/Ethnic persecution: “One nation, One people”
policy and 1988 census (7 categories)
• Resettlement began in 2008
Source: Church World Service
Somalia
Source: International Rescue Committee
Somalia
• Somalia-Ethiopia conflict in the 1980s
• Siad Barre regime collapse in 1991
• Resurgences of violence (acts of terrorism)
• Severe droughts
Source: International Rescue Committee
Iraq
Source: International Rescue Committee
Iraq
• Sectarian violence in Iraq
• SIV – Special Immigrant Visas for Iraqis who
were helpful with the U.S. military efforts
• Violence in Syria – Iraqis who fled to Syria
during the war in Iraq are afraid to return to
Iraq but are in danger in Syria
Source: International Rescue Committee
Burma/Myanmar
• Racial tensions/conflict
• Land disputes
• Aftermath of Cyclone Nargis
Source: International Rescue Committee
Eritrea & Ethiopia
Source: International Rescue Committee
Eritrea & Ethiopia
Source: International Rescue Committee
• 30-year civil war: Eritrea became an
independent country in 1993
• 1998 – War between Ethiopia & Eritrea
• Political persecution; no political freedom (E/E)
• Unlimited mandatory military service (Er.)
Languages Spoken by Refugees in Ohio
Nepali
Somali
Arabic
Tigrinya
KiSwahili
Kinyarwanda
French
Oromo
Karen
Amharic
Chin
Lingala
Burmese
Spanish
Swahili
Bembe
English
Who helps refugees once they get to
Ohio?
U.S. Refugee Resettlement Agencies in Ohio
Source: Ohio Dept. of Job and Family Services: Refugee Services, FFY 2014
County Resettlement Agency(ies)
Cuyahoga 1. US Together, Inc. 2. Catholic Charities Migration & Refugee Services 3. International Services Center
Summit International Institute of Akron
Lucas US Together, Inc.
Franklin 1. Community Refugee & Immigration Services (CRIS) 2. US Together, Inc. 3. World Relief
Hamilton Catholic Charities of Southwestern Ohio
Montgomery Catholic Social Services of the Miami Valley
Goals of the U.S. Refugee Resettlement Program
■ Refugees will achieve self-sufficiency and integration within the shortest time period after arriving in the United States
■ Employment Services/Self-Sufficiency ■ Must participate in employment services within 30 days of
receipt of cash assistance
■ English Language Training ■ Should be concurrent with job search activities
■ Cannot be pursued in place of an offer of employment
Source: 45 CFR Part 400.1
Ohio Department of Job and Family Services
Office of Families and Children
Refugee Services Section
P.O. Box 183204
Columbus, OH 43218-3204
Phone: (614) 466-4815
Policy Question E-Mail: REFUGEE@,jfs.ohio.gov
Web Address: www.jfs.ohio.gov/refugee
County/State Benefits (JFS) ■ Refugees are eligible for public benefits to the
same extent as U.S. citizens for a limited time period that begins with the date of entry/date status granted
■ Must meet the same income requirements and eligibility factors (i.e., work activities) as U.S. citizens
■ There is no 40 quarter requirement for refugees during the eligibility period
■ If refugees adjust to Lawful Permanent Resident status, they are still considered refugees for benefit eligibility purposes for a limited time
Social Security ■ Caseworkers at JFS can authorize cash, medical and food
assistance benefits for refugees before the Social Security number is received. Documentation from the Social Security Administration that the refugee has applied for a Social Security number is adequate to establish eligibility (OAC 5101:1-38-01.8, 5101:4-3-22, 5101:1-3-09).
■ Refer Aged, Blind or Disabled Refugees to Social Security to apply for SSI. They can receive cash and medical benefits while SSI eligibility is pending.
Expanded Medicaid
January 2014 expansion for refugees
• removed the 7-year cut off or
expectation of acquiring U.S. citizenship
which means…
As long as a refugee is financially eligible
for Medicaid, they will be able to get
Medicaid (regardless of how long they
have been in the U.S.)
How can YOU help refugees in
Ohio?
Older Adult Refugees:
Trends & Common Barriers
• Not reaching English language fluency (including illiteracy)
• Unable or not interested in working (part time or full time)
• Medical complications & lack of understanding medical system
• Reliance on family or community & collectivistic cultures
• No reliable transportation
• Limited social opportunities
• Increasing cultural & language gap between seniors and
grandchildren
Resulting in a highly vulnerable population: seniors, 85+ are most
likely age group to commit suicide and Bhutanese seniors & teens,
specifically struggle with suicide.
Building Respect and Rapport
• Don’t assume that if you’re knowledgeable about the culture that
you’re knowledgeable about the individual.
• Be sure to pronounce names correctly. Ask the person what he/she
prefers (e.g., Mr., Mrs., Ms., Dr., family given name)
• Be aware of the cultural meaning of body language-smiling,
nodding, eye contact, touching, foot movement, and other facial
expressions.
• Be aware of differences in preferences for physical space, and
perhaps gender limitations/preferences
• Schedule longer appointments, taking time to include
interpretation, etc.
• DO ask the person if they want their family included in the
conversation- many clients will come with family and want
them in the room.
• DO discuss confidentiality in SPECIFICS. Not every country
practices confidentiality, or adheres to the laws in place.
• DO make sure you address IMMIGRATION STATUS in
confidentiality.
• Don’t use idioms, abstractions, metaphors.
• Be curious, ask what it means if you aren’t sure!
Building Respect and Rapport
Understanding Healing Methods
• Alternative Medical Systems such as ayurveda, homeopathy,
naturopathy, acupuncture, cupping and coining
• Mind-Body Interventions such as medication, hypnosis, dance/
music/art therapy, prayer, and mental healing (e.g. shamanism)
• Biologically-Based Therapies such as herbal therapies, Atkins/
Ornish/Pritkins diet, and vitamins
• Manipulative and Body-Based Methods such as osteopathic
manipulations, chiropractic, and massage therapy
• Energy Therapies such as qi gong, reiki, therapeutic touch,
and magnets
Understanding Healing Methods
• Bhutan
• Traditional Healers, Temples, Mass Worships (2 Festivals
a year), Yoga, Religious Ceremonies (with priests and
chanting)
• Eritrea and Ethiopia
• Spiritual waters in home country, Blessed holy water
• Somalia
• Reading the Koran, Praying at the Mosque, Imam
“priest” can be requested to pray for person
• Iraq
• Prayer
And remember,
when in doubt, ASK! Does this have a name in your culture?
What do you think will happen if…? What do you think the doctor/lawyer/worker said about….?
Tell me how you….? What would you do in your country when….?
Thank You!!
Feel free to contact me with any questions!
Karin Blythe
Senior Services, Program Manager
Community Refugee & Immigration
Services (CRIS)
614-987-1641