Office Of Refugee Resettlement: Policy Guidance & Reporting Forms

Annual ORR Reports to Congress - 2002

Discretionary Grants

During FY 2002, 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 who have been in the U.S. for more than 60 months.

Preventive Health

ORR provided continuation funding to 39 projects, awarding grants totaling $8,584,024. Through this program, ORR ensures outreach and access for newly arrived refugees to screening for contagious diseases.

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 30,663 preventive health screenings completed in FY 2002.

Individual Development Account Program

Individual development accounts (IDAs) are matched savings accounts available for the purchase of specific assets. Under the IDA program, the matching funds, together with the refugee's own savings, are available for purchasing 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 that received their initial award in FY 1999 or FY 2000 provide matches of up to $2 for every $1 deposited by a refugee in a savings account. Grantees that received their initial award in FY 2002 provide matches of up to $1 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 enrolling in 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 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 asset purchases. For example, grantees provide training on how to purchase a home and how to develop a business plan for a microenterprise.

In FY 2002, ORR awarded 49 IDA grants; the grants totaled $18,356,438.

Account Activity

From the beginning of the program to September 30, 2002, 7,296 participants opened accounts. They had the following asset goals: vehicle, 57 percent; home, 21 percent; post secondary education, 9 percent; computers, 7 percent; and microenterprise, 6 percent.

These participants planned to save approximately $10.5 million. By year end, participants had saved $8.4 million, of which they used $5.6 million for purchasing assets. The remaining funds were in open and active IDAs. About $19.5 million have been committed to matching, of which $9.5 million had been used for purchasing assets.

Asset Purchases

These projects have achieved impressive outcomes from the beginning of the program to September 30, 2002. Since the inception of the program, participants had purchased assets whose value totals $54.6 million.

The assets purchased were 2,339 vehicles (to maintain or upgrade employment), 424 homes, 311 computers, 253 post-secondary education, and 224 microenterprise assets (for business start-up, expansion, or enhancement).

Participant Characteristics

Participants in the IDA programs came to the U.S. from all over the world. Most came from Eastern Europe or the former Soviet Union (39 percent), while Asians (25 percent) were the next largest group, followed by participants from Africa (20 percent), the Middle East (7 percent), and Latin America (6 percent). The place of origin was not reported for the rest of the participants.

IDA participant households varied in important ways. Most of the participants (92 percent) lived in urban settings, and most (61 percent) were male. At the time of entry into the program, 61 percent of the IDA participants were married, while 28 percent were single, and eight percent were widowed, separated or divorced (for three percent, marital status was not reported).

IDA participant resources also varied. Most were employed, full-time or more (73 percent), part-time (17 percent), or working and in school (five percent). About 19 percent had monthly incomes of less than $1,000; 45 percent had between $1,000 and $1,999; 15 percent had between $2,000 and $2,999; and four percent had $3,000 or more (for 17 percent, income was not reported). Of those whose educational level was reported, 37 percent had more than a 12th grade education, 32 percent had 12th grade or equivalent (diploma or GED), and 31 percent had less than 12 years of education.

ORR awarded the following grants in FY 2002:

International Rescue Committee, Arizona, $377,441
Fresno County Economic Opportunities Commission, Fresno, California, $250,000
Long Beach Community Services Development Corporation, Long Beach, California, $400,000
Community Based Education and Development, Los Angeles, California, $250,000
El Rescate, Los Angeles, California, $311,306
El Rescate, Los Angeles, California, $335,979
Lao Family Community Development, Inc., Oakland, California, $400,000
Interfaith Service Bureau, Sacramento, California, $240,000
Catholic Charities/Diocese of San Diego, San Diego, California, $852,600
International Rescue Committee, San Diego, California, $523,416
International Rescue Committee, San Jose, California, $300,000
Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County, San Jose, California, $115,000
Vietnamese Voluntary Foundation, Inc., Stockton, California, $200,000
Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Miami, Miami, Florida, $400,000
Lutheran Social Services of Northeast Florida, Jacksonville, Florida, $1,000,000
Broward County Board of County Commissioners, Oakland Park, Florida, $215,210
Catholic Charities of the Diocese of St. Petersburg, St. Petersburg, Florida, $318,960
Lutheran Ministries of Georgia, Atlanta, Georgia, $400,000
Georgia Mutual Assistance Association Consortium, Decatur, Georgia, $250,000
Mountain States Group, Inc., Boise, Idaho, $388,690
Goodcity NFP, Chicago, Illinois, $133,333
Institute for Social and Economic Development, Coralville, Iowa, $500,000
Western Kentucky Refugee Mutual Assistance Association, Bowling Green, Kentucky, $150,000
Jewish Family and Vocational Services, Louisville, Kentucky, $449,000
International Institute of Boston, Boston, Massachusetts, $350,000
Jewish Vocational Service, Inc., Boston, Massachusetts, $200,000
Cambodian American League of Lowell, Inc., Lowell, Massachusetts, $250,000
International Institute of Metropolitan St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, $576,000
Lincoln Action Program, Lincoln, Nebraska, $100,000
International Institute of Buffalo, Buffalo, New York, $227,409
Chinatown Manpower Project, New York, New York, $253,333
International Rescue Committee, Dallas, Texas, $300,000
New York Association for New Americans, New York, New York, $800,000
Worker Ownership Resource Center, Inc., Rochester, New York, $160,000
Catholic Charities of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse, Syracuse, New York, $225,253
Jewish Family Services, Columbus, Ohio, $900,000
Lutheran Community Services Northwest, Portland, Oregon, $260,952
Mercy Enterprise Corporation, Portland, Oregon, $220,487
Women's Opportunities Resource Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, $200,000
Catholic Charities of Tennessee, Nashville, Tennessee, $389,225
World Relief, Nashville, Tennessee, $400,006
World Relief, Nashville, Tennessee, $174,713
Alliance for Multicultural Community Services, Houston, Texas, $1,261,620
Ethiopian Community Development Council, Arlington, Virginia, $553,500
Kurdish Human Rights Watch, Fairfax, Virginia, $120,266
Boat People S.O.S., Falls Church, Virginia, $250,000
Diocese of Olympia, Seattle, Washington, $356,739
Wisconsin Community Action Program Association, Madison, Wisconsin, $666,000
Lao Family Community, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, $400,000

Targeted Assistance Discretionary Grants

ORR awarded 13 grants totaling $8,130,093 to States to implement special employment services not implemented with formula social services or with TAG formula grants.

Florida ($243,790) for interpretation translation, community outreach, employment counseling, and case management.
Maryland ($233,821) for orientation and acculturation and for English and civics courses for women between the age of 18 and 80.
Louisiana ($164,801) for computer-assisted language learning and literacy.
Michigan ($637,749) for community orientation, social and employment services, and vocational ESL.
Mississippi ($150,000) for job placement, vocational ELT, and community orientation.
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.
Oregon ($250,000) for work site assistance with language and vocational training.
Illinois ($274,578) for parenting and domestic violence prevention, ESL classes for adults and for children after school, and electronic assembly training classes.
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.
North Carolina ($541,739) for ESL and employment services, health care, and youth mentoring.
Texas ($285,855) for family violence prevention, Sudanese MAA support groups on women's issues, and ESL classes.
Ohio ($362,792) to assist eligible refugees, particularly women, find work within a year after arrival.
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.

Technical Assistance

ORR supports the work of its grantees in various program areas through several technical assistance (TA) cooperative agreements with organizations qualified to advance the field, improve program achievement and develop organizational capacity to improve performance. In FY 2002, ORR supported technical assistance grants for employment, English language training, microenterprise, child welfare and refugee families, Individual Development Accounts, refugee housing and organizational capacity building among ethnic self-help grantees. 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 ($412,485) for Employment Services
Mercy Housing ($244,926) for housing for refugees
Institute for Social and Economic Development ( $250,000) for Individual Development Accounts
U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops ($851,401) for Child Welfare Services
Institute for Social and Economic Development ( $728,160) for Microenterprise and other initiatives

Microenterprise Development Program

In FY 2002, ORR awarded 28 microenterprise grants. The total funds awarded to develop and administer microenterprise programs was $4,833,149. 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 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 67 microenterprise development grants (56 three-year grants and 11 two-year grants) to 35 agencies. The programs have operated in 24 different States across the country, from Hawaii to Maine and from Florida to Washington State. The agencies were located in both rural and urban settings, and in areas with both high and low concentrations of refugees.

These projects have achieved the following outcomes from the beginning of the program to September 30, 2002.

Client Businesses

Since September 1991, 1,863 businesses have been assisted under this program. Of these, 1,354 were new business starts, 301 were expansions of existing businesses, and 208 represented strengthening or stabilization of existing businesses. The types of businesses helped are as diverse as the people who operated them. They include small farming, trucking, babysitting, retail, hot dog vendors, piano teachers, and music producers. Fifty-five percent of the businesses were in service industries, 26 percent were in retail, and eight percent were in manufacturing. Eighty-nine percent of the businesses assisted were still operating at the end of the grant period. Forty-seven percent of the starts and expansions were assisted without loans.

Loan Funds

Since 1991, 874 businesses served by the ORR microenterprise programs obtained $6,690,815 in business financing. This represents an average loan amount of $7,655. Of this amount, ORR provided $3,126,211 in loan capital, which leveraged the additional $3,564,604 from other sources. The default rate has been 2.0 percent of the amount of money loaned and 2.1 percent of the number of loans. Lending has increased over the life of the program.

Client Characteristics

Nearly 8,799 refugees have participated in training or technical assistance. At the time of entry into training, 35 percent had been in the U.S. less than 2 years; 38 percent had been in the U.S. 2-5 years; and 28 percent had been in the U.S. over 5 years. About 63 percent were competent in English, while 37 percent had little or no English language skills.

The percentages of nationality groups who have received business assistance were: Vietnamese (32 percent); Soviet (22 percent); Bosnian (8 percent); Hmong (8 percent); Laotian (7 percent); Somali (4 percent); and Ethiopian (3 percent).

Other characteristics of refugee entrepreneurs include the following. Thirty-four percent of the participants were women and 66 percent were men. Over 60 percent of participants were between 31 and 50 years of age. Married clients equaled 68 percent and singles equaled 32 percent. Thirty-seven percent had been business owners prior to entry into the ORR program.

Cost Analysis

There are three measures of cost analysis that can be used to measure the effectiveness of the refugee microenterprise program-cost per business assisted, cost per job created, and cost per employment outcome. These measures are calculated by dividing the amount of operational funding by the number of businesses assisted, jobs created, or employment outcomes. Excluding loan funds, the total amount of ORR operational funding expended for these 36 microenterprise projects was $19,569,893 over the eleven-year period. For 1,863 businesses assisted, this represents an average cost per business start/expansion/strengthening of $10,505. The total number of jobs created by new and expanding/strengthening businesses (including the business owner) was 2,606,4 which translates to $7,510 per job created. Finally, the cost per employment outcome, which includes the 2,606 jobs created as well as the 1,134 participants who obtained employment after training instead of going into business, was $5,233.

ORR awarded the following grants in FY 2002:

Fresno County Economic Opportunities Commission, Fresno, California, $157,000
Economic and Employment Development Center, Los Angeles, California, $150,000
Pacific Asian Consortium in Employment, Los Angeles, California, $200,000
Interfaith Service Bureau, Sacramento, California, $127,457
Alliance for African Assistance, San Diego, California, $159,135
International Rescue Committee, San Diego, California, $171,223
Church World Service, Miami, Florida, $150,000
Pacific Gateway Center, Honolulu, Hawaii, $135,427
Mountain States Group, Inc., Boise, Idaho, $198,334
Vietnamese Association of Illinois, Chicago, Illinois, $160,000
Institute for Social and Economic Development, Coralville, Iowa, $160,000
Jewish Family and Vocational Services, Louisville, Kentucky, $155,721
Coastal Enterprises, Inc., Wiscasset, Maine, $155,136
International Institute of Metropolitan St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, $153,902
Lincoln Action Program, Lincoln, Nebraska, $150,978
Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Camden, Pennsauken, New Jersey, $198,989
Women's Economic Self-Sufficiency Team, Albuquerque, New Mexico, $200,000
Business Outreach Center Network, Inc., Brooklyn, New York, $197,440
New York Association for New Americans, Inc., New York, New York, $160,000
Worker Ownership Resource Center, Inc., Rochester, New York, $143,616
Jewish Family Services, Columbus, Ohio, $200,000
Mercy Corps International, Portland, Oregon, $199,285
World Relief, Nashville, Tennessee, $208,000
Social and Cultural Research and Development Institute, Houston, Texas, $150,000
Champlain Valley O.E.O., Inc., Burlington, Vermont, $143,593
Ethiopian Community Development Council, Inc., Arlington, Virginia, $169,143
Wisconsin Community Action Program Association, Madison, Wisconsin, $400,000
Hmong/American Friendship Association, Inc., Milwaukee, Wisconsin, $78,770

Community and Family Strengthening and Integration

ORR continued 29 projects, with awards totaling $8,608,840 to public and private non-profit organizations. Community and Family Strengthening and Integration projects are designed to serve refugees in the areas of English language training, parent-school relationships, intergenerational family values, youth development, crime prevention, spouse and child abuse intervention, citizenship promotion, and community activities. These grantees committed to add an additional 40 percent to the Federal share of the costs of these projects.

International Rescue Committee ($879,541) to provide technical assistance and mentoring to organizations that assist refugee women and youth.
National Conference of State Legislatures collaborating with the Urban Institute, the Migration Policy Institute, the National Immigration Forum, and the Southeast Asia Resources Action Center, to provide technical assistance and training to refugees, refugee services agencies and other community organizations to foster the successful integration of refugees.
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 and an asylee hotline ($700,000)
Alliance for African Assistance, San Diego, with St. Luke's Episcopal Church and the Somali Youth and East African Center ($260,000) to promote stable, self-sufficient, integrated refugee families.
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 ($272,767) 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.
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.
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.
Asian American LEAD collaborating with Georgetown University, D.C. Voice, and the Columbia Heights/Shaw Family Support Collaborative ($183,914) for parenting education, family conflict management and problem solving.
Gulf Coast Jewish Family Services with Catholic Charities, Lutheran Services Florida, and the Florida Department of Children's Health ($225,000) to improve school readiness among refugee children, focusing on English language and cultural training for children.
Jacksonville Area Legal Aid ($196,915) for legal services for refugees and asylees.
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 in Massachusetts.
Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services ($267,705) for parenting skills, cross-cultural training and access to services (Michigan).
Amherst H. Wilder Foundation ($334,227) for community capacity-building and leadership training.
Catholic Social and Community Services with the Biloxi Police Department, Public Schools and the Harrison County Family and Juvenile Court ($103,500) for assistance to families with at-risk youth.
Hmong National Development with Hmong Women's Heritage Association, Sacramento, Wausau Hmong Mutual Association Wisconsin, Hmong American Women's Association, Milwaukee, and University of Wisconsin ($379,779) for community organizing and ethnic community-based organization development.
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.
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 Soviet Union.
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.
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 ($343,546) 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 ($154,252) to alleviate family violence and substance abuse and provide access to care.
Refugee and Immigration Services ($238,650) for school liaison and youth development in Virginia.
Center for Multicultural Health with the Refugee Women's Alliance, Somali Community Services of Seattle and the Ukrainian Community Center of Washington ($275,567) for orientation workshops and casework to help refugees access health and human services in Seattle.
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 healthcare.

ORR Standing Announcement

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 with the following categories: Category 1 (Preferred Communities), Category 2 (Unanticipated Arrivals), Category 3 (Services for Arriving Refugees with Special Conditions), and Category 4 (Ethnic Community Self-Help). In June, 2001 ORR added Victims of a Severe Form of Trafficking as part of Category 3.