Office Of Refugee Resettlement: Policy Guidance & Reporting Forms

State Letter #02-27

TO: State Refugee Coordinators

FROM: Nguyen Van Hanh, Ph.D.
Director
Office of Refugee Resettlement

SUBJECT: Family Set-Aside

This State letter explains the expectation of the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) for the $3 million set-aside described in the Notice of Final Allocation, which was published in the Federal Register on July 8, 2002 and mailed to you on that date as part of State Letter 02-24.

In the Notice of Final Allocations, ORR required that States use the $3 million set-aside (hereafter called "the family set-aside") to support orientation, education, and counseling to help maintain healthy marriages, promote responsible fatherhood, and maintain the well-being of families. In addition, the Notice states that the organizations funded by the family set-aside are expected to have ties to the ethnic communities they serve and to conduct outreach into the community to identify refugee families in need of services. States were encouraged to fund, to the extent possible, Mutual Assistance Associations (MAAs), ethnic community-based organizations, and indigenous faith-based organizations with refugee experience to provide family support, outreach, education, orientation and counseling.

The Notice goes on to list several examples of family-enhancement activities. In order to provide for a wider range of these types of activities that you may wish to consider, we have included in an attachment a more extensive list, with numerous examples of activities to promote healthy families and responsible fatherhood. States may choose the most appropriate programs and tailor them as necessary for the relevant program mission and population. We wish to emphasize in this State Letter, however, that, while a wide range of family-strengthening activities are allowable under the family set-aside, ORR would like to take this opportunity to particularly encourage the ten largest States to initiate discrete programs that utilize established techniques for the core areas of pre-martial education and preparation, family conflict resolution, marital communication, and relationship enhancement. These activities are permissible, upon approval of the Director, for social service funding under 45 CFR 400.155(h) as services aimed at strengthening and supporting the ability of a refugee individual, family, or community to achieve and maintain economic self-sufficiency, family stability, or community integration. Pursuant to the waiver authority in 45 CFR 400.300, I therefore approve these activities as additional social services under 45 CFR 400.155(h).

ORR has established the family set-aside to build opportunities for refugee families under stress. To accomplish this, States with sufficient resources under the family set-aside may do the following:

Consult with local community leaders and service providers to form a clear picture of the particular strains, problems, and tensions of each refugee community within your State.
Review the ORR web site (http://www.acf.dhhs.gov/programs/orr). By September 9, we will list the names, addresses, phone numbers, and web-sites of prominent organizations with significant expertise in both teaching couples as well as training local team leaders to carry on.
Identify local organizations that train individuals in family conflict resolution and communication skills that may be interested in training refugees and refugee community leaders.
Invite family-enhancement and refugee organizations to partner for submission of an application for these funds at designated sites.
Select the best applicant for each site using State procurement and contracting procedures.
Notify ORR of the communities chosen, the partners and programs, and the intended strategies and methodologies of the grantees as part of the quarterly program report (QPR) narrative.

State Coordinators may find that developing courses is not suitable for all communities. Some couples in need of assistance may not live near communities designated as training sites. In that case, or where funds are sufficient for a stand-alone program, State coordinators may want to work with community leaders to identify troubled couples in need of such courses and provide vouchers for use with local marital enhancement and communication skill-building courses that are not refugee-specific.

We realize that this funding stream differs greatly in its scope and purpose than other funds distributed through formula allocation, but that the potential rewards make this well worth while. If you have any questions, please contact Loren Bussert by phone at (202) 401-4732 or by E-mail at Lbussert@acf.hhs.gov. Please note that the E-mail address has changed.

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Attachment A-Resources for Promoting Healthy Marriages and Responsible Fatherhood