Introduction
Appendix C
Resettlement Agency Reports
(The following reports were prepared by the Voluntary Resettlement Agencies.
Each report expresses the judgments or opinions of the individual agency reporting.)
The Immigration and Refugee Program (IRP) is the largest program of Church World Service, Inc (CWS). CWS is the relief, development, and refugee assistance ministry of 35 Protestant, Orthodox, and Anglican communions in the United States. Working in partnership with indigenous organizations in more than 80 countries, CWS works worldwide to meet human needs and foster self-reliance for all whose way is hard.
CWS/IRP is unique among voluntary agencies in that seven national Protestant denominations partner with the organization in its resettlement activities. This unique relationship provides an extended network of support that benefits CWS clients, as the church co-sponsorship model utilized by the agency mobilizes congregations to provide additional private resources that assist refugees in their transition into the U.S. Local congregations frequently offer assistance in the form of material donations, social adjustment services, transportation, emergency funds, help with housing, and thousands of hours in volunteer time. On the national level, CWS/IRP’s denominations are involved in designing program and policy through their participation in the Immigration and Refugee Program Committee (IRPCOM). IRPCOM is composed of representatives from each of the following communions: American Baptist Churches USA; the United Methodist Church; Presbyterian Church USA; Christian Church (Disciples of Christ); Christian Reformed Church; Reformed Church of America; and the United Church of Christ.
CWS/IRP operates through a national network of 26 affiliates and 13 sub-offices located in 24 States. Affiliate partners are independent, ecumenical, community-based non-profit organizations that organize sponsorships, secure community resources and deliver refugee services as part of their commitment to CWS/IRP refugees resettled in their respective areas. They range in size and scope from refugee service units of local interfaith councils to large multi-service agencies that provide wide-ranging services to many segments of the refugee, asylee and immigrant population(s). Through CWS/IRP and the national denominations’ involvement in a broad range of refugee and immigrant issues, the affiliate network is able to gain perspective on the context of their work, ensure strong community involvement in resettlement activities, and link refugees with resources to address needs beyond the initial resettlement period and services required by the Cooperative Agreement with Department of State/BPRM.
In FY 2005, CWS/IRP resettled 4,624 refugees through its affiliate network. Additionally, CWS/IRP assisted with the primary and secondary resettlement of 1,979 Cuban and Haitian clients.
FY 2005 Refugee Arrivals
Refugees: Cases/Individuals
Africa 629/2,298
E.Eur/Fmr. Soviet Union 350/1,002
Latin America 215/409
Near East 127/255
Southeast Asia 215/660
Total 1,536/ 4,624
FY 2005 Entrant Arrivals
Cuba 1,918
Haiti 61
Total 1,979
In addition to the work carried out through the affiliate network, CWS/IRP administers the Overseas Processing Entities in Nairobi, Kenya and Accra, Ghana through contractual relationships with Department of State/Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration. In 2005, CWS/IRP continued its overseas activities under the Durable Solutions for the Displaced Program, with programs addressing an array of needs for displaced persons in Senegal, Kenya, Chile, Ecuador, Peru, Haiti, Ghana, Tanzania, Thailand, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. CWS/IRP also maintained its partnership with Jesuit Refugee Service/USA to operate the Religious Services Program, which offers access to religious services and counsel for detainees in eight of the Department of Homeland Security’s Service Processing Centers. Further, CWS/IRP’s Legal Program expanded number of CWS/IRP affiliates providing immigration legal services, offering training sessions, assistance with Bureau of Immigration Appeals accreditation and recognition, and ongoing technical assistance on issues related to establishing, maintaining, and strengthening immigration legal services.
Episcopal Migration Ministries
Episcopal Migration Ministries (EMM), a program of the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society of the Protestant Episcopal Church, responds to refugees, immigrants and displaced persons both domestically and internationally. EMM operates a national resettlement program through a network of 35 affiliate offices in 27 dioceses of the Episcopal Church that agree to organize parish sponsorships and community resources as part of their commitment to ensure the provision of reception and placement services to refugees. Programs range in size and scope from multi-service centers in major urban areas to smaller diocesan programs and refugee ministry units of State councils of churches.
While EMM is fortunate to benefit from substantial private support from the Episcopal Church, EMM believes that the hallmark of the Matching Grant program is the involvement of local communities and the resources they bring in the form of cash and in-kind assistance. In this regard, EMM affiliate sites regularly exceed the Office of Refugee Resettlement’s (ORR) total match requirement.
In FY 2005, EMM resettled 2,579 refugees from the following regions:
FY 2005 Refugee Resettlement
Africa 1,049
E. Europe/Former Soviet Union 438
Latin America 417
Near East 157
Southeast Asia 518
Total 2,579
EMM received $1,832,000 to enroll 916 people into the ORR-funded Matching Grant program, a decrease from the previous year’s funding despite EMM’s outstanding program outcomes. EMM ultimately enrolled 947 people into the MG program while staying within this budget. EMM enrolled 31 percent of its total annual refugee caseload (811 persons) into the MG program. Asylees, parolees, and victims of trafficking comprised the remainder of the 947 enrollments.
Several EMM sites with substantial resettlement potential have enhanced their resettlement capacity with ORR preferred community grants. These include projects for medical case management, enhanced case management services, and cultural adjustment for refugee populations with special needs. ORR funding enables EMM to provide enhanced resettlement services to Somali Bantu arriving from the Kakuma camp in Kenya. Lastly, ORR’s Ethnic Community Self- Help grant benefits four localities by assisting diverse refugee groups in becoming Ethnic Community Based Organizations with the capacity to more effectively serve and advocate on behalf of the constituents they represent.
EMM links the Episcopal Church with the worldwide Anglican Communion in responding to refugee crises internationally and represents the Church in advancing the need for safe and humane treatment of all forcibly displaced persons. EMM, through its office for Church Relations and Outreach, promotes active parish involvement in sponsoring or otherwise assisting refugees and marginalized immigrants.
For additional information, please contact Ms. Deborah Stein at Episcopal Migration Ministries, 815 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10017 or e-mail her at dstein@episcopalchurch.org.
Ethiopian Community Development Council
The Ethiopian Community Development Council, Inc. ( ECDC) is a non-profit community-based organization dedicated to helping refugees achieve successful resettlement in their new homeland and providing cultural, educational and socio-economic development programs in the refugee and immigrant community. ECDC also conducts humanitarian, educational and socio-economic development programs in Ethiopia.
Headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, ECDC serves as the national office for a network of 12 affiliates, which includes eight independent, community-based organizations and four ECDC branch offices that provide resettlement services in local communities around the country. Through information and educational programs and services, ECDC seeks to generate greater public awareness about the needs of uprooted people around the world, with a focus on Africa, and to enhance appreciation for the contributions that refugee newcomers make to the United States.
ECDC’s resettlement affiliates include the Betania Community Center, Phoenix, Arizona; East African Community of Orange County, Anaheim, California; African Community Resource Center, Los Angeles, California; Al1iance for African Assistance, San Diego, California; ECDC African Community Center, Denver, Colorado; ECDC African Community Center, Washington, D.C.; Ethiopian Community Association, Chicago, Illinois; Refugee and Immigrant Assistance Center, Roxbury, Massachusetts; Southern Sudan Community Association, Omaha, Nebraska; ECDC African Community Center, Las Vegas, Nevada; Alliance for Multicultural Community Service, Houston, Texas; and ECDC Multicultural Community Services, Arlington, Virginia.
In FY 2005, ECDC and its affiliates resettled 1,656 refugees, including 1,000 from Africa, 135 from East Asia, 255 from Eastern Europe and the Former Soviet Union, 134 from Latin America and the Caribbean, and 132 from the Near East and South Asia. Of the 586 clients enrolled in ECDC’s Matching Grant Program, 482 (82 percent) were refugees, 103 or 18 percent were asylees, and one was a victim of trafficking. Matching Grant programs were conducted by nine ECDC affiliates. Affiliated agencies in Denver, Houston, Las Vegas, Omaha, Phoenix, San Diego, and Springfield, , received ORR funding support through the Preferred Communities program. Preferred Communities support enabled these sites to offer enhanced employment and orientation services, driver’s education, youth programs, and increased their resource development capacities.
During the year, ECDC implemented two ORR Ethnic Community Self-Help projects. One project included providing capacity building assistance to the Somali Bantu Community Organization, Inc. (SOBCO) located in Clarkston, Georgia. Also through this grant, ECDC provided sessions on lessons le arned in serving the Somali Bantu to service providers from across the county, while SOBCO provided social services to refugees such as cultural orientation and ESL and served as a source of assistance and information about Somali Bantu refugees for service providers.
ECDC ’s African Resource Network (ARN), the second project funded through an Ethnic Community Self-Help grant, provided technical assistance and resource development support to over 60 existing and emerging African community-based organizations (CBOs) across the United States, most of which were established by former refugees who experienced first-hand the difficulties of adjusting to a new culture; benefited from available public and private support systems; and now extend similar assistance to those just embarking on a life-changing journey they know so well. In addition, each year, ECDC conducts a leadership development workshop for African CBO leaders to strengthen organizational capacity and effectiveness in addressing community concerns. As part of its efforts in public education and awareness building on African refugees and immigrants, ARN publishes a monthly newsletter, African Refugee NETWORK and conducts an annual national conference on African refugees that attracts nearly 300 participants from across the country. Conference participants include local, State and Federal government officials, voluntary agencies, non-profit organizations, African community-based organizations, service providers, policy-makers, African refugees and immigrants a well as others interest in African refugee issues. The conference is designed to (1) create more informed service providers and policy makers on African refugee issues; (2) develop the knowledge and skills of service providers and African community-based organizations to effectively meet the needs of refugees as they become self-sufficient and contributing members of their new community; and (3) strengthen the capacity of newcomer communities to achieve healthy and fulfilling lives in their new homeland. ECDC’s 11 th national conference, E Pluribus Unum? Africans in America, was held in Arlington, Virginia, June 13–15, 2005.
As a sub-grantee under International Rescue Committee’s (IRC) ORR-funded technical assistance initiative, Project for Strengthening Organizations to Assist Refugees (SOAR), ECDC partnered with the Southeast Asia Resource Action Center (SEARAC) to provide technical assistance to small and emerging mutual assistance associations to strengthen their organizational capacity and thus ensure that they develop into effective and suitable organizations. Technical assistance was provided to 25 ethnic community-based organizations through email, conference call trainings, fact sheets, an annual workshop, and on-site trainings. This assistance increases the likelihood of organizational sustainability and enhances the scope and quality of service organizations offices to refugee clients.
With ORR funding support, ECDC’s Refugee Family Enrichment project offered culturally and linguistically appropriate marriage and family strengthening skills to African refugee families. This program is conducted through national coordination at three local sites. The sites include the Alliance for Multicultural Community Services in Houston, Texas; the African Community Center in Las Vegas, Nevada; and at ECDC’s Multicultural Community Services in Arlington, Virginia. Each site focuses on community outreach and training methods. Workshops include role plays and dramatizations to engage participants in an open discussion, education and explorations about their new roles as family members in a new society.
The ECDC Enterprise Development Group (EDG), through the ORR-funded Micro-enterprise Development Program, disbursed 14 loans totaling $212,000 to refugee entrepreneurs in the Washington, D.C. area; and provided training to 143 people as well pre-loan business assistance and post-loan technical assistance to borrowers. Through the ORR-funded Individual Development Account (IDA) program, EDG served 101 clients who saved $130,000, which was matched with $260,000 for a total of $390,000. IDA clients used their savings to pay for education, computers, cars, mortgage down payments, and other assets.
HIAS, the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, is the national and worldwide arm of the organized American Jewish community for the rescue, relocation and resettlement of refugees and migrants. HIAS works closely with Jewish Federations, Jewish Family Service and Jewish Vocational Service agencies across the nation to maintain an extensive cooperative network committed to providing the broadest possible spectrum of professionally staffed resettlement services.
All HIAS affiliates receive Reception and Placement grant funds to assist in meeting the needs of refugees in their initial phase of resettlement. Many HIAS affiliates also elect to supplement these services with private funding and other resources, enabling them to participate in the ORR Voluntary Agency Matching Grant Program as a way of further enhancing their ability to assist refugees to attain economic and social self-sufficiency. Several HIAS sites have also been awarded ORR Preferred Communities funding to help HIAS diversify its caseload, an effort that has resulted in an increasingly large proportion of HIAS’s refugee arrivals being from populations other than the former Soviet Union and Iran. In addition, HIAS has received funding from ORR to oversee marriage education activities conducted by affiliates in Tucson, San Diego, Atlanta, Chicago, and Bergen County (NJ) and to provide technical assistance to other ORR grantees. HIAS also has received funding to foster civic participation among emigres from the former Soviet Union living across the United States.
HIAS World Headquarters is located at 333 Seventh Avenue (16 th Floor), New York, NY 10001-5005. The HIAS website may be found at http://www.hias.org . E-mail may be sent to info@hias.org .
HIAS and its member agencies resettled 2,188 refugees in FY 2005, which consisted of 1,083 refugees from the former Soviet Union (consisting of 878 family-reunification FSU refugees and 205 free-case Meskhetian Turks), 567 Iranians, 405 Africans, 132 Southeast Asians, and one Bosnian.
International Rescue Committee
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is a leading non-sectarian, voluntary organization providing resettlement relief and protection services to refugees and victims of oppression or violent conflict. Founded as a refugee resettlement agency in 1933, the IRC has been providing resettlement services to all major refugee groups since that time. For the past 70 years, IRC has been serving refugees in need around the world—a population now estimated at over 12 million, the majority of whom are women and children. IRC helps victims of racial, religious, and ethnic persecution and strife to rebuild their shattered lives. IRC resettles approximately 12 percent of the total number of refugees admitted to the U.S. each year. IRC is unique as a resettlement agency because of its significant international programs’ component. Refugees are served by the IRC through life-saving programs in countries of first asylum through resettlement for those approved for admission to the U.S.
IRC resettles refugees in 22 cities throughout the U.S. Aside from its core resettlement services, IRC provides numerous enhanced programs. These include employment programs, services for refugees with special needs, school-readiness and after school programs, and other services designed to assist refugees to move rapidly towards self-sufficiency.
During FY 2005, the IRC resettled 6,430 refugees. Of this number, 2,482 arrived from Africa, 1,321 arrived from East Asia, 559 arrived from Eastern Europe, 1,059 arrived from Latin America, 318 arrived from the Near East, 197 arrived from South Asia, and 494 arrived from the republics of the former Soviet Union.
Iowa Department of Human Services
The State of Iowa ’s refugee resettlement program, in existence since 1975, has reduced its level of resettlement over the last several years. Never the less, as a part of State government and representing the people of Iowa, we are committed to helping victims of persecution rebuild their lives.
The Bureau of Refugee Services’ mission is to offer a home and a future for victims of persecution while helping them become self-sufficient. This enriches our State through the sharing of talents, skills and culture.
Originally, the Bureau’s interest was Indochinese refugee resettlement. However, efforts are now being focused on resettling an increasingly diverse refugee population with a new emphasis on refugees from Africa and possibly Burma.
BRS Organization
The Bureau’s refugee services model is based upon a team environment encompassing: skills training, job development and placement, case management, core reception and placement activities, social adjustment and administration.
In February of 2003 the Bureau initiated activities in the Assessment, Training and Placement Center. The Center is producing the desired results and is, via skills training and targeted job prep, placement and retention activities, giving clients a much better start in their new jobs as well as the increased ability to succeed in their employment situations.
Iowa ’s State Coordinator for Refugee Affairs is Mr. Kevin W. Concannon, Director of the Department of Human Services The Deputy Coordinator and Program Manager is Mr. Wayne Johnson, Chief of the Bureau of Refugee Services.
Iowa ’s resettlement model is unique. The Bureau of Refugee Services’ initial involvement with many refugee clients is via the Department of State Reception and Placement program, the only State with this designation. Because the Bureau is also the designated State agency for post reception and placement services funding from the DHHS Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) we are able to provide an unbroken continuum of services for clients resettled by the Bureau as well as on-going services for secondary migrants and other refugees and asylees beyond their resettlement and Matching Grant periods.
Iowa ’s Bureau of Refugee Services conducts initial resettlement efforts as well as providing post resettlement services from its headquarters located in Des Moines, Iowa. Sub-offices have been closed, however, and the number and geographical locations of social services have been reduced because of ORR funding cuts.
Resettlement Efforts
A continuing philosophy that refugees need to become self-sufficient as quickly as possible is core to resettlement for the Bureau.
Emphasis is on early placement of refugees in jobs as this promotes economic independence, generates tax income and helps local economies. Use of welfare-type assistance is discouraged, except in emergency situations or as temporary support which leads to self-sufficiency.
Resettlement Statistics
In FY 2005 the Bureau resettled 144 refugees.
BRS Resettlement, FY 2005
Burmese 11
Liberian 36
Sierre Leone 7
Sudanese 80
Vietnamese 9
Total 144
Resettlement, FY 1975 to FY 2005
Afghan 16
Benin 2
Bosnian 3,183
Cambodian 368
Congolese 3
Ethiopian 2
Hmong 452
Iraqi 5
Kosovar 72
Lao 1,895
Liberian 108
Sierre Leone 7
Somali 7
Sudanese 249
Tai Dam 2,375
Vietnamese 3,796
Other 62
Total 12,613
The Bureau is located at 1200 University Ave., Suite D, Des Moines, IA. 50314. Phone (515) 283-7999 or http://dhs.iowa.gov/ .
Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service
Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS) was organized in 1939 to help World War II refugee survivors rebuild their lives in the United States, and is now the largest Protestant refugee and immigrant serving agency in the U.S. The agency provides legal immigration services, children’s services, and advocacy for refugees, immigrants, asylum seekers and those in immigration detention through 25 affiliate offices, 21 sub-offices, and countless partners and volunteers across the country.
In FY 2005, LIRS resettled 125 refugees from Europe; 3,505 from Africa; 188 from the Near East; 1,818 from East Asia; 755 from Latin America; and 2,370 from the Newly Independent Sates/Baltic Sub-Region for a total of 8,761. Through the Matching Grant program, 21 LIRS affiliates helped 3,620 refugees, Cuban and Haitian entrants, asylees, and certified victims of trafficking seek economic self-sufficiency without accessing public cash assistance. Seventeen LIRS affiliates are identified as Preferred Community sites and provide specialized services to strengthen a community’s capacity to truly welcome refugees and enhance affiliate ability to serve populations such as the Somali Bantu and the Hmong. LIRS also manages the ORR-funded RefugeeWorks project, a national refugee employment and training program.
LIRS serves children in several capacities. LIRS’s Unaccompanied Refugee Minors program has worked with and resettled youth for more than 30 years. Bridging Refugee Youth and Children’s Services is a national collaborative program of technical assistance whose goal is to foster linkages between refugee serving agencies and child welfare, and provide information to practitioners through a website and clearinghouse in order to address challenges that refugee youth and children face. LIRS’s Trafficked Children Initiative increases understanding, develops services and trains providers regarding children who are trafficked into the United States. In 2003, LIRS began the Safe Haven for Unaccompanied Children project to provide assessment and placement recommendations and the Lutheran Unaccompanied Children and Youth Services project to provide specialized foster care and family reunification services for unaccompanied children who are in immigration proceedings under the care of ORR through the Division of Unaccompanied Children’s Services (DUCS).
The Burmese Asylee Project of LIRS helps individuals from Burma who have been granted asylum in the United States integrate into their new communities. Project staff work closely with community leaders to guide them in the creation of sustainable Burmese mutual assistance associations. LIRS’s Trafficked Children Initiative increases understanding, develops services and trains providers regarding children who are trafficked into the United States. With funding from ORR, LIRS also coordinates a nationwide network of legal service hubs for the most vulnerable torture survivors —those held in immigration detention. LIRS also administers a family enrichment program in three locations to help refugees cope with resettlement-related stressors that affect family structures and traditional gender roles.
Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service
700 Light Street
Baltimore , Maryland 21230
Phone: 410-230-2700
Fax: 410-230-2890
U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants
U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI) is a U.S. based non-profit refugee resettlement, immigrant service, public education and advocacy organization. USCRI has served the needs of refugees, asylum seekers and immigrants through a network of almost 50 community-based partner agencies in the U.S. since 1911. The USCRI network is multicultural and mult-ilingual, representing more than 65 language groups, and is able to deal sensitively with the ethnic and cultural diversity of the clients it serves. The USCRI network collaborates with the Department of State Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Refugee Resettlement, the Corporation for National and Community Service, and the Department of Homeland Security Citizenship and Immigration Services to provide resettlement assistance, cultural orientation, employment services, language instruction, health and nutrition outreach, legal services, citizenship services, capacity building, and a variety of other programs to refugees and immigrants in the United States.
USCRI is also a Private Voluntary Organization registered with the United States Agency of International Development. USCRI has held contracts with the Department of State Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration for overseas processing projects in Singapore, Indonesia, Costa Rica, and Saudi Arabia. USCRI operated emergency processing operations in Guam and Ft. Dix, N.J., to facilitate the admission of evacuees from Iraq and Kosovo. USCRI is currently a grantee of the Ford Foundation, the Swiss Embassy in Thailand, the United Methodist Committee on Relief and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. USCRI has administered overseas programs serving women, youth and children in Croatia and Rwanda.
During 2005, USCRI and its partner agencies in 27 cities throughout the U.S. resettled 6,187 refugees from all over the world, as follows:
Europe 20
Former Soviet Union 882
Africa 2359
Near East 206
Asia 2042
Latin America 678
Total 6,187
USCRI’s headquarters is located at 1717 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, 2 nd Floor, Washington, DC 20036-2003. The USCRI website can be found at www.refugees.org .
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops is the public policy and social action agency of the Roman Catholic bishops in the United States. Migration and Refugee Services (MRS) is the lead office responsible for developing USCCB policies at international and national levels that address the needs and conditions of immigrants, refugees, migrants, and people on the move.
Refugee Resettlement
Working with the Federal government and local churches, USCCB/MRS has helped refugees admitted to the United States resettle into caring and supportive communities around the country for 85 years.
USCCB/MRS resettles approximately a quarter of the refugees coming to the United States, through 102 diocesan resettlement sites, and assists the service providers who work with them.
Through the Preferred Communities grants, 20 USCCB diocesan sites resettled Somali Bantu; nine resettled Free Cases. Four sites resettled HIV+ cases, in a program that ended in 2004, and 68 diocesan sites enrolled clients in the Matching Grant Program.
Children and Families
MRS is one of two national voluntary agencies serving unaccompanied minors for foster placements.
With the technical expertise in its Safe Passages programs, MRS arranges safe haven for children in Federal custody, unaccompanied by adults and without legal travel documents, and helps the U.S. government apply appropriate child welfare standards of care are while the children in its custody.
In cooperation with the Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, MRS implements ORR’s designated Technical Assistance provider for Child Welfare, the Bridging Refugee Youth & Children’s Services program. BRYCS is an interactive storehouse of expertise, offering on-site, targeted trainings, new resources, and an online clearinghouse of information on refugee child welfare at www.brycs.org, to strengthen the capacity of service providers who work with refugee children, youth, or families in the United States
The Refugee Family and Marriage Strengthening Program , now in its second year, teaches refugee families communication and relationship skills that enable them to thrive through the stress of resettlement.
Victims of Severe Forms of Trafficking
Since 2002, MRS has led efforts to combat the modern-day slave trade of human trafficking by increasing public awareness, training, and technical assistance to service providers, and directing outreach to the trafficking victims themselves. MRS places trafficked children into foster care, group homes, or independent living arrangements, and monitors their care and well-being.
Migrants
MRS also assists local churches and specialized ethnic apostolates responding to the pastoral needs of immigrants, refugees, migrants, and people on the move, aiding in the development and nurturing of a welcoming and supportive Church in the United States.
USCCB Arrivals by Continent |
|
Africa |
8,438 |
East Asia |
3,083 |
Eastern Europe |
319 |
Former USR |
402 |
Latin America |
1,308 |
Near East |
895 |
Total |
14,445
|
% of total U.S. arrivals |
28% |
World Relief is the international assistance arm of the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE), which represents approximately 43,000 congregations nationwide, as well as 250 para-church ministries and educational institutions. Committed to relieving human suffering, poverty and hunger worldwide, World Relief works in partnership with churches, volunteers, and community organizations in approximately 28 countries throughout the world. World Relief is the story of the Church at work; of heroic men and women all over the world extending their hands of hope.
Founded in 1944 to aid post-World War II victims, World Relief now implements a variety of programs, including AIDS education, child survival and maternal health, micro enterprise development, agricultural development, and disaster response. The commitment of World Relief to refugees worldwide is evidenced by both its U.S. resettlement activities and its work with refugees and displaced persons overseas.
In the U.S., World Relief participates with the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration (PRM) in the resettlement of refugees from all processing posts around the world. In FY2005 World Relief resettled 6,324 refugees through its network of 23 resettlement sites in the U.S. This represents the highest number of refugee arrivals to World Relief since FY2001.
Since the inception of its refugee resettlement program in 1979, World Relief has resettled over 203,000 refugees in the U.S. Involvement in the resettlement of refugees is viewed as an extension of World Relief s mandate to empower the local evangelical church to minister to those in need.
In addition to the reception and placement program, World Relief’s US affiliate offices implement a variety of programs serving the local refugee and immigrant population, including employment services, ESL classes, immigration legal services, life skills training, and youth programs. In FY2005, ten affiliate offices participated in the ORR Matching Grant program. Five affiliates provided assistance to victims of human trafficking, through a grant from the U.S. Department of Justice. Partnership with local churches is a primary focus of all World Relief programs. Affiliate offices have built a large network of churches, colleges, seminaries, home mission groups, para-church organizations, community-based organizations, and individual volunteers. Together, these partnerships provide a broad range of support and services for refugees and immigrants. In FY2005, this included cash contributions, transitional housing, donated goods, technical assistance, public relations assistance and a variety of volunteer services.
In FY2005, World Relief’s refugee arrivals were from the following regions:
Africa 1,862
Europe (incl. former Soviet Union) 2,267
Latin America/Caribbean 583
Near East/South Asia 142
East Asia 1,470
TOTAL: 6,324
World Relief’s headquarters office is at 7 East Baltimore Street, Baltimore, Maryland, 21202. The website can be found at www.worldrelief.org .