Serving Refugees & Immigrants in Ohio 8 Serving Immigrants in Ohio.pdf · Serving Refugees & Immigrants in Ohio: ... Priority 1 — Any Nationality — referral from UNHCR or ...

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

[email protected]