Refugees and Immigrants in Wisconsin Department of Children and Families Division of Families and Economic Security, Refugee Assistance Program Section Presented by Irina Zelenskaya and Shoua Vang, October 8, 2009

Mission of the Refugee Assistance Program Enhance Workforce Development Services to Immigrants/Refugees/Limited English Proficient (LEP) individuals Improve LEP Access in Job Centers Build Partnership with local, state, federal entities Build partnerships with Faith-Based (FBO) /Community-Based Organizations (CBO), resettlement agencies, Mutual Assistance Association (MAA)

Migrant Services Responsibilities Bureau is charged with the responsibility of enforcing the state’s Migrant Labor Law. The Law, enacted in 1977, provides standards for wages; hours and working conditions of migrant workers, certification, maintenance and inspection of migrant labor camps, recruitment and hiring of migrant workers guarantees the right of free access to migrant camps to insure migrant families are not isolated from the rest of the community, and/or services they are legally entitled to.

Refugee Services Section Administer & monitor programs Secure federal grant funding Ensure culturally & linguistically competent services delivery Organize trainings for interpreters & bilingual professional staff Review state policy & procedures Primary funder ORR, DHFS; RFP process to contract with agencies and MAAs; Must hire and train bilingual staff; Capacity building Interpreter Training programs Advise on Policy in refugee issues

Programs & Services Programs & Services Employment and Training Preventive Health Health Screening Older Refugee Mental Health Batterer’s Treatment Pilot Unaccompanied Minors DWD/BMRLS contracts with VOLAG’s, MAA’s, CAP’s, PIC’s, and W-2 agencies to provide E&T services – through the RFP process. Refugees are eligible for W-2 If ineligible for W-2, Refugee Cash Assistance Refugee can be ‘triple-enrolled’ in W-2 A refugee employment and training program WIA Refugee/W-2 co-case management enables the W-2 agency to leverage the bilingual refugee case manager

Definition of Refugee A person who is outside his/her country of nationality or habitual residence; has a well-founded fear of persecution because of his/her race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group or political opinion; and is unable or unwilling to avail himself/herself of the protection of that country, or to return there, for fear of persecution. -- Article 1 of the 1951 U.N. Refugee Convention

Refugee When did refugees become recognized as “political” refugees in the United States? Following World War II thousands of Eastern Europeans entered the U.S. as refugees. The Displaced Persons of 1948 – first refugee legislation enacted Refugee Act of 1980 – Refugees from Southeast Asia Where are refugees from? From all over the world: Laos, Vietnam, Former Yugoslavia, and Somalia. The newest refugee groups arriving in the United States today are the Iraqis and Burmese/Karen-Burmese. There is a distinct difference between a refugee and immigrant. A refugee is someone who has been uprooted from his or her country and cannot return due to fear of persecution, and an immigrant is someone who leaves his or her country willingly to further economic opportunities.

Refugee Resettlement Process United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) makes refugee status determination after interviewing them. Three solutions Repatriation to country person fled Integration into country of asylum Third country resettlement Third Country Resettlement – United States Refugee Act of 1980 – federal/state support and private/public coordination of refugee resettlement U.S. official interviews and determines if they qualify under U.S. refugee law. Approval for resettlement: medical examination, security background checks, cultural orientation. Resettlement and Placement agencies provide initial resettlement services to refugees in the U.S. Refugees receive 15 hours of cultural orientation. Cultural orientation covers problem solving skills, life in the U.S., and resettlement. Cultural orientation is provided overseas and continues once they arrive in the U.S. Resettlement and Placement agencies (funded by Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration in the Dept. of State) are required to provide the following services to refugees: Sponsorship Pre-arrival resettlement planning, including placement Reception on arrival Basic needs support (including housing, furnishings, food, and clothing) for at least 30 days Community orientation Referrals to health, employment, and other services as needed Case management and tracking for 90-180 days R&P agencies in Wisconsin: Lutheran Social Services in Milwaukee, Catholic Charities of Green Bay

WI Refugee Population Estimated Population of Refugees and Former Refugees (YTD 2009) *may include U.S. born children Total estimate 73,981 FFY 2004-2009 Refugees 4,823 Secondary Migrants and Asylees 773 Total 5,563 Projected Arrivals for FFY 2010 Africa 115 East Asia 389 Former Soviet Union/Eastern Europe 3 Western Hemisphere 20 Near East/South Asia 317 Total 844

Refugee Population in Wisconsin 2004 – 2008 0-15 Refugees 16-30 Refugees 31-100 Refugees 101-500 Refugees 501+ Refugees Total – 5,563 Douglas Iron Bayfield Washburn Ashland Vilas Sawyer Burnett Price Florence Oneida Polk Rusk Marinette Barron 346 Lincoln Langlade Forest Taylor St. Croix Chippewa 27 Oconto Dunn 63 Menomonee Clark 14 Marathon 439 Pierce Eau Claire 142 Shawano Pepin Door Buffalo Waupaca Kewaunee Trempealeau Wood 68 Portage 132 Outagamie 285 Brown 303 Jackson Adams Waushara Monroe Winnebago 169 Manitowoc 141 Calumet La Crosse 289 Juneau 4 Marquette Green Lake Fond du Lac 49 Vernon Sheboygan 364 Sauk Richland Columbia Dodge Ozaukee 5 Crawford Washington 51 Grant Iowa Dane 322 Waukesha 45 Milwaukee 2252 Jefferson 4 LaFayette Green Rock Racine 33 Walworth 11 Kenosha 5 refugee per county

Refugee Service Areas Consortiums created to stretch shrinking refugee dollars and create closer partnerships and more coordinated service

Service Delivery System All refugee programs are federally funded Contract to regional consortium consisted of Volags, MAAs and other non-profit organizations Have one elected member of the consortium to serve as a fiscal agent

Employment Programs Social Services Road-to-Work (TAG fund) 8 consortiums & 4 agencies 2008 outcomes: 506 FT employment Road-to-Work (TAG fund) 7 consortia 2008 outcomes: 187 FT employment, 32 – grant termination

Employment & Training Services Developing a Family Self-Sufficiency Plan (including Employability Plan) Job development: job placements, grant terminations, grant reductions and job follow-ups Vocational ESL training Short term Customize Skills Training On-the-Job-Training Case management services

Targeted Assistance Supplemental: Milwaukee Region Allocation based on refugee population. $287,138; three year term, 2008-2011 Additional support/case management for new refugees in Milwaukee region Other supportive services to new refugees: orientation to world of work and to life in US, citizenship, ESL, etc.

Preventive Health Program Services Wrap around health screening and education services Access to mainstream health services Provide health education in a culturally competent manner

Older Refugee Program Services Outreach and education to the refugee community Partnership with local Area Agency on Aging Holistic and culturally appropriate services Citizenship classes Case management to coordinate supportive services The program is designed to address the specific cultural, social and linguistic needs of the elderly refugee population by allowing them to participate in individual as well as group activities that strive to improve and bridge social relationships between them and the broader community in which they live.

Mental Health Program Services Outreach and education to the refugee community Holistic and culturally appropriate clinical services Case management to coordinate support services Health system change through training bilingual clinical staff and in-service training for mainstream mental health staff 4 Providers Milwaukee, Diocese in Green Bay, Wausau, Madison…Professional and para professional staff Funds applied to expand to LaX and Eau Claire area & expand existing programs Capacity building thru training of bilingual therapists… Kajsiab House model

Batterer’s Treatment Pilot Program Close coordination with court system Linguistic and culturally appropriate treatment Support groups Case management to coordinate with other counselors or treatment providers Sustain a feeling of belonging and attachment to families and communities Pilot in Green Bay, Wausau and Milwaukee

Discrimination Treating people differently through prejudice: unfair treatment of one person or group, usually because of prejudice about race, ethnicity, age, religion, or gender --Encarta on-line dictionary An eerily familiar echo. . .

Consequences of traumatic stress Social Drug abuse School failure Anti-social behavior Isolation/withdrawal Psychological Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Reexperiencing, Avoidance, Hyperarousal Depression Conduct disorder Emotion Regulation

Continuum of care Intensive Intervention Early Intervention Prevention Child Early Intervention School Public health model in which resources are strategically placed to benefit most people. Bottom level: prevention Return to slide of Trauma exposure vs. PTSD sx, and say : what can we learn from the 1/3 who do NOT develop sig sx, despite such broad trauma exposure? MH promotion: helping communities be vibrant, connected, Early identification and intervention: can we reach Hassan before he has blown out of the classroom? Can we begin to intervene with the known risk factors—such as a culture of hostility within a school—rather then waiting for the emergence of significant emotional problems/ Intensive intervention: for the subset that needs it, needs to be available Prevention Community

Community Approach: Parent outreach lead by Community-based organization Goals: Engage parents as partners in advocating for children Connect with parents before problems emerge Connect parents with school and beyond Community

School Approach: School-based youth groups Teacher consultation Goals: Connect with youth in non- stigmatized setting Connect before problems emerge Address core risk factors of alienation, discrimination School

Refugee Demographic Wisconsin is home to over 69,839 refugees & former refugees The Hmong are by far the largest group Trend of refugee in the last 10 years include groups from Southeast Asia, Former Yugoslavia, Former Soviet Union and different countries of Africa. As we speak, we are expecting our newest group of refugees: Burmese, Somali, Iraqi, Bhutanese. The refugees have settled in 20+ counties About 1200 African refugees About 12,000 expected to be resettled in U.S. Their profile similar to many African tribes facing extermination…you’ve heard of Darfur… Challenge exists in resettlement of Somali Bantu…read profile Few employment skills, hard to adjust to 8 – 5 workday; poligamy legal there, not here…Many single, divorced women now on their own; Living in rough neighborhoods… 45 Meskhetian Turks settled in Waukesha…40 more expected in 06 Hard working, not used to getting anything for ‘free; want a job ASAP…read profile

HMONG HISTORY Forbearers of U.S. Hmong immigrants settled in northern Laos, plateau known as Plains of Jars Life before 1960s: Animists Agrarian lifestyle: farming gardening hunting fishing

HMONG HISTORY Life before 1960s changed for approximately 150,000 Hmongs when war erupted in Vietnam Hmong fled Laos to Thailand United States

One of eleven refugee camps in Thailand holding 120,000 Burmese refugees Read Burmese profile…

Burmese family at home in camp

Burmese children in camp school

The first Somali Bantu family to arrive in Milwaukee Family pictured with Abdulaziz Shariff Mohamed, co worker at BMRLS Single (divorced first wife…second wife had younger children) her nephew and two sons. She is now working in a day care serving Somali children and the three kids are in school All doing well

Enjoyment Make the Job Development experience enjoyable and memorable. Smile Motivate, Motivate, Motivate Maintain morale (you and your staff) Help refugees achieve their American Dream

Contact Information Irina Zelenskaya phone: (608) 266-8354 e-mail: irina.zelenskaya@wisconsin.gov Shoua Vang phone: (608) 266-8759 e-mail: shoua.vang@wisconsin.gov Contact information: Heidi Ellis Email: Heidi.ellis@childrens.harvard.edu Phone: 617 919 4679 http://dcf.wisconsin.gov/refugee/default.htm http://www.facebook.com/pages/Holiday-Folk-Fair-International/135713282946