1. Refugee Resettlement in Idaho

2. Who is a Refugee?

3. Refugee
The term refugee means any person who is outside any country of such persons nationality or, in the case of a person having no nationality, is outside any country in which such person last habitually resided, and who is unable or unwilling to return to…that country because of persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group or political opinion… The term refugee does not include any person who ordered, incited, assisted, or otherwise participated in the persecution of any person on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion.
--The US Refugee Act of 1980

4. Global Overview 2016
Source: UNHCR

5. Global Overview 2019
Source: UNHCR

6. Idaho Overview
FY 19 Arrivals so far: 561

7. Where do they come from?
The top five countries of origin for refugees resettled in Idaho in 2019:
Democratic Republic of Congo
Afghanistan
Ukraine
Sudan
Burma
Other groups resettled here include
Colombians
Cubans
Iraqis
Syrians
Various African countries: Burundi, Togo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Liberia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Central African Republic, and Cameroon
Ethnic Nepalis from Bhutan

8. Process Overview

9. Who Funds the USRP?

10. Who Decides who comes to Idaho?
Ongoing
Quarterly Community Consultation
Dialogue with National Offices, State Department
Language, community capacity, employment, medical issues, etc.
Ultimately we want our clients to succeed!

11. Refugee Service Providers in Idaho
Agency for New Americans (ANA)
International Rescue Committee (IRC)
Idaho Office for Refugees (IOR)
English Language Center (ELC)
CSI Refugee Center (CSI)

12. Resettlement Agency Role
Resettlement Agencies are charged with the basic services that help newly arrived refugees get on their feet:
Case Management
Employment
Immigration Services
Orientation/education
Connect with appropriate resources
Temporary cash assistance
Social integration

13. SRIS: Statewide Refugee Information System
SRIS is used by IOR, the Resettlement Agencies, and the English Language Center
Helps us collect data required by Federal Government
SRIS includes data on the following:
Biographic data
Service enrollment/closure (CM, Employment, CA, etc.)
Progress through English language learning
Cash Assistance
Job Placement
Self sufficiency measures
High level data

14. Refugee Trauma
An Overview of refugee traumatic backgrounds, impacts of trauma, things to think about for students…

15. Trauma: Key aspects
Experiencing a threat (and/or injury) to bodily/psychological/spiritual and existential integrity
Witnessing threat/injury of another person (physical, psychological, spiritual, existential)
Learning of threat/injury of another person (e.g., hearing the story)
Feelings of horror, shock
Feeling overwhelmed (physically, psychologically, spiritually)
Feeling profoundly disconnected
Disconnection of body and mind
Disconnection from others
Disconnection existentially/spiritually (e.g., disconnected from the world, the universe, from the divine)
Feeling helpless and a profound loss of control
Profound disempowerment
Shatters a sense of meaning and trust in the world/universe
Impacts the body, brain, and nervous system

16. Triple Trauma Paradigm (National Partnership for Community Training)
Pre-Flight
Torture and/or trauma experience in home country
Flight
Seeking safety; escape and exile; living in refugee camp or host country
Post-Flight
Resettlement and acculturation in new country

17. Triple Trauma Paradigm: Post-Flight
Resettlement and Acculturation in New Country
Failure of resettlement/life in new country to meet expectations
Loss of socio-economic status/loss of former lifestyle
Economic struggles
Limited social support/loss of social support network
Stress of adapting to a new culture

18. Impacts of Trauma – Children
Common manifestations of trauma among refugee children
Irritability
Defiant behavior
Hyperactivity
Difficulty paying attention, difficulty with concentration
Conflicts with peers, aggression
Sleep problems
Emotionally sensitive, crying a lot
Socially isolated and withdrawn from other children
“clingy,” “needy,” behavior
Difficulty learning/retaining new information at school
Loss of achieved developmental milestones

19. Resettlement Stress: Impact on Family System & Children
“Acculturation Gap”
Child plays role of interpreter & cultural broker
Parent-child conflict & unhealthy family dynamics
School
Difficulty “catching up” academically
Social issues with peers
Pressure from parents to succeed academically
Dual cultural identity development

20. Strengths-Based Approach
Identify refugees’ strengths.
Consider refugees’ strengths from their lives (and functioning) pre-flight
Acknowledge refugees’ strengths as survivors
Work from refugees’ strengths, in order to help them to find solutions to challenges or barriers.

21. Concerns? Questions?

22. Interested in learning more about refugee resettlement?
Idaho Office for Refugees
Department of State/PRM
Office of Refugee Resettlement
BRYCS
Cultural Orientation