Refugees and Immigrants in Wisconsin

1. Refugees and Immigrantsin 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

2. 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)

3. 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.

4. 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

5. Programs & Services Programs & Services • Employment and Training • Preventive Health • Health Screening • Older Refugee • Mental Health • Batterer’s Treatment Pilot • Unaccompanied Minors

6. 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

7. 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.

8. 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.

9. 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

10. 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 Vilas Washburn Ashland Sawyer Burnett Florence Price Oneida Polk Rusk Marinette Barron 346 Lincoln Langlade Forest Taylor St. Croix Chippewa 27 Oconto Dunn 63 Menomonee Marathon 439 Clark 14 Pierce Eau Claire 142 Shawano Door Pepin Kewaunee Waupaca Buffalo Portage 132 Trempealeau Wood 68 Brown 303 Outagamie 285 Jackson Adams Waushara Winnebago 169 Manitowoc 141 Monroe Calumet La Crosse 289 Marquette Juneau 4 Green Lake Fond du Lac 49 Sheboygan 364 Vernon Sauk Columbia Dodge Richland Ozaukee 5 Crawford Washington 51 Milwaukee 2252 Grant Iowa Dane 322 Waukesha 45 Jefferson 4 Green Rock LaFayette Racine 33 Walworth 11 Kenosha 5 refugee per county

11. Refugee Service Areas

12. 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

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

14. 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

15. 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.

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

17. 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

18. 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

19. 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

20. 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

21. 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

22. Continuum of care Intensive Intervention Child Early Intervention School Prevention Community

23. 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

24. School 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

25. 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

26. 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

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

28. One of eleven refugee camps in Thailand holding 120,000 Burmese refugees

29. Burmese family at home in camp

30. Burmese children in camp school

31. The first Somali Bantu family to arrive in Milwaukee

32. 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

33. Contact Information Irina Zelenskaya phone: (608) 266-8354e-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