Refugee Economic Self-Sufficiency: An Exploratory Study of Approaches Used in Office of Refugee Resettlement Programs

摘要

Several emerging trends influenced the conceptualization of this project. First, in their annual refugee surveys, the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) reported that the economic adjustment of refugees to the U.S. has been a relatively successful and generally rapid process. Depending on which type of resettlement program, the refugee is involved with, ORR employment outcomes data (FY 2006) indicate that from 54 - 83 percent of refugees enter employment. Second, welfare reform which fosters self-sufficiency through work has heightened the urgency for examining how to help all groups--immigrants and non-immigrants do better. Building on these trends, this project was designed to: 1) review the literature about refugee economic self-sufficiency, 2) find out why refugees have been successful in getting employment through the refugee resettlement program by exploring key administrative and programmatic factors as well as specific program approaches and strategies; and 3) explore whether any of the approaches currently in use by ORR may be applicable for use in mainstream programs for low-income individuals and families.