Year in review 2015

:

20 Year in 15 Review

Table of Contents 3 Executive Summary 4 Who We Are 5 What We Do 6 Who We Help 9 Social Adjustment 10 Medical Services 1 1 Self-Sufficiency 12 Our Board Committee 2

Executive Summary

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his year marked the end of our first multi-year agreement with the U.S. Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) to coordinate refugee services across the State of Tennessee and to receive, distribute, monitor, and report on some of the federal funds provided for those services. Thanks to our partners and to the resiliency and determination of our clients, we have achieved great things together. This report will highlight just a few of those achievements from the past year.

Over the past five years we’ve grown in many ways. Most significantly, I’m proud of:

Our fiscal responsibility

We take this very seriously and our fiscal team ensures that every dollar spent by us and by our partners is spent in accordance with federal regulations.

Our programmatic success

Because of the outstanding work done by our partners, the data we submit to ORR shows that the programs we fund are successful in helping refugees become self-sufficient members of their new communities.

Our data collection methods

In the same way we take our fiscal responsibility seriously, we take very seriously our responsibility to report accurate and complete data. Owing to a versatile and comprehensive database and multiple data collection methods, we are able to provide reports to ORR that paint an accurate picture of refugee resettlement in Tennessee.

Our partners

We look good because they are good. The work of our partner agencies and our volunteer board committee members ensures that what we do everyday benefits the people we collectively serve. We are tremendously proud to be associated with such committed, inspiring, and hard-working people.

Our clients

I continue to be humbled by those who are forced to leave behind their history and life as they’ve known it and start over in a completely foreign country. Most significantly, they do this in an incredibly short period of time. Children are succeeding in school, families are healthy, the elderly receive special attention, and adults are working and meeting their expenses – and all of this is achieved within about seven months. This is certainly a testament to the strength of these people whose stories would make you cry, give you nightmares, and encourage you to spend more time valuing all that you have.

I thank you for your support over the past five years and ask you to continue to stand with us as we embark on an uncertain future in the field of refugee resettlement.

Sincerely,

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Who We Are

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Staff Members

61

Years Serving Refugees

Our mission is to foster growth, integration and self-sufficiency by providing financial, technical and professional support to refugees and the agencies who serve them in the State of Tennessee.

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he Tennessee Refugee Program helps refugees statewide access cash and medical assistance, medical screenings, employment, English language training, social adjustment, and other specialized services that meet their individual needs. The goal of all of these programs is self-sufficiency.

The Tennessee Refugee Program is administered by Tennessee Office for Refugees (TOR), a department of Catholic Charities of Tennessee, Inc. While in most states government agencies administer refugee programs, the Tennessee Refugee Program is administered as a Wilson/Fish program, allowing a nonprofit agency to oversee the provision of initial cash and medical assistance and social services. By developing creative provision strategies employing a holistic approach to cash assistance, case management, and employment services, the Tennessee Office for Refugees promotes early employment and economic self-sufficiency.

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What We Do

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he Tennessee Office for Refugees is funded by the Office of Refugee Resettlement, an office of the Administration for Children and Families. TOR partners with refugee serving agencies through contracted services, technical assistance, and administrative support. Partner agencies in turn provide direct services to eligible populations.

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Who We Help

1578

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efugees resettled in Tennessee in FFY 2015: October 1, 2014 - September 30, 2015.

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39% 27% 33% 1%

Children Working-age Women Working-age Men Seniors

TOR does not serve only refugees Of those resettled in Tennessee, most were refugees, but there were four other important categories.

s

e ge

u

f Re

n aitia s H / nt an Cub Entra

SIVs

Asylees Trafficking Victims

82%

People forced to flee their homes when their lives are threatened because of who they are or what they believe.

11%

Cuban or Haitian nationals who have been admitted or paroled into the US on or after April 21, 1980 but have not received a permanent status, have a pending application for asylum, or have a pending deportation.

4%

(Special Immigrant Visa holders) Iraqi or Afghan nationals who worked for US Military as translators or interpreters, or have been employed by a contractor of the US government overseas.

4% <1%

Those who arrived in the US on their own, legally, and then apply for asylum for the same reasons a person could be granted refugee status.

People forced into sexual exploitation, commercial labor, or slavery.

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Refugee Country of Origin Cuba 3.8%

Iraq 20.7%

Colombia 0.9%

Sudan 3.6%

Bhutan 8.6%

Iran 0.8%

Burundi 3.3%

Burma 24.6%

Somalia 13.4%

Syria 1.9% all others combined 2.9%

DR Congo 12.9%

Afghanistan 2.9%

Hamilton

All Others

Knox

Shelby

Davidson

County of Refugee Resettlement

71% 12% 11% 6% 5% 8

Social Adjustment

540 42% 82%

263

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efugees received English language training - important for getting a higher wage job, participating in their childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s education, and becoming active members of their communities.

226 of the 540 students who received English language training were in â&#x20AC;&#x153;literacy levelâ&#x20AC;? classes, meaning they were not able to read and write fluently in their first language.

60 of the 73 students who were not in literacy level courses and completed a full term qualified to move up to the next level.

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eachers and school personnel received training to increase their understanding of refugee culture and knowledge of community resources.

90%

241

P

arents and students attended an orientation to the American school system.

77%

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236 participants showed increased understanding after the training.

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186 parents and kids achieved higher scores on a post-test assessing their understanding of the school system and comfort interacting with school staff.

efugee elders applied for US citizenship.

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obtained citizenship, overcoming tremendous language and literacy obstacles, showing they comprehend the US system of government and their willingness to commit to it.

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Medical Services

77%

of participants in orientation to the US health care system increased their understanding upon completion of post-testing.

95%

of participants reported an increased understanding of a health related topic of interest after a single training session.

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OR partners provide medical screenings, orientations, and case management so that refugee families can focus on becoming self-sufficient, and so refugee children can do well in school.

176

mental health providers, teachers, and refugee advocates received training on recognizing and responding to the symptoms of torturerelated trauma in refugees.

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1655

individuals received comprehensive health care screenings, resulting in 6737 vaccinations.

Self-Sufficiency

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efugees come to the US with nearly nothing.

Within eight months they are expected to function in English, earn a living wage, participate in their childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s education, and contribute to their communities. Despite, for many, little or no formal education, many families are able to quit receiving cash assistance before those first eight months end.

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f those refugees receiving TOR employment services in FFY 2015, 81% gained employment. Among that group, 76% were employed within 8 months of arrival.

81%

$9.38 T

he average hourly wage among refugees working full time and receiving cash assistance in FFY 2015 was $9.38. That is 29 percent higher than minimum wage.

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esettlement agencies build relationships with employers eager to hire refugees. In FFY 2015 refugees were directly employed by 120 different companies or staffing agencies. Many of those employed by staffing agencies went on to permanent positions at their placements.

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Our Board Committee

Mike Allen - President, Catholic Charities of West Tennessee Allen Arender - Partner, VP of Development, Holladay Properties; Member, Catholic Charities of Tennessee Board of Directors; Member, NAIOP Board of Directors Steve Bachus - Retired, Investment Administration, Vanderbilt University; Head of Finance Committee, Aquinas College Board of Directors; Member, Finance Committee, St. Matthew Catholic Church Abdelghani Barre - Social Data Analyst, Metropolitan Nashville Social Services; Member, Tennessee Fair Housing Council Anne Blaufuss - AVP, Budget and Planning, Ardent Health Services; Member, Catholic Charities of Tennessee Board of Directors Fr. Mark Hunt - pastor, Holy Rosary Church

Connect With Us 12

www.cctenn.org/tor

tnrefugees@cctenn.org

2806 McGavock Pike Nashville TN, 37214

877.300.3993 615.352.9520