Emergency Appeal: Refugee Resettlement
Appeal Goal: $55,000
SITUATION
There are more displaced persons in the world today than at any point since World War II. Commonly acknowledged as the starkest refugee crisis in generations, there are over 65 million people forcibly displaced in the world, including more than 21 million refugees.
In response, the United States has pledged to resettle 85,000 refugees in the 2016 federal fiscal year (October 1, 2015 through September 30, 2016), an increase of 15,000 people over the previous year. The Obama administration also announced its intent to resettle 100,000 refugees in federal fiscal year 2017. CWS is one of the nine national resettlement agencies resettling approximately 10 percent of the total pool, in addition to Special Immigrant Visa holders, parolees from Central America and Cuban and Haitian entrants.
The processing of resettlement applications to the United States takes an average of two to three years to complete because of the many interviews, background checks, medical checks and other processing requirements that make refugees the most scrutinized population entering the United States. Due to the requirements needed for refugee resettlement application processing, only 60 percent of the 85,000 refugees have arrived in the United States in the first three quarters of the fiscal year.
In order to reach its resettlement goal, the U.S. government is increasing its effort to process applications. CWS-National now anticipates that more than 29,000 refugees could arrive in the months of August and September alone. (As noted above, CWS will resettle 10 percent of this number and they will be distributed among CWS' 33 US affiliate offices.) This increase represents a near tripling of the number of refugees who have arrived per month to this point of the year. CWS expects such high numbers of arrivals to continue into the fall and winter of 2016, and to continue indefinitely as the U.S. increases its allowed refugee arrivals to 100,000 individuals in fiscal year 2017.
This imminent and concentrated number of arrivals will mean that the resources of CWS offices, including CWS-Lancaster will need to be stretched even farther to assist more individuals. Communities will also be responding by potentially welcoming more newcomers than in previous years. For much of CWS' history in working with refugee resettlement, the need has never been greater in such a short period of time. CWS-Lancaster is ready to respond and is calling for the resources to meet that need.
CWS-Lancaster anticipates the greatest needs in the coming months to center around immediate housing support, direct client services and access to vocational ESL classes.
Housing:
CWS secures and furnishes housing prior to refugees' arrival in the United States. With more refugees arriving in a short period of time, our local office reserves of donated household goods and furnishings are already stretched, requiring us to purchase larger amounts of goods as families arrive.
Direct Client Services:
Within the next several months, CWS-Lancaster is expecting 170 newly arriving refugee individuals, plus an additional 130 Cuban entrants. With an increase in arrivals, comes an increased need to build capacity to serve all clients within a timely and efficient manner. Services include cultural orientation for every newly arriving adult; case management and navigation services within Lancaster County and among service providers; accessing medical, dental and mental health care; enrollment into school for school-aged children; assistance with resume building, applying for and placing clients with jobs; and assisting with immigration and legal services.
Work Prep ESL Classes:
CWS-Lancaster is preparing for the upcoming months and beyond by ramping up our employment services to ensure that clients are able to become work-ready in the quickest time possible. The Employment program understands that a skilled worker able to speak the English language can find meaningful employment at an accelerated pace. CWS-Lancaster will enhance vocational ESL classes offered to clients requiring additional instruction.
CWS RESPONSE
CWS-Lancaster is committed to walking alongside refugees arriving to Lancaster, PA. Through a network of partners, community members, faith partners, and staff members, CWS- Lancaster will ensure that each arriving family receives permanent housing, initial basic needs support, connection to appropriate and necessary healthcare providers and essential job placement.
CWS-National anticipates the states that are expected to be most affected by the concentration of arriving refugees this August and September are: Texas, Arizona, Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, California, Florida, Ohio, Kentucky, Georgia, Illinois, Tennessee, Connecticut, Virginia, Indiana and New Jersey.
Thank you for your strong and continued support of refugees in PA. Please consider supporting local refugees through progams at CWS-Lancaster. To make a contribution, click here. If you are a member of a congregation or faith community who would like to take an offering, please reach out to Congregational Resource Developer Christine Baer at cbaer@cwsglobal.org. We will continue to keep you updated as things progress.
Gratefully,
