IamThunderbolt
Well-known member
Next Wednesday (June 20th) is World Refugee day, and I have an ask for all of you.
As some of you know (whether from the Pit employment thread where I tracked the uncertainty of resettlement last year or through threads on the tunnels), I work with a refugee resettlement agency.
To let you know where refugee resettlement stands right now:
After resettling 84,995 refugees in 2016, the US commitment to refugee resettlement was 110,000 heading into fiscal year 2017, amidst the largest refugee crisis in history.
4 months into the year (January 2017), the commitment to refugee resettlement dropped mid-year from 110,000 to 50,000, the lowest in the history of modern refugee resettlement (as outlined by the Refugee Act of 1980).
Heading into 2018, the refugee cap was once again reduced to 45,000 - the lowest in in the history of the program.
Aside from the lowered cap, the current administration reduced the number of "circuit rides," where US officials administer the final security interviews for refugees awaiting resettlement. The number of stops and number of staffers on these rides have also been reduced.
As a result, fewer refugees are admitted into the resettlement pipeline and many refugees awaiting resettlement not receiving these last clearance interviews watch their medical clearance expire - causing them to start the resettlement process over again (which takes at minimum 18-24 months, and can take much longer).
With the lowered number of circuit rides, the number of resettlements that are actually occurring is much lower than the 45,000 commitment. Currently, the US is on pace to resettle just under 21,500 by the end of this year. For the first time ever, Canada will resettle more refugees than the US this year (raw number, not per capita).
Heading into 2017, World Relief Triad was approved to resettle 750 refugees. In contrast, or 2018, we have only received 88 arrivals through the end of May (which annualized would be 132 for the year).
Funding for resettlement agencies is predominantly tied to the number of arrivals they receive (with about 85% of our budget coming from government grants). With this drastic reduction in arrivals, the financial support to provide services to both arriving refugees and the existing refugee community is also drastically reduced. Our organization has closed 5 field offices in the US, with 2 more likely to close this year. Our field office has lost just over 25% of our staff (almost half of our Reception and Placement department) since January of last year.
In order to provide better, more consistent service for the refugee community in the Triad, our office is striving to become less dependent on the whims of the government for the source of its funding. As part of this effort, our office is trying to raise $60,000 and I'm committed to raising $1500 of that total by World Refugee Day on June 20th. Every bit from this fundraiser will go to directly impact arriving refugees and the existing refugee community in Winston-Salem and High Point. $10, $25, $50 would be huge in helping us meet our goal.
To help welcome refugees to the Triad through World Relief, please donate here:
https://fundraise.worldrelief.org/fundraiser/1471584
I've received a lot of support and encouragement for the work we do on the boards, and wanted to extend an invitation to contribute meaningfully to work that is being done for refugees locally.
As some of you know (whether from the Pit employment thread where I tracked the uncertainty of resettlement last year or through threads on the tunnels), I work with a refugee resettlement agency.
To let you know where refugee resettlement stands right now:
After resettling 84,995 refugees in 2016, the US commitment to refugee resettlement was 110,000 heading into fiscal year 2017, amidst the largest refugee crisis in history.
4 months into the year (January 2017), the commitment to refugee resettlement dropped mid-year from 110,000 to 50,000, the lowest in the history of modern refugee resettlement (as outlined by the Refugee Act of 1980).
Heading into 2018, the refugee cap was once again reduced to 45,000 - the lowest in in the history of the program.
Aside from the lowered cap, the current administration reduced the number of "circuit rides," where US officials administer the final security interviews for refugees awaiting resettlement. The number of stops and number of staffers on these rides have also been reduced.
As a result, fewer refugees are admitted into the resettlement pipeline and many refugees awaiting resettlement not receiving these last clearance interviews watch their medical clearance expire - causing them to start the resettlement process over again (which takes at minimum 18-24 months, and can take much longer).
With the lowered number of circuit rides, the number of resettlements that are actually occurring is much lower than the 45,000 commitment. Currently, the US is on pace to resettle just under 21,500 by the end of this year. For the first time ever, Canada will resettle more refugees than the US this year (raw number, not per capita).
Heading into 2017, World Relief Triad was approved to resettle 750 refugees. In contrast, or 2018, we have only received 88 arrivals through the end of May (which annualized would be 132 for the year).
Funding for resettlement agencies is predominantly tied to the number of arrivals they receive (with about 85% of our budget coming from government grants). With this drastic reduction in arrivals, the financial support to provide services to both arriving refugees and the existing refugee community is also drastically reduced. Our organization has closed 5 field offices in the US, with 2 more likely to close this year. Our field office has lost just over 25% of our staff (almost half of our Reception and Placement department) since January of last year.
In order to provide better, more consistent service for the refugee community in the Triad, our office is striving to become less dependent on the whims of the government for the source of its funding. As part of this effort, our office is trying to raise $60,000 and I'm committed to raising $1500 of that total by World Refugee Day on June 20th. Every bit from this fundraiser will go to directly impact arriving refugees and the existing refugee community in Winston-Salem and High Point. $10, $25, $50 would be huge in helping us meet our goal.
To help welcome refugees to the Triad through World Relief, please donate here:
https://fundraise.worldrelief.org/fundraiser/1471584
I've received a lot of support and encouragement for the work we do on the boards, and wanted to extend an invitation to contribute meaningfully to work that is being done for refugees locally.
