Ensuring Stable Housing for
Refugee & Immigrant Families-
Presenters: Amina Ahmed, Someireh Amirfaiz, Lisa Vatske
Who is a Refugee
The status of ‘Refugee’ is granted to an individual who "owing to
a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race,
religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or
political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality, and is
unable to, or owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of
the protection of that country.“
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UNHCR
Refugees World – Wide & in the US
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Globally, the number of displaced individuals rose to 43.4 million, the
highest total since the 1990’s.
Almost half of refugees are women and children under the age of 18.
Globally, during the past 20 years, 25 million refugees have returned
home.
Developing countries were host to four-fifths of the world’s refugees.
The United States admitted close to 70,000 refugees in 2013
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Ranked 27th when comparing number of refugees admitted to GDP and the
overall population
Refugees World-Wide & in the US
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Refugees flee torture, war, and violence; forcibly displaced from
their homes to live in extreme poverty, starvation, inadequate
housing, unsanitary living conditions, and in constant fear for the
lives of themselves and family members
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Most refugees are initially resettled into refugee camps in a
second country, where they continue to face limited job
opportunities, extreme poverty, limited resources and
inadequate shelter
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Refugees often live in camps for prolonged periods of time,
some living there for decades, with children who have never
known what it’s like to live in their own home
Refugee Population in Washington State and
King County
Washington State ranks 8th in refugee resettlement
 From 2009-2013 Washington State became home to 9,710
refugees
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An additional 1,206 refugees resettled in 2014 (10/2013 - 3/2014)
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54% of refugees resettled in King County
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20 -30 % of the population in King County are born outside US
Refugee Population of Washington State
and King County
Washington State ranks fourth in secondary migration
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Refugees who have been resettled in other states and move to
Washington State
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75% of secondary migrants to Washington State will eventually
re-settle in King County
Resettlement & Assistance in the US
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Refugees initially work with Voluntary Agencies (VOLAGs) to
help them resettle and obtain federal assistance
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Initial Federal Assistance:
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$1,100 per individual in upfront cash assistance
Single Adults can receive $360 a month in cash assistance and food stamps for up
to 8 months
Families with children under the age of 18 can receive TANF
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Family of 3: $562 a month, increasing about $100 per eligible person, with a maximum
of $1,320 per month
For most families, payments barely cover rent
Most refugees try to start their own business
Realities in the Adoptive Country
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Refugees spend time in camps waiting to either return home
or be granted asylum by a third country where they can
permanently settle and re-start their lives
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Many come to the US with hopes and dreams for a better
future and a strong determination to succeed
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Socio-economic conditions and political climate impedes or
enhances acculturation and success
CULTURE SHOCK
Definition:
The arts, beliefs, customs, institutions, and all other products of
human work & thought created by a people or group of people
at a particular time.
Causes:
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Loss of mother-country and shared history
Stress of multiple changes.
Loss of self-esteem and identity.
Unpredictability of new environment.
Lack of awareness of culture shock phenomena.
Factors Contributing to Homelessness
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Limited English proficiency
Lack of Transferable Skills
Professional experiences/ degrees not recognized or Lack of
Formal Education
Inability to access living –wage jobs
Large Families in some populations & stereotypes based on race
Very low income households due to unemployment or underemployment
Trauma-related mental health Issues including high prevalence of
PTSD
Unfamiliarity with Western systems and community resources
Barriers to Housing
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Level of income
Source of income
Lifestyle stereotypes
Lack of cultural capital – limited knowledge of the housing system
Landlord discrimination
Language
Lack of affordable housing for large families
Mental health status
Limited or no knowledge of institutions and culture
Limited experience with dominant culture
Stigma
Economy & Homelessness
Economic Downturn
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The economic downturn hits refugees hardest as competition
for scarce jobs increases
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Limited English proficiency , lack of transferable skills, formal
education and inability to re-credential makes it more difficult
for refugees to find employment
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Agencies across the nation have reported increased difficulty
in placing their refugee clients in jobs
Economy & Homelessness
Lack of Affordable Housing
 Particularly in King County, refugees are challenged by finding
affordable housing
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With large families, many struggle to pay rent for one
bedroom apartments, with entire families sleeping on limited
floor space
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After initial resettlement assistance runs out, refugees can no
longer afford to pay rent or utility bills
Invisibly Homeless
2010 One Night Homeless Count
 1,152 adults and children were identified as refugees or
immigrants - up from 778 in 2009
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Although this captures the increase in homelessness among
refugees and immigrants, it does not capture the homeless on
the streets
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Most are invisibly homeless, briefly living off and on with family
or community members
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Refugees are more likely to be invisibly homeless than
mainstream populations due to cultural norms and lack of data
Why Isn’t the System Working for Refugees?
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Lack of Representation at the Systems’ level
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Lack of targeted resources due to aggregated or no data and
representation
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Political climate
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Refugees are not accessing shelter services
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Lack of education about housing resources
Fear of splitting up families
Unknown service providers with few relationships to refugee
communities
Why Isn’t the System Working for Refugees?
Lack of Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services
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Refugees have a hard time independently accessing 211 due to
linguistic barriers
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While there is a shortage of mainstream shelters, there is an
even greater shortage of shelters with the capacity to address
the linguistic and cultural needs of refugees
Why Isn’t the System Working for Refugees?
Most homeless refugees are invisible, living temporarily with
family or community members
This places them as lower in priority and technically having
more “immediate resources” than the visibly homeless
population
Why Isn’t the System Working for Refugees?
Homeless refugees are often homeless families
 There are fewer shelters and temporary housing that can
accommodate larger family sizes
Recommendations
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Homeless refugees have specialized needs that are not being
addressed by mainstream models. Representation from refugee
& immigrant community is needed to articulates needs and
shape policies and practices that better meet the housing
needs of this populations.
To address homelessness in these communities, de-centralized
models are needed.
 Even without homes, community is especially important to
refugees
− Addressing the problem should begin from the ground up,
through networks of community members, communitybased organizations, shelters, and landlords.
Recommendations
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Increase efficiency through inclusion and collaboration
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Facilitate and coordinate collaboration between housing and
refugee and immigrant service providers to ensure wraparound services and to maximize limited resources.
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Linguistically appropriate resources in places where refugees
live and obtain services
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Expand language options for 211
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Increase and further advocate for rent subsidies from public
and private entities to prevent homelessness
Recommendations
Strengthen Connections between Community Agencies and
Shelters
 Need better communication and service coordination
 Mainstream shelters do not have the capacity to deliver these
services even when refugees are taken in
 Refugees need:
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Culturally and linguistically appropriate services
Wrap-around services like job training and ESL
Trusted staff members
Recommendations
Create shelter spaces for large families
 Refugees are not accessing shelter services because shelters
cannot provide housing for larger family sizes
 Refugee families are either put on long wait-lists or will not
seek shelter to avoid splitting up families
 Shelters are reluctant to house adolescent boys
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can increase youth homelessness when these families are split up
Recommendations
Work with landlords
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Reduce discrimination by landlords
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Create more networks between refugee-serving organizations
and landlords
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Create better lines of communication between refugee tenants
and landlords
Recommendations
Educate mainstream agencies and shelter staff
 Staff should have training in cultural competency
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Staff should be trained to deal with the mental health and
health needs that refugees have & make appropriate referrals
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PTSD, Culture Shock,
Side effects of prolonged malnutrition
Recommendations
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Disaggregate and Track Data
Increase outreach and resources for invisibly homeless
refugees
 Need for data on this population
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Specific outreach and services are needed to place invisibly
homeless in permanent housing
Course correct when needed
CEHKC Immigrant and Refugee Focus Groups Feedback
Questions used in the focus groups:
What is the biggest challenge when it comes to finding affordable
housing? What could be better?
Too little inventory for affordable housing big enough for entire household
Help with costs for sewer & garbage fees
Shared rental with other family members, others move out, rent too high for
remaining person(s)
Issues with Landlords / Tenancy
- Need rental history, references for landlord
- Landlords/Property Managers hold stereotypes about I&R households
CEHKC Immigrant and Refugee Focus Groups Feedback
What is the biggest challenge when it comes to learning
English? What could be better?
Offer more English classes on weekends and with childcare
Not enough ESL classes
Daily household issues prevents focus on learning English
Hard for older people to learn English
Difficult to learn English and work at the same time
Transportation to ESL classes
CEHKC Immigrant and Refugee Focus Groups Feedback
What is the biggest challenge finding employment? What additional services
do you think would improve employment opportunities?
 Language
Lacking necessary skills and certification/ credential
Lack of job trainings in own language
Provide refugees with jobs that don’t require English skills and that provide
On-The-Job-Training.
Explore jobs that are done by teams.
Hard to find job without computer literacy.
CEHKC Immigrant and Refugee Focus Groups Feedback
What is the biggest challenge when it comes to transportation? What could be better?
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Not having a car and how to drive
Free
or subsidized bus ticket or ORCA Card, especially during rain and snow season
Transportation
More
Jobs
assistance, for graveyard shifts or to attend ESL classes
ESL to learn how to ride the bus
and services closer to home.