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A U.S. Refugee Resettlement Program Watchdog Group

Archive for the ‘fractious relationships with volunteers’ Category

Australian co. accused of ripping off refugees also involved in Iraqi oil-for-food scandal

Posted by Christopher Coen on May 31, 2011

The Australian refugee resettlement contractor scandal in Newcastle, New South Whales continues to unravel. An article in the Sydney Morning Herald reveals that not only will the federal government do a forensic audit of the financial management of the resettlement  contract, but that the resettlement contractor was also involved in the oil-for-food scandal in Iraq during dictator Saddam Hussein’s rule. This should be a cautionary tale for each case in which one of the US volags is caught violating contracts and abusing refugees — it is simply a matter of time before it happens again or gets worse if it is not rigorously and openly addressed.

A company accused of ripping off refugees was taken over by Trevor Flugge just days after it began its controversial government contract.

Mr Flugge paid $55 million for ACL Pty Ltd, the company which became Navitas English Pty Ltd, after it won the contract to resettle refugees, a business in which it had no previous experience, in Newcastle.

It did not go well from the start. Within months, the company and Mr Flugge were named in a Senate estimates committee hearing over the way the refugees were being treated in the resettlement program, which is responsible for housing and welfare.

The federal Labor MP for Newcastle, Sharon Grierson, told Parliament that within six months, serious problems had emerged. A two-year-old boy had died, refugees were left without enough food, and others had been left alone and given the triple-0 emergency number to call, even though they spoke no English.

A wheelchair-bound man was housed in a first-floor apartment with no lift.

Ms Grierson said those complaints, which stretched back six years, had never been addressed. She told The Sun-Herald this week that there were now allegations of theft, rorting of rents and neglect of the refugees.

Mr Flugge quit as a director of Navitas after the oil-for-food scandal erupted in 2006 and pictures of his gun-toting days in Iraq were splashed around the country.

A refugee advocate, Sister Diana Santleben, has consistently flagged the substandard housing that refugees were being forced to live in, at times without adequate heating or facilities or bedrooms.

The Department of Immigration renewed the contract with Navitas English in March. But when the Minister for Immigration, Chris Bowen, was told about the problems he ordered an urgent investigation. Last week he released a scathing report by Ernst & Young into Navitas English’s treatment of the refugees in the Newcastle area.

The report found families were living in unsafe and unacceptable conditions. Many were in overcrowded accommodation and were overcharged for rents, while the quality of the basic household goods they were given was poor. The review has sparked a nationwide audit of refugee resettlement programs.

Mr Bowen has asked Professor David Richmond, AO, to conduct a review into the department and its processes as well as a forensic audit of the financial management of the contract. He has also asked for a report on whether any departmental staff were in breach of their obligations under the public service code of conduct.

He has put the contractor, Navitas English, and the subcontractor, Resolve FM, on notice about expected standards, particularly when dealing with vulnerable people… Read more here

Now, there have been tens of dozens of US refugee resettlement contractors caught neglecting, abusing, and ripping-off refugees in the US refugee resettlement program during the past 15 years, and never once did I encounter a case in which the federal government agency “partners” ever once did a forensic audit.  In almost every case  refugee resettlement agency and government oversight agency partners stonewalled the media and members of the community and whitewashed findings. Only in the most extreme serious cases, and usually only once the media became involved, did the State Department and/or it’s refugee resettlement contractor discontinue the contract. Yet, charges were never filed, restitution was never made to the taxpayer, and almost never were refugees compensated for the abuse.

I think its clear that the US refugee resettlement program needs to take some lessons in democracy and government accountability from our  friends in Australia.

Posted in abuse, Australian refugee resettlement prgm, Catholic, Congolese, fractious relationships with volunteers, furnishings, lack of, household items, missing or broken, housing, substandard, neglect, openess and transparency in government, State Department, stealing money from refugees, Sudanese | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments »

Catholic Diocese of Arlington switched from one form of neglect to another

Posted by Christopher Coen on March 16, 2011

It looks as if the Catholic Diocese of Arlington switched from one type of disorganization to another from 2008 to 2010. A new State Department inspection report from 2008 indicates that the agency was placing refugee clients in Fredericksburg in housing with roach infestations, leaking windows and ceilings, and even demanded that a refugee sign an apartment lease without explaining it to her. She refused to sign it. A Burundian refugee father said that he appealed to the agency for six months to help him find a job but only worked about three days cleaning up shops.

Yet, two years later in 2010 local churches and volunteers were observing some very different forms of refugee neglect. Now, the agency was placing refugees in apartments without food or furniture and not giving refugees help with transportation. What is the rhyme and reason to these fluctuations?

If we assume that the State Department inspections — usually as rare as once in ten years — are at all effective, then what does it mean if noting one set of problems, and hopefully addressing them, simply leads to a sprouting of different problems?

One thing I know is that the State Department has no penalties for resettlement agencies’ failure to abide by even the minimum requirements of the government contracts. Could it be that the resettlement agency personnel sulk and pout over any criticism, and then temporarily fix the problems and then slack off on other minimum requirements? The reigning philosophy at many resettlement agencies seems to be that all problems are caused by 1) insufficient government funding (don’t raise the issue of the private funding they are supposed to raise to augment the public funding), 2) they don’t like having to do documentation of the services they claim to give refugees (who does like doing intensive paperwork?), 3) refugees are just so needy, and 4) hey, we just set up a new satellite office, so things won’t run well for a few years (what? refugees won’t even get food and a few used furnishings? why not?).

Whatever is happening, this case shows the limited effectiveness of current oversight in which 1) there are no penalties for failure to abide by contract obligations, 2) inspections are pre-announced, and 3) inspections are so rare that new problems can emerge in as a little as a few months or a year or two and the government inspectors won’t know until they come back ten years later.

It looks like we’re sorely overdue for a revamping of these inspections.

Posted in State Department, Burundian, faith-based, volunteers, employment services, Catholic, fredericksburg, Catholic Diocese of Arlington, churches, food, beds, transportation, community/cultural orientation, housing, substandard, fractious relationships with volunteers, furnishings, lack of, language interpretation/translation, lack of, Iranian, cultural/community orientation, post arrival, rats and roaches | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Refugee Resettlement Resumes In Fredericksburg, VA

Posted by Christopher Coen on November 3, 2010

The Catholic Diocese of Arlington’s Office of Migration and Refugee Services is resuming refugee resettlement at their sub-office in Fredericksburg, Virginia, just seven months after local church leaders asked that resettlement stop due to mismanagement of the program by the agency and neglect of refugees, here and here. The Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star gives more information:

As many as 100 refugees could come to the Fredericksburg area in the next year.

Officials with the Catholic Diocese of Arlington’s Office of Migration and Refugee Services announced the expected arrivals seven months after area church leaders asked the federal government to stop the flow of refugees here.

But refugee services officials also announced different leadership and more staff in the local resettlement office.

And area volunteers hope that this time around, refugees will be resettled successfully, thanks to the shakeup in the refugee services office.

“I believe we can do this in a much better way than we experienced last March,” said the Rev. Ted Snow, pastor of Regester United Methodist Church in Stafford County. Snow said he is “a staunch supporter” of resettlement, but in March he joined area local leaders criticizing the local process.

Over the past five years, more than 500 refugees have resettled in the Fredericksburg area.

In their home countries they faced torture, death or persecution. The State Department invites the refugees, who are resettled locally through the Office of Migration and Refugee Services.

In the past three years, local officials have criticized the resettlement process, saying it seemed that the federal government invited the refugees in, dropped them into the area and promptly forgot about them.

They also complained that the local resettlement office was understaffed and failed to communicate with groups offering to help refugees get on their feet here.

Tensions rose as church leaders, social workers, educators and volunteers struggled to meet the demands of an often needy population. They provided transportation, English classes, summer camps, jobs and financial help…Read more here

Church leaders say that after they made their official complaint last March they didn’t hear anything from the Catholic Diocese of Arlington until September.

…In March, about 20 volunteers, clergy, social workers and educators met with resettlement leaders and state and federal government officials.

That meeting did little to smooth tensions, but the refugees services officials promised to communicate more with the community.

And church leaders said that was the last time they heard from the resettlement office until September.

Now resettlement officials have reached out to the community, and a meeting is planned for tomorrow.

Catholic Charities of Arlington, which oversees the Office of Migration and Refugee Services, has a new president. And the Fredericksburg resettlement center now has a manager…

Some church leaders say they have their hands full with the refugees that the Catholic Diocese of Arlington already resettled to the area,and they will not help bring in more refugees.

…Some who have helped with resettlement efforts in the pastt have said they won’t attend the meeting. They plan to concentrate on helping the refugees who are already here.

The Rev. Larry Haun, one of the most vocal leaders calling for a halt in local resettlements, will not attend. His congregation, Fredericksburg Baptist Church, still helps dozens of newcomer families with transportation, money, tutoring, school supplies, clothes and more.

“I wish them well. I hope it goes well, but we’ve got more than we can do with what we have now,” Haun said…

Posted in faith-based, Catholic, fredericksburg, Catholic Diocese of Arlington, churches, fractious relationships with volunteers, local officials, failure to notify | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

 
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