Archive for the ‘EMM’ Category
Posted by Christopher Coen on May 8, 2012
The Minnesota Council of Churches, an affiliate of EMM and CWS, is opening its first outstate (outside the Twin Cities) office in Mankato. Mankato is a small city and site of Minnesota State University and a Mayo Clinic facility. The top four employers are Immanuel St. Joseph’s – Mayo Health System, Minnesota State University, the public school district and MRCI Industrial Operation, a temporary employment services provider. An article in the Mankato Free Press explains:
MANKATO — When the Minnesota Council of Churches was deciding where to build its first outstate office for refugee assistance, Mankato stood out.
That wasn’t because refugees were coming here directly from their home countries. Mankato isn’t designated by the federal government as a first stop for refugees.
But refugees who landed in other American cities were making their way to Mankato and bringing relatives, said Rachele King, director of refugee services for the nonprofit.
She heard good things about Mankato, both as a place to live and one that helps refugees.
The Mankato office opened April 1, but is taking time to figure out what other nonprofits and governments are doing here to avoid competing with them… Read more here
Posted in Community Refugee and Immigration Services (CRIS), Minnesota, Minnesota Council of Churches, Minnesota Council of Churches | Tagged: Church World Service, CWS, EMM, Episcopal Migration Ministries, Mankato, Minnesota Council of Churches, refugees, resettlement, Twin Cities | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Christopher Coen on February 29, 2012
This is an extra scene from Nickel City Smiler, a documentary film about Karen refugees in Buffalo. Donna Pepero, head of the Refugee School Impact Program in the Buffalo Public Schools, talks about a resettlement agency in Buffalo that dropped off a refugee family to an apartment furnished with just part of a sectional sofa – not even any beds:
Posted in Buffalo, Burma/Myanmar, Catholic Charities of Buffalo, furnishings, lack of, International Institute of Buffalo, Jewish Family Service of Buffalo & Erie County, Journey's End Refugee Services, Journey's End Refugee Services, Karen | Tagged: Buffalo, documentary, Donna Pepero, Nickel City Smiler, Refugee School Impact Program, refugees, resettlement | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Christopher Coen on January 23, 2012
In New Haven three refugee cases, including a family of eleven, were displaced after their apartments were condemned due to broken pipes and black mold contamination. The city housing inspector said his office previously cited the landlord for violations at other properties. An article in the New Haven Independent explains the situation:
When kids living in a Nash Street house kept showing up at the hospital with respiratory problems, city housing inspector Rafael Ramos went to their home and found black mold covered the bedroom walls of an apartment holding 11 Congolese refugees.
Ramos condemned 17 Nash St.‘s first floor on Dec. 22. The family has since been living in a hotel—at the Nash Street landlord’s expense—until they can find another place to live.
This month, Ramos returned and condemned the second floor, removing two other refugees who were living there, after pipes burst on the third floor…
…“In the seven years I’ve been doing this, this has been our most serious problem,” said Chris George, the head of Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services (IRIS). That organization helped settle the Congolese family in New Haven when it first arrived more than two years ago…
…Now IRIS is reconsidering some of its policies, looking to see if the period of supervision of new refugees should be extended to ensure the safety and success of settlements. And the city is looking to work more closely with IRIS to insure that other newcomers to the United States don’t end up in similar straits…
…The property slipped through the cracks of the city’s Residential Licensing Program. That program is designed to ensure that the city safeguards the living conditions of all renters, even if—like some new immigrants—they don’t speak English well or otherwise aren’t equipped to complain about their situation…
…George said he heard about the problems from neighbors. “I visited the family a couple of times. I met with them in the backyard to go over the problems. I never went into the house. I realize now that was a mistake.”…
…on Dec. 22, Ramos got a call from a medical anthropologist working at the Yale-New Haven Children’s Hospital, who said he had visited 17 Nash St. after kids living there kept showing up at the hospital with respiratory problems.
Ramos visited the house and went into the bedrooms he hadn’t visited earlier. He took pictures of what he found there: Black mold covering the walls, right next to beds where children slept.
Somehow moisture was entering the home through the walls, seeping in and warming up, making it an ideal environment for mold growth. Airborne mold spores were then making the children sick. Ramos immediately condemned the first floor…
…LCI returned earlier this month after pipes burst in the third floor. The furnace apparently broke, lowering temperatures and bursting pipes, Ramos said. LCI removed two single men—also refugees—living on the second floor.
Ramos said LCI has previously cited the [landlord] for violations at other properties. He said what happened at 17 Nash St. is a perfect example of why the residential licensing program is important. “This family didn’t know that they could complain without retribution. They didn’t know we have ordinances in place to protect their health and safety.”… Read more here
Posted in children, Congolese, housing, Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services (IRIS), Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services (IRIS), New Haven, safety | Tagged: Chris George, Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services, IRIS, New haven, refugees, resettlement, slum lord, slumlord | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Christopher Coen on November 20, 2011
A roundtable panel discussion In Austin addresses the issue of older refugees. Panelists included Zarni Tun (resettlement case manager with Refugee Services of Texas); Lorel Donaghey (employment specialist with Caritas of Austin); Casey Kasper (ESL teacher with Interfaith Action of Texas) and Rebecca Tulis (extended case manager with Refugee Services of Texas). The discussion is described at Austin Refugee Roundtable:
…Some of the problems faced by older refugees –identified as refugees over the age of 50- included:
- General fear of being a burden on family members.
- It is more difficult for them to learn English which makes it more difficult to pass the US citizenship test. This makes them not eligible to receive SSI/SSDI beyond 7 years.
- Employment difficulty since many jobs that would be a good fit (caring for others, childcare, sewing) require individuals to be fluent in English or able to work fast on big machines… Read more here
Posted in alienation-isolation, Austin, Caritas of Austin, elderly refugees, employment/jobs for refugees, ESL & ELL, language, mental health, Refugee Services of Texas, Refugee Services of Texas | Tagged: Austin, Caritas of Austin, elderly, ESL, Interfaith Action of Texas, panel discussion, Refugee Services of Texas, refugees, resettlement, Roundtable | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Christopher Coen on October 31, 2011
The US State Department has contracted with Episcopal Migration Ministries (EMM) and the International Rescue Committee (IRC) to resettle refugees to Wichita, Kansas. Episcopal Wichita Area Refugee Ministry will act as the subcontractor for EMM. A late announcement says that the groups will begin in the next few weeks, and will resettle up to 180 refugees a year. An article in The Wichita Eagle article talks discusses the plan:
Two groups that help rescue foreigners from war and oppression say they are arranging what they say will be the most significant refugee resettlement in Wichita since hundreds were resettled here from southeast Asia 30 years ago.
The Episcopal Wichita Area Refugee Ministry and the Wichita office of the International Rescue Committee say that refugees from Myanmar — also called Burma — Somalia, Bhutan, Iraq, Eritrea and other nations will begin arriving in the next few weeks.
The groups say as many as 180 refugees a year could come in for several years; the first few individuals and families will arrive in the next few weeks. The Episcopal group says it will bring in as many as 35 Burmese a year; the International Rescue Committee says it could bring in as many as 150 from other countries…
…The Rt. Rev. Dean Wolfe, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Kansas, and Chryle Nofsinger-Wiens, executive director of the International Rescue Committee, were scheduled to talk publicly Saturday about the new refugees and how they plan to get them settled in Wichita… Read more here
Posted in State Department, EMM, IRC, Kansas | Tagged: refugees, IRC, resettlement, International Rescue Committee, Episcopal Migration Ministries, Wichita, Episcopal Wichita Area Refugee Ministry, Episcopal Diocese of Kansas, Chryle Nofsinger-Wiens, Dean Wolfe | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Christopher Coen on October 29, 2011
The Nickel City Smiler documentary film will be showing next weekend in Buffalo. It gives refugees their own voice, describing their experiences in the resettlement process – something the refugee resettlement agencies regularly ignore, and even suppress.
Screenings are scheduled for:
Friday, Saturday & Sunday (November 4, 5 and 6) at 7pm at the Market Arcade, Film and Art Centre, located a 639 Main Street, Buffalo NY.
Hand-made bags by Karen refugee Ma Dee, who is featured in the film, and other Karen goods will be available for purchase at the screening.
The Nickel City Smiler documentary film is also available for purchase on DVD — here.
Posted in Buffalo, Catholic Charities of Buffalo, dangerous neighborhoods, faith-based, household items, missing or broken, housing, housing, overcrowding, International Institute of Buffalo, Jewish Family Service of Buffalo & Erie County, Journey's End Refugee Services, Journey's End Refugee Services, Karen, language, population levels, using refugees as pawns to boost, safety | Tagged: Buffalo, dangerous neighborhoods, documentary, Nickel City Smiler, population decline, refugees, resettlement, Smiler Greely | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Christopher Coen on October 12, 2011
A so-called “fight” between a man and the Nepali-Bhutanese residents of an apartment complex in Columbus turns out to have been an alleged robbery. Police shot the man to death. The robbery apparently involved more than one perpetrator. An article in ThisWeek Community Newspapers has the details:
…an Aug. 24 police-involved shooting at the 604-unit Breckenridge Apartments on Shanley Drive east of Karl Road. Initial reports said a melee that broke out there that night was a result of racial tensions between the Bhutanese people and African American residents of the complex, but Remy said that turned out not to be the case.
It was instead, he said, a matter of a robbery.
The incident involved a “couple of gangsters robbing people,” Abdi Soofe of the city’s Community Relations Commission told The Columbus Dispatch for a story that ran on Sept. 6.
A 21-year-old man died after being shot by a police officer as he scuffled with another cop during a fight involving more than two dozen people in the courtyard of the apartment complex, according to The Dispatch.
Angie Plummer, executive director of Community Refugee and Immigration Services-Ohio, said the situation was not the result of racial tensions but was instead “a bunch of criminal … ne’er-do-wells looking for people to prey on.”… Read more here
Posted in Columbus, Community Refugee and Immigration Services (CRIS), Community Refugee and Immigration Services (CRIS), dangerous neighborhoods, Nepali Bhutanese, police, safety | Tagged: bhutanese, Columbus, Community Refugee and Immigration Services, CRIS, refugees, resettlement, robbery | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Christopher Coen on September 29, 2011
The pro-refugee documentary Nickel City Smiler, which refreshingly does not do the usual towing of the line of refugee resettlement contractors, is now set for an early November showing in Buffalo. The documentary film, produced in Buffalo, chronicles the life of a Karen refugee family (from Burma/Myanmar) after they have been resettled to a tough inner-city Buffalo neighborhood. The film documents the refugee family’s hardship and their incredible determination to one day live in peace and ensure a better future for their children.
Local refugee resettlement contractors were involved in having the
documentary removed from a neighborhood film festival last summer.
The film will be shown at:
Note: The Nickel City Smiler DVD is also available for purchase.
Posted in Buffalo, Burma/Myanmar, Catholic Charities of Buffalo, dangerous neighborhoods, furnishings, lack of, household items, missing or broken, housing, substandard, International Institute of Buffalo, Jewish Family Service of Buffalo & Erie County, Journey's End Refugee Services, Journey's End Refugee Services, Karen, population levels, using refugees as pawns to boost, safety | Tagged: Buffalo, Burma, documentary, federal contractors, inner-city, Karen, Myanmar, neglect, Nickel City Smiler, refugees, resettlement, Smiler Greely | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Christopher Coen on August 29, 2011
Tensions between black and Nepali-Bhutanese residents of a North Side Columbus apartment complex reached a peak last week when officers were called on a report of a fight that included a man with a gun. The story is in The Columbus Dispatch:
The fight that resulted in the shooting death of a man by a Columbus police officer on Wednesday night apparently was the result of racial tensions between black and Nepalese residents of a North Side apartment complex, neighbors said.
Residents of the complex said a melee broke out between four black men and as many as 20 Nepalese immigrants, all of whom live in the Breckenridge Apartments off Shanley Drive.
About 100 Nepales refugees live in the complex, said a woman from Nepal who lives there. She said the racial tensions are ongoing, and she asked not to be named for fear of retaliation.
Yesterday, police still wouldn’t release the name of the man who died shortly after 9 p.m. Wednesday at the Ohio State University Medical Center…
…The incident began, Columbus police said, when officers were called about 8:30 p.m. to 1666 Shanley Dr. on a report of a fight that included a man with a gun.
Just as officers arrived, they heard gunshots, said Sgt. Christine Nemchev, spokeswoman for Columbus police.
Two officers went into a crowd that was fighting in the apartment-complex courtyard, and one of them got into a scuffle with an armed man. That man was shot by the officer’s partner, according to police… Read more here
Another article identifies the man killed by police as 21-year-old Francis Owens.
My question is a simple one: What did the refugees’ resettlement agency do to help them resolve the escalating tensions? Some landlords let disruptive and hostile tenants in, and its at that point that other tenants need to think about getting out. Did the resettlement agency place these refugees at the apartment complex? Did the agency help the Nepalese try to negotiate through the tricky situation?
Posted in Columbus, Community Refugee and Immigration Services (CRIS), Community Refugee and Immigration Services (CRIS), dangerous neighborhoods, Nepali Bhutanese, police, safety | Tagged: bhutanese, Breckenridge Apartments, Columbus, Community Refugee and Immigration Services, CRIS, Francis Owens, nepalese, Nepali-Bhutanese, police, refugees, resettlement | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Christopher Coen on August 28, 2011
Ariel Roberta at the Buffalo Rising newspaper released her last installment of a three-part series on refugees in Buffalo (see Part l and Part ll). She notes local resettlement agencies’ involvement in the removal of the “Nickel City Smiler” documentary film from a local film festival, with the film festival organizers writing, “a number of our partners were passionately angered by the film, and were offended by our screening of it.” Apparently, these “partners” decided that they would not let the public decide for itself what it thought about the issue. Although the film was the only locally-produced documentary in the series, promoters screened another refugee documentary from Tennessee, though it too was controversial. She also quotes an AmeriCorps worker as saying she believed the censorship may have been due to, “the agencies preference to look ahead, not backward.”
It must be nice to have that kind of power – to control what the public is able to know – nice, although not particularly ethical. Although, perhaps the public has a right to look at both the past, present and future. Arial Roberta also quotes a Buffalo schoolteacher saying, “Some of my [adult refugee] students have been reduced to tears after their caseworker didn’t return phone calls or was rude to them.” The teacher also told her that although getting by in Buffalo is often a harrowing task, none of her students have complained about housing quality, and that anything is a step up from huts in the jungle.
…Heart of the City Neighborhoods, Inc. (HOTC) is a non-profit group that focuses on creating programs that improve the quality of housing along with promoting sustainable projects for the Lower West Side. HOTC hosted their first ever film series at Buffalo’s Theater of Youth during the months of June and July. Their goal was to have public screenings of documentary films relating to sustainable housing in order to create discussions around the films.
Chance Encounter Productions (CEP) was invited to show their film “Nickel City Smiler”. A short time after they sent their materials, however, they were informed via email from Heart of the City that their film was regretfully not going to be shown. The Heart of the City Community Outreach Coordinator stated in the email that “a number of our partners were passionately angered by the film, and were offended by our screening of it.”
NCS was the only locally made film slated to be featured in the series. Documentaries from other parts of America were shown, including one titled “Welcome to Shelbyville”, which has some of its own controversy swirling around it. CEP believes that they were censored by resettlement agencies, some of which are partners with Heart of the City.
“The goal of this film has always been to get the community involved,” says Director Scott Murchie. “My hopes were that the film would make its way from the heart of the city out to the surrounding communities, inspiring those people who can really make a difference. Instead, what we are seeing is overly defensive resettlement agencies thinking the film is about them. It’s not.”
Claire Essley, an AmeriCorps/Houghten College summer Jump Start coordinator at school 45, believes the censorship may be due to the agencies preference to look ahead, not backward. She thinks the resettlement agencies didn’t want to be ”showing issues that had been resolved… and addressed.”…
…[a Buffalo schoolteacher] who contacted me after reading my previous two articles in Buffalo Rising, wished to remain anonymous because she also had some criticisms about the resettlement process. ”Basically my experience with adult students is that their resettlement agency starts off with a bang (placement in apartments, getting clothes, etc.) but then fizzles out,” she said. “Some of my students have been reduced to tears after their caseworker didn’t return phone calls or was rude to them.” The teacher told me that although getting by in Buffalo is often a harrowing task for many of her students, none of them have complained about housing quality. According to her, anything is a step up from huts in the jungle… Read more here
That last part about any housing being a step up I will have to disagree with. Resettlement contractors sign contracts with the federal government to find housing that meets — at the least – some minimum standards (see Operational Guidance). I suspect agencies use similar reasoning each time refugees are assaulted or killed in some of the urban locations our refugee program resettles them too – “well, they might have died anyway if they had remained stuck in dangerous locations overseas.” But isn’t that a cop-out? It seems to me like a handy excuse for poor planning and poor services – and the refugees don’t deserve that.
Posted in Buffalo, housing, Journey's End Refugee Services, Journey's End Refugee Services, Karen, Operational Guidance | Tagged: Buffalo, CEP, Chance Encounter Productions, documentary, Nickel City Smiler, refugees, resettlement, Scott Murchie, Smiler Greeley, Welcome to Shelbyville | Leave a Comment »
Christopher Coen
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