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Get Refugees Started with a Checking Account

By on September 4th, 2009

One of the things that refugees must face on their journey to self-sufficiency is that of understanding finances.  In a short time they will have to handle housing, food, utilities, transportation, repayment of their refugee travel grant, and other expenses.

In our current refugee resettlement project we took a step forward today with the establishment of a checking account.  As soon as refugees have some money they can call their own it is time to get started with a banking relationship.

Our family just received their first matching grant funds.  We took these checks along with social security cards, I-94 cards, and a member of the family to sign the paperwork.  Fortunately the process was smooth today because the banker who helped us had worked with other refugees in the past.  Therefore she knew what she was doing.  We’ve had tougher situations when the banking employees have no idea what to do with an I-94 card.

We deposited most of the money but held back a little so the family would have some cash on hand.  We also tried to explain that $25 had to go to pay for checks so the amount remaining in the account did not match the original value of the checks.  We’ll have to explain in greater detail when we have access to an interpreter.

We had a couple options available to us today.  The first was whether we wanted basic checks or duplicate checks.  While duplicate checks costs more, they are worthwhile.  You will be teaching the family to write the checks on their own.  With a duplicate of the written check remaining you have a reference to make sure they are issuing them correctly and recording them accurately.

We second option was a choice as to whether or not we would get ATM cards right away.  Sometimes in the past we declined them, only to discover that the family learned about them from someone else and started requesting them from us.  This time we agreed to get them right away.  A powerful advantage is that the family can go grocery shopping without taking cash.  The can use their food card and their ATM card to cover all expenses.  The process to using each one is the same – swipe card, punch in pin number.  Therefore training is easy.

Next we’ll have to explain finances in greater detail and show how to keep a check register up to date.

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Handling Medical Conditions of Refugees

By on August 30th, 2009

Now that the first month is complete, I have moved away from daily updates.  Our activities have slowed to a point where it is a stuggle to come up with something interesting to write about each day.  Instead I’ll still jump in with useful lessons to pass along.

This past week we’ve continued to dedicate time to the medical appointments of our refugee family.  Being a large family we’ve had more appointments to deal with than usual.  You may have read about our transportation issues earlier.  One of the things we’ve done to help alleviate the driving pressure is to tap into our church’s team of drivers for shut-ins.  If we provide a few days notice we have access to other volunteer drivers.  Yes!

Now, due to confidentiality requirements, I will not write directly about this family’s medical issues.  But you can imagine that when someone spends a decade or two in a crowded refugee camp, without proper care, that there may be problems.  We are seeing some of those problems now.

It is important that arriving refugees have access to medical care very early after arrival.  First of all, it’s good to discover any problems as soon as possible so that they have the best chance of cure and recovery.  Second, their access to insurance is easiest in the beginning.  (As refugees they will receive some kind of coverage for 8 months from arrival, but the Title 19 they get at day 1 might only last 30 days before a shift to state or local coverage.  Yet even the state or local coverage is probably easier to work with than the deductibles and requirements of employer-provided insurance.)

After getting through the medical appointments with checkups, followups, immunizations, specialists when necessary, medicines, and monitoring, then it’s time to get into the dental appointments.  From what we’ve seen, it is rare for a refugee to arrive without some dental problems too.

Stick with it though; arranging appointments and transporting to each one.  Once the medical and dental issues are properly handled, it is a relief to the refugees to have greater health than they may have had in years.  This provides a foundation upon which they can begin to rebuild their lives. 

A healthy person can learn English.  A healthy person can get, and keep, a job.  A healthy person will be able to better face some the new-life challenges and adjustments periods that will be on the horizon.

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Helping Refugees Find Home

By on August 27th, 2009

This seems like an appropriate time to explain what I mean when I say, “helping refugees find home” and having a goal to “resettle 10 million refugees by 2030 or sooner.”  I have clarified this in other places, but not here in this blog.

To become a refugee a person has fled their “home.”  They are in a new country, in limbo, waiting for something to happen.  Ideally they would like to return to the home they know and love.  Less ideal, but still favorable, is to remain in a region of familiarity.  Less favorable, but new-life-giving, is to establish a new home in a friendly, but unfamiliar country.

Therefore helping refugees find home, does not state, “helping refugees find a NEW home.”  The best solution, if possible would be to help them return to their native homeland under conditions that provide them a normal life.  But everyone deserves a place they can call home.  If that place is a foreign land it is still better than being without a home at all.

By the time most refugees enter the resettlement phase, they have already given up on the idea that they might return to the home they once had.  That’s when they enter a resettlement program and may end up moved to another country.

The United States takes a large percentage of refugees relative to other countries, but a very small percentage relative to the number of refugees.  We also take a small percentage relative to our own population size.

I am not advocating that we resettle 10 million refugees in the United States, that we empty the world’s refugee camps on our shores.  Not at all.  Rather I believe that there is a solution to the world’s refugee problem.  It involves foreign refugee resettlement for some, return to their native home for others, education for most, and change or influence in the countries that are “producing” refugees – so that the problem is reduced in the future.

I do not know the full answer.  If I did I would state it here and in my resettlement handbook.  But my goal has 20 years to be realized.  The answers are out there.  We just have to be open to finding them.

The first part of the equation already exists.  That is resettlement in foreign lands.  If a refugee family ends up in the United States, in our community, our role is to love them and help them adapt to a new home, a place that, at some future time, they and their children will be able to refer to as “their home” too.

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Team Meeting, Matching Grant, Lawn Mowing

By on August 22nd, 2009

Days 31 to 33

8/20

Today we had our third consecutive weekly team meeting.  We always start with a team meeting each week for several weeks.  It’s important to make sure than we’re all on the same page.  Only a few team members were available for the team meeting tonight.

8/21

Today was an important step in the resettlement process.  The matching grant coordinator from LSS came out to get a signature from a refugee family member in approval of the matching grant.

With the paperwork signed, the family is now poised to receive some money each month for the next 3-4 months.  This money allows them to cover basic expenses while searching for employment.  The advantage for us, the resettlement team, is that we don’t have to deal with state welfare services during this time frame.  If employment is gained within a few months we will never have to deal with the welfare system!

The family went grocery shopping again today.  This time they were shown how to use their food assistance card.  It works much like a debit card as it can be swiped through the credit/debit machine and the money is accessed with a pin number.

The family needed toilet paper.  This is not covered by the food card.  A good lesson in this for the family is that they cannot just buy anything they want and expect that its expense will be covered.

8/22

One of our team members went to the house today and showed them how to use their lawn mower to cut their grass.  Safety is always important so this was also part of the discussion.

While at the house our team member also opened the discussion of employment.  He had some initial discussions with family members regarding job skills.

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The Early Signs of Independence

By on August 19th, 2009

Day 30

Our education team leader set an appointment for the teenage boy to register for high school next monday.  Great things happen when kids get started in school.  They are generally resilient and can adapt well.  Getting into school accelerates their English learning and helps create friendships.

The family made arrangements with someone else to take them to an Asian food store.   Unfortunately they did not know how to use their food card yet, so they had to borrow money from the person who took them.

Also, they learned where they could purchase inexpensive phone cards.  They did so and called Burma and Thailand.

These acts of making their own arrangements and discoveries, without the  help of us, their resettlement team, demonstrates their resourcefulness.  Every refugee family makes these steps at some point, some sooner, some later.  They are not dependent upon us and that is a good thing!

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Sometimes More Help is Needed

By on August 18th, 2009

Day 29

We have a great core group of refugee resettlement volunteers.  Some of our activities come off without a hitch because we’ve got experience.  Some things work well simply because we have enough people sharing the load.

When things break down it is often because there are not enough people to handle the task. 

With our current resettlement project we have two families of four combined into a larger family of eight.  Where in the past we might have been able to get away with just a driver or two for appointments, we are starting to burn out our drivers this time around.

Whenever all family members are needed we require at least two drivers to have enough seats for everyone.  If only one or two family members are needed, as in the case for medical appointments, only one driver is needed.

Medical appointments can take their toll on drivers.  Often each person requires multiple visits to different doctors; public health, family doctor, specialists, dentist.  Usually the family members get appointments at different days and times and each appointment can take several hours.

With a small driving team the time requirements are too high.  Try to have one person do the majority of the driving and burn-out is not far behind.

This is a situation we’ve experienced before, but made much worse this time around by having a large family of eight persons.  Clearly we don’t have enough driving support at the moment.

What skills do you need to drive refugees to appointments?  There are three I would consider to be crucial.

  1. Calendar management.
  2. Comfort speaking to someone who may not understand your language,
       and/or
  3. Comfort traveling in silence.

Calendar management is important to make sure you’re available when they need help.  Timing is important so that you’re picking them up with enough slack in the schedule to get the appropriate family members in your car or van and to the appointment on time.

Speaking to someone who may not understand your language and traveling in silence are two sides of the same coin.  I think it’s beneficial to talk while you drive even though those in the car don’t understand.  They are hearing spoken English from a friendly person.  If that’s too weird for you, then you should be comfortable with the opposite, saying nothing.

If you are OK doing these things, and you can give up a few hours of your time every once in a while then helping out on the resettlement transportation team might be a good fit for you.

(By the way, if you’re in the Waukesha area while reading this, and you’d be willing to drive we could use your help.  Just comment below with information on how to contact you.)

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Food and Medical Assistance

By on August 17th, 2009

Day 28

Food cards arrived in the mail today!  As one of our team members was attempting to explain the card and its usage to the family a 7th grade bilingual Burmese boy walked in.  He was able to interpret some of the details simplifying the conversation.  I often point out that interpreters are not necessary for many of the day-to-day tasks, but their presence sure does speed things up and, most of the time, helps reduce the potential for confusion.

Besides the food card, their Forward card arrived too.  The Forward card is medical assistance provided by the State of Wisconsin.  Now medical appointments will become a little easier because these are presented just like insurance cards in advance of treatment.

One more family member had a medical checkup and immunizations today.  That means four down, four to go.

On a completely different subject I would like to mention that Bryn and I were out of town this past weekend.  I point this out because it is important in any resettlement team that the team members are able to get away a various times. 

One of the biggest problems we see in resettlement efforts of other groups is that too few people try to do too much for too long.  This results in burn-out.  That’s not good for the refugees.  It’s not good for the volunteers.  It’s not good for the process because those volunteers are likely give up after the experience. 

If you’ve got a big team, trust the team members to handle things while you’re away.  If you’ve got a small team, trust that the refugees can be on their own for a few days.  You need a break too.

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Settling into the Weekend

By on August 16th, 2009

Days 26 and 27

Several team members involved in minor activities this weekend.  A number of us have been watching the family’s mail for various notices.  We’re still waiting on some social security cards.  They received a “welcome” letter from AT&T.  They received a letter from the Workforce Development Center detailing their initial public benefits.

There is now a basket for mail on top of the computer desk in their house.  When they get the mail it should all go in the basket for someone else to review.  In time, they will learn what is important and what is junk mail.

We’re trying out a new TV antenna with the hope of bringing in more channels.  Paying for cable TV service is not a good choice early on.  We will let the family choose that upgrade on their own when they have the income to support it.  In the meantime we still want them to be able to watch TV.  It provides great opportunity to listen and learn English.

Another trip to the grocery store was in order as well.  Our obligation to provide food ends at 30 days.  We were concerned that the late application for food assistance would force us to go beyond 30 days and, with the size of the family, we’d run out of money.  We learned that the food benefit they will receive will be retroactive to the date of application so they will get a good food budget with a nice bump in the beginning.  And, the card should arrive soon, allowing us to end this support.  Of course we’ll still help with transportation and advice for some time yet.

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Surprises – Then There is One More

By on August 14th, 2009

Day 25

Within the family structure of our current refugee resettlement case there is a 20 year-old daughter.  Two weeks ago we learned that she was married in the refugee camp.  Her husband, also a refugee, was resettled as part of a different case.  His family was settled in Nebraska.  His brother and sister remained in Lincoln.  His mother is still in a refugee camp.

Today he arrived by bus into Milwaukee.  One of the established Burmese refugees with a car, who has helped as an interpreter from time to time, went into Milwaukee to pick him up from the Greyhound station.

Now we need to work with the caseworker to discuss our options.  Of course we’ll help out in any way we can, but he did not arrive as our case so what is the impact, if any, on matching grant, medical and food assistance?  While this throws a bit of a wrinkle into our process, we’re very happy that the married couple is reunited.

On another subject, one member of our resettlement team helped the family with their clothes washer and dryer today, showing them how to use these convenient devices.  With nine people now, I think these will get lots of use.

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Is the Electric Company Insane?

By on August 13th, 2009

Day 24

Yesterday I brought up “the system.”  Sometimes things go suspiciously well.  Sometimes things are completely crazy.  Try on today’s experience with the local electric and gas utility, We Energies.

One of our co-chairs placed a call to We Energies this morning to get the electric service switched into the name of the refugee family.  The We Energies representative refused.  She was told that it is not permitted to apply for electric service for someone else.  What?

Apparently, the utility does not allow 3rd party applications on new service contracts.  Due to privacy policies the rep couldn’t even tell our co-chair what procedures needed to be followed.  He would not even disclose the location of their office so that they could apply in person.  (Apparently the electric utility is a covert operation!?)  Instead he recommended that the applicant call in and ask for an interpreter.

The co-chair proceeded to the house of our refugee family and called back with the father of the family on hand.  She asked for a Burmese interpreter and explained why she needed one.  An interpreter was brought on the line.  Then the father and the interpreter talked for a while.  At one point he handed the phone back to the co-chair.

The interpreter then asked, “Why did he end the conversation and hand the phone back to you?”  She told him that, “while he may understand what the interpreter said, he couldn’t do anything about it, because he can’t explain it to me.  I don’t speak Burmese and he doesn’t speak English.  So you’ll have to tell me what you told him.”  What a complete waste of time!

Next stop — the We Energies satellite office.  After knocking on the hidden door and presenting the secret handshake, they were allowed in.  (OK, that part isn’t quite accurate, but you’d think there’d be some security like that after the initial treatment.)

At the office they had to present an application form, a copy of their lease, and the I-94 form (acting as a photo ID).  This has to be presented in person not mailed or faxed in.  Then all of this information will be faxed over to the main office where they will make a decision as to whether they will or will not provide electric service.  We Energies will call the applicant to discuss the results of their decision. 

All of this in the name of the Positive ID Act!

After the trip to the secret We Energies office they proceeded to the grocery store.  With a $100 gift card in hand, they spent $99.57.  No one was planning or adding up the costs, it just happened to leave 43 cents on the card.  Not bad.

They also stopped at a community clothing store called the Clothes Closet which provides donated clothing to low-income families.  (The Clothes Closet is a program of the Cooperating Congregations of Waukesha County.)  Each person was able to select up to 10 items of clothing and shoes.

The family did not identify clothing as having intended gender.  They picked out what they liked regardless of whether it was originally created for a boy or girl, man or woman.  If the jeans or the sandals fit, they’ll be worn.  Maybe our normal ideas of gender and clothing might be a bit exaggerated.

Tomorrow is garbage day so we had to demonstrate how to take the garbage to the curb for pickup.

And, the surprise for the day?  We learned that the husband of the 20 year-old woman in the family (who was separated via a different resettlement) will arrive tomorrow morning at 10:00 via bus.  He’s coming in from somewhere in Nebraska.  While this may mean we’re helping to take care of yet another person, he also represents the potential for another income stream in the family.