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Home  / News & Publications /  Michigan Catholic News / 2008 /  Archdiocesan Refugee Services helps those starting over

by Marylynn G. Hewitt, SFO of The Michigan Catholic
Published December 12, 2008

Detroit – The local economy is precarious, with the future stability of the auto industry questionable, foreclosures common and unemployment hitting peaks not seen in decades. Yet, for Iraqi refugees, the metro area is ripe with promise, hope for a new life and a place where they can live in safety and peace.

For many who arrive here, years after fleeing their homes in Iraq and waiting in other Middle Eastern countries for resettlement approval, their bridge to the future is the archdiocesan Refugee Services Office. It is one of three local agencies in the state doing such work. The others are Lutheran Social Services and the Dearborn-based U.S. Committee of Refugees and Immigrants.

John Binatta, director of the archdiocesan Refugee Services Office, understands well both the fear and the hope refugees face. He and his wife, Iman, fled Iraq in September 1990 during the Gulf War. With the assistance of smugglers, staying in camps and walking for days on end, they arrived in Turkey in January 1991. It was there that he first heard about Thu Ho, now the coordinator of the Refugee Services Office. She was a caseworker at the time and helped his Detroit-area sister with his paperwork.

In December 1992, with the help of the office for which he now works, he resettled in Detroit.

The archdiocesan office, funded in part through the Catholic Services Appeal, works through the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. The USCCB is one of the nine agencies across the country on contract with the U.S. State Department.

Once refugees arrive, they meet with one of the four case workers who helps them in resolving immediate needs: housing, furnishings, clothing, employment and enrolling children in school. "We are used to being everything to the client," Binatta says. "Sometimes we are their father consulting them. I even used to do some midwife stuff," he says of accompanying clients to the hospital for delivery. "And I am talking to a Muslim female, who never talks to a male, and trying to explain to her something she never talked about — even with her mom!" This year, approximately 25 percent of the refugees they worked with are Muslim, while 75 percent are Christian.

The workload for the local caseworkers exploded this year, almost triple from a year before. Expecting to handle 900 this year, two job developers were hired. But with 1,000 refugees coming in this year, and four caseworkers, it meant handling double the expected standard of 125 cases a year.

The archdiocesan office has been told to expect 1,300 refugees next year.

Economic conditions mean employment is difficult. This year, the Refugee Services Office was able to place 275 people in a "match program" geared toward quickly securing a job. It is open for those 18 to 64 after assessing employment history, health issues and capacity for English.

The goal of the program is to have the refugee become self-sufficient by securing employment within 90 days. The cash assistance they receive as part of this program (see box) is stopped when they secure employment.

Last year, 10 percent were employed at the 90-day mark, compared to 50 percent the year before, a figure attributed to the economy, says Sr. Beth Murphy, OP, and volunteer outreach coordinator for the office.

Last June, the U.S. State Department policy changed so only those with first-degree relatives (spouse, parent, child or sibling) would be resettled in southeast Michigan. "What we're trying to do by giving priority to families with first-degree relatives here is deal with the reality of our difficult economy now," says Sr. Murphy. As a result, they are now seeing a bit of secondary migration with those approved for resettlement in other places in the country leaving and moving to Michigan.

"What we're trying to do is help people understand the UN Charter on Human Rights prevents anybody from telling anybody where they can live. So, the refugees have a right to live wherever they want or to resettle wherever they want." The problem comes if they've started benefits in one state and leave without documentation to get it started in another. That means there may be a lapse before it's settled with the new move.

It's also a difficulty for Lutheran Social Services, who handles the employment training contract for all local refugees, when people are added who were not included in the funding budget.

Housing is also a major issue. Some landlords don't understand the status of a refugee and thinks they are illegal, says Binatta. In some cases, there is a language problem so the caseworker tries to help in those cases as well. The glut of foreclosures put rentals in high demand even in areas where multiple vacancies used to be the norm.

Compounding all these issues, he says, is the lack of a solid mass transit system. As a result, volunteer drivers help serve a great need in getting clients to appointments.

Those who speak Arabic are also invaluable as volunteers, he adds.

Despite the obstacles, it hasn't deterred family members wanting to be reunited with family members in the state that many are leaving. Sr. Murphy recalls hearing Ishmael Ahmed, director of the state's Department of Human Services, say "refugees and immigrants are virtually the only people moving into Michigan … They will be the strong foundation on which this state lifts itself up out of the situation it finds itself in right now."

Volunteer drivers, translators or those who wish to donate household furnishings, goods or other assistance may contact Sr. Beth Murphy, OP, at (313) 921-1498.

• A brother and his family resettle in Madison Heights
• His sister and her family wait as refugees in Syria