Joint Informational Hearing on Hmong Refugee Resettlement

Date/Time: November 16, 2004

From: Junko Honma
Sent: Wednesday, November 17, 2004 3:22 PM
Subject: Hmong hearing in Sacramento, CA

Dear Colleagues:

Yesterday (Nov. 16, 2004), I went to the Joint Informational Hearing on Hmong refugee resettlement in CA in Sacrament held by the Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs, co-sponsored by CA Senate Health & Human Services Committee and Asian Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus. I m writing to share some issues discussed at the hearing with you, since many of you may be involved in Hmong resettlement in MN and WI,
so you may be interested in knowing efforts in CA.

Agenda:

1. Welcome remarks and introduction

§ Norman Hui, Chair, Commission on Asian Pacific Islander American Affairs

§ Senator Deborah Ortiz, Chair, Senate Health and Human Services Committee

§ Assembly Member Judy Chu, Chair, Asian Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus

§ May Ying Ly, Executive Director, Hmong Women's Heritage Association, Sacramento, CA, who went Wat Tham Krabok Thailand as a member of CA delegation

2. Who are the Laotian/Hmong and why the US government opened a refugee resettlement/family reunification program?

§ Doua Thor, Deputy Director of the Southeast Asian Resource Action Center (SEARAC)

§ A Hmong refugee, Mr. Her who resettled recently spoke in Hmong with simultaneous English interpretation

§ Jamal Al-Fakhouri, Regional Director of the International Rescue Committee and Joint Chair of VOLAG

3. How ready is the state of CA to receive this new group of refugees?

§ Dale Shimasaki, CEO of Strategic Education Services

§ Dr. Ho Tran, President and CEO, Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum

§ Roy Kim, Sacramento Employment and Training Agency

§ Tammi Wong, Legal Services of Northern California, spoke on housing issues

4. Government programs and community response

§ Doua Thor, SEARAC

§ Charr Lee Mestker, Acting Deputy Director of the California Department of Social Services

§ Dr. Tony Vang, Professor at California State University, Fresno and Fresno School Board member

5. Public Comments

6. Closing Remarks

Highlights:

§ Simultaneous Hmong interpretation service was made available for Hmong participants

§ Doua Thor from SEARAC gave an overview of 15,000 Wat Tham Krabok Hmong refugees expected to come to the US. Unlike the first wave of Hmong resettlement 20+ years ago, this new group of Hmong seems better equipped with life skills necessary to survive in the US. Some of them are computer literate and had Internet access, so they have some information about life in the US before resettlement. However, the language problem will be the biggest obstacle for the first few years after they arrive in the US.

§ Jamal Al-Fakhouri from the International Rescue Committee (headquartered in NY, 26 offices in the US) gave an overview of Hmong refugee resettlement process in CA, talked about the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) guidelines and one-time cash assistance when they first arrive in the US. ORR doesn't provide any assistance to second migration after they arrived in the US. Also, he mentioned that there have been issues with local social security office regarding inconsistency with types of social security card issued to Hmong refugees.

§ ORR's employment support is max 5 years. Currently the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is reviewing ORR's employment training programs, performance.

§ 3 issues across education, health and employment services:

• Caps on current fiscal year funding - the new Hmong refugee resettlement has happened after this year's budget allocations were decided.
• Government programs, formulas are developed based on the data of last 5 years, therefore don't necessarily accommodate new arrivals.
• Although the law says governments must give service priorities to new arrivals (6 months or less), often times, the significant proportion of funding spent for refugees of 5+ years.

§ Housing is the biggest issue. ORR's $400/person cash assistance is too little support. The application for Section 8 housing is closed already this year. The wait time is 5+ years. Many hosting Hmong families are risking their Section 8 status by allowing their newly arrived relatives live with them.

§ There are a number of health issues, particularly infectious diseases such as TB, Hepatitis B and HIV/AIDS. Malnutrition among children is very serious. In some cases, it is causing developmental delay.

§ Mental health, particularly a high suicide rate among teens is one of the serious concerns to the community.

§ Recommendations to tackle some of these issues:

• Dale Shimasaki suggested, on education issues, to create a working group with officials from state Education and Finance Departments, school officials and community based organizations in school districts that are most likely being affected by the new arrivals to identify funding and services applicable to new Hmong students and how flexible funding
  availability might be. If necessary, negotiate with state departments to accommodate this unique situation. A working group also streamlines communication among key players and avoids unnecessary confusions.
• Tammi Wong suggested, on housing issues, to create a position of Hmong Community Liaison to monitor various housing issues including fair housing/rent practices, violation of housing codes and community integration.
• Roy Kim emphasized that government programs monitor to ensure priorities given to the newest arrivals.
• Dr. Tran emphasized that language access to be guaranteed at healthcare settings.
  

Unfortunately, I was not able to listen to public comments and closing remarks. But during the hearing, Senator Ortiz suggested that the notes of the hearing can be made available on the website of the Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs. Once they become available, I will post the link.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at <a href=" mailto:jhonma@aapcho.org">jhonma@aapcho.org</a>

Junko

________________________________________________________

Junko Honma, MSW
Program Coordinator
Promoting Access to Healthcare (PATH) Program
Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations (AAPCHO)

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