Systems Alignment for Effective Resettlement of Refugees in Virginia
Approximately 500,000 refugees who fled Afghanistan, Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, Ukraine, and Venezuela entered the U.S. between 2021 and 2023 through emergency initiatives and temporary protection programs.
Medical, public health, and social systems that support refugee resettlement include local, state, and federal partners who work together to provide resettlement and integration services across programs at different points in the resettlement process. These services include:
- Assistance to find housing, food, and clothing; and
- Case management services to:
- Apply for Social Security cards;
- Enroll in Medicaid;
- Register children for school;
- Schedule medical appointments;
- Register for English classes;
- Attend employment training; and
- Secure other social support.
Unfortunately, systemic racism and structural barriers in housing, health care, employment, and education can impede access to resettlement services, increase hurdles to resettlement and integration, and impact the health and well-being of refugees.
As part of the resettlement process, the federal government mandates quarterly community consultations to inform receiving communities about expected refugee arrivals, examine local capacity to receive them, and solicit input. Quarterly consultations could serve as an important mechanism to enable cross-systems alignment to ensure timely and coordinated resettlement services.
However, the current consultation process inadequately addresses structural barriers and fails to meaningfully include representatives from the medical, social, public health, and community sectors.
AIR's Role in a Developmental Study
AIR researchers are working with partners at the Virginia Office of New Americans, Church World Service, and the Virginia Department of Health, to create and assess a novel systems alignment approach within quarterly consultations.
Guided by formative research and an advisory panel, this study seeks to engage refugees and refugee-led community-based organizations in quarterly consultation meetings to help identify and address structural barriers to resettlement. By including newcomer/refugee representatives and a refugee-led community-based organization on the advisory panel, this study will help strengthen the voice and authority of marginalized communities in systems alignment strategies.
This project is supported by Systems for Action, a national program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation that aims to discover and apply new evidence about ways of aligning the delivery and financing systems that support a Culture of Health.
