Episcopal Migration Ministries Earns Top Rating from Federal Agency
Episcopal News Service. December 19, 1996 [96-1656]
James Thrall, Deputy Director of News and Information for the Episcopal Church, Ed Stannard, News Editor for Episcopal Life
(ENS) The federal Bureau of Refugees, Migration and Population has designated Episcopal Migration Ministries (EMM), the refugee and immigration service arm of the Episcopal Church, as the top resettlement agency in the United States.
The bureau, a branch of the U.S. State Department, is the lead federal agency for determining annual refugee admissions into the country, and the principal source of funding for initial resettlement services. Episcopal Migration Ministries is one of 10 national agencies with agreements with the bureau to resettle refugees.
"I knew that we had been consistently improving. We had been working quite hard," said Richard Parkins, director of EMM. "I knew we would do better, but I guess moving into first place was a little more than I had hoped for."
Parkins said that in his two years as director the program has emphasized careful screening of placement sites as well as in-depth monitoring of sites after refugees are placed.
"We look at performance, how well the refugees are being taken care of," he said. "It's a twoto three-day exercise. We've worked to develop a protocol that is fairly exhaustive."
Parkins also praised the more than 30 local resettlement agencies associated with dioceses and affiliated with the national program. "We have a great network." On the local level, resettlement cases are also supported by "considerable parish and diocesan resources" though sponsoring congregations, he said.
Criteria used by the State Department for evaluating the programs included the quality of the services provided by each program's affiliates, the national management of the program, employment outcomes for those refugees resettled without the support of immediate family members, and the level of repayment of loans made to refugees for their transportation to the United States.
The Episcopal agency received high marks on all fronts, and earned commendable or top ratings for the bureau's on-site visits to three affiliates in New Hampshire, New York, and East Tennessee, Parkins said. In particular, EMM was credited with placing nearly 93 percent of its "unattached" refugees in jobs within their first six months in the U.S.
"We believe (the Episcopal Church) is an excellent agency," said Anita Botti, director of the Office of Refugee Resettlement at the State Department. "Their performance in finding people employment and trying to get them employment is extraordinary."
In addition to an outstanding record placing unattached refugees in jobs, EMM was among the best agencies in overall job placement, with a success rate of 62 percent. "That's incredible," Botti said. "This is the whole caseload."
Botti called EMM's rating a tribute to its totally church-based program, which, she said, demonstrates that "the participation and exposure through the church in integrating (refugees) into the United States is critical."
Because of the high performance rating this year, EMM should receive a greater percentage of the refugee cases admitted to the country in 1997, Botti said. Currently, the agency, which has a staff of eight and a budget of almost $3 million, mostly from federal funds, settles about 2,000 refugees each year through 34 diocesan programs.