Refugee Program

Status of Early Employment Demonstration Projects Gao ID: NSIAD-88-91 February 3, 1988

Pursuant to a legislative requirement, GAO evaluated the Department of State's and the Department Health and Human Services' (HHS) funding of refugee reception and placement program demonstration projects to determine: (1) how the projects reduced refugee welfare dependency; (2) the results of the projects; and (3) the status of the approval process for additional projects.

GAO found that: (1) records of the results of the three projects it reviewed were varied and incomplete; (2) in Oregon, officials reached their projected goal of placing 25 percent of employable refugees within 6 months of their arrival; (3) although only 47 percent of the employable refugees in Illinois found jobs within 6 months, more refugees found work and the number on welfare declined from the year prior to the project's inception; and (4) there were continued debates over the objectives, roles, and responsibilities of participants in the projects. GAO also found that: (1) State does not plan to continue funding new projects; (2) HHS did not provide additional funds to implement alternative refugee programs; and (3) since June 1985, HHS has disapproved 11 project proposals because they did not meet its criteria.



The Justia Government Accountability Office site republishes public reports retrieved from the U.S. GAO These reports should not be considered official, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Justia.