Refugee Integration in Tucson, AZ: The Role of a Refugee Council

Abstract

The purpose of this report is to propose a Refugee Council that could improve the process of refugee resettlement in the cities of Tucson and Phoenix, Arizona. In particular, it provides insight into the ways in which the current administrative arrangement of refugee service providers does not adequately meet the needs of recently resettled refugees. The report identifies ways in which a Refugee Council could address problems identified by those interacting in the refugee arena by creating a direct mode of communication and information exchange between refugees, service providers and municipal governments. The study was conducted through extensive interviews of all eight Refugee Resettlement Agencies operating in Arizona, all six of the Refugee Service Providers within the state, and six of the fifteen registered Mutual Assistance Associations. Additionally, eleven different Refugee Focus groups were attended by sixty-nine refugees from nineteen countries. A strength of the methodology lies in the extensive coverage of the key stakeholders in the refugee arena. A key finding from this research was that representatives from all the organization types interviewed expressed the need for additional levels of networking amongst those operating within the refugee arena. Another important finding is the gap in perception about the services rendered by service providers and the services received by refugees. This gap is borne largely from the current manner in which programs are created and then administered by agencies with little to no input as to ideal practices from other stakeholders. The formation of a Refugee Council, as recommended by this report, could begin to address this gap in perceptions. Based on these findings, the report recommends the formation of a Refugee Council that would address immediate issues of refugee childcare, transportation and training. The creation of a Refugee Council could create the venue for much needed communication as well as allow for collaborative, well-informed decision making for new programs. The report recommends a council formation that could immediately address the need for increased networking amongst all the stakeholders in the field of refugee services.