The Office of Refugee Resettlement funds citizenship and civic participation projects.
WASHINGTON, DC: The Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. will accelerate its work helping refugees obtain U.S. citizenship. The agency will also help programs around the country assist refugees with their transition by encouraging civic participation.
This work is important because refugees escaping persecution are in need of the stability and normalcy citizenship and integration offer.
The federal Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) provided CLINIC a grant to fund technical assistance trainings, case consultations, resource materials, and policy work with federal and state agencies.
CLINIC's technical assistance supports state-administered refugee service providers, refugee resettlement organizations, ethnic community-based organizations, and others working with refugees throughout the United States. CLINIC will partner with Mosaica: The Center for Nonprofit Development and Pluralism for technical assistance on civic participation.
Refugees tend to naturalize at a higher rate than other, non-refugee immigrants. However, they often face serious challenges in the naturalization process due to advanced age, disabilities, low income, limited English proficiency, and low levels of literacy.
Refugees also face challenges to civic participation such as language and cultural barriers, unfamiliarity with U.S. civic institutions, and reluctance to get involved in community affairs due to negative experiences in their native countries. This project seeks to improve services to refugees seeking citizenship and civic
integration.
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