A small bit of welcome news today: the Department of Health and Human Services just approved a $250,000 grant to the Heartland Alliance in Chicago for the creation of a "technical resource center" with the sole purpose of training and research related to LGBT refugees, as the Office of Refugee Resettlement announced today (h/t MetroWeekly):
The focus of this initiative will be to provide:
- Resource and capacity development in key resettlement locations;
- Sensitivity training to network staff, including overview of key issue regarding newly arriving LGBT refugees;
- Technical assistance in service delivery; and
- Development of best practices and orientation materials for refugee service providers across the country.
Note that this isn't the actual building of resettlement facilities or a massive change in policy about who gets refugee status, or anything like that. But what it does do is lay a critical foundation for future LGBT refugees, both in terms of understanding - and being prepared for - the particular challenges that they face, as well as developing a system of best practices for resettlement. That sounds like a small step, but keep in mind that we're way behind on this issue as it is... As the press release notes (emphasis mine),
“The current resettlement network has limited understanding of the LGBT community,” said ORR Director Eskinder Negash. In addition, no information exists in the context of available resource materials specifically for LGBT refugees. The need for these services is critical to ensure their successful resettlement in the U.S.
It's not the case that no information exists - ORAM, or the Organization for Refuge, Asylum and Migration, has been focusing on this issue for upwards of two years now (even taking part in a pilot program for resettlement). And this new grant comes just on the heels of a direct sponsorship program in Canada.
But all in all, that's a pretty poor showing for an issue we know to be real and to be serious. Now, thanks to this grant, the Heartland Alliance will be tasked with developing policies for the Department of Health and Human Services on the complicated issues surrounding LGBT refugees.
This isn't the biggest news story of the day, but it's a significant step in the right direction.