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NH Refugees / Voluntary Agencies / Links / How Can You Help? / More Information

Refugee Programs

Goals of the New Hampshire Refugee Office

The Governor's Office of Energy and Community Services Refugee Program provides federally funded services to refugees resettled in the State of New Hampshire in accordance with federal statutes and the New Hampshire State Plan. The major goal of this program is to assist refugees in achieving economic self-sufficiency and social adjustment upon arrival to the United States.

Who are Refugees?

Who Are Refugees?

Refugees are people who have been forced to flee their home countries because of a well-founded fear of persecution for reasons of race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group. Persecution could be physical violence, harassment and wrongful arrest, or threats to their lives. They take with them only what they can carry, only what they have time to pack. Sometimes all they have left are their dreams, their hopes and the will to survive.

Program Services

About 600 refugees a year are resettled in New Hampshire through two agencies, Lutheran Community Services of New Hampshire and the International Institute of New Hampshire.

These nonprofit agencies receive U.S. Office of Refugee Resettlement funding through ECS and agree to resettle a number of refugees at the start of the fiscal year based on their perceived capacity to provide services for new arrivals and the number of refugees coming into the U.S. Refugee resettlement services include:

Case Management. Resettlement agencies facilitate and coordinate a variety of services including housing, healthcare, referrals and general support services as refugees transition into their communities.

Refugee Cash Assistance (RCA) and Refugee Medical Assistance (RMA) funds are designed to assist refugees during their initial resettlement period. All refugees are entitled to Refugee Medical Assistance for the first eight months. To be eligible for RCA, however, a refugee must be ineligible for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF).

English as a Second Language. Voluntary agencies provide over 90 hours a week in English Language Training throughout New Hampshire. Classes are designed to assist refugees in key linguistic areas, thus preparing them to meet their everyday language needs quickly and lay the groundwork for further progress in their acquisition of English as a second language.

Employment Services include an assessment of vocational skills, job development, job placement and follow up services with local employers. An excellent job market and the hard work of our refugee employment counselors have made New Hampshire a model state for refugee resettlement. Refugees often find good, well paid work within the first two or three months after arrival.

NH Refugees / Voluntary Agencies / Links / How Can You Help? / More Information