Somali Bantu in Columbus
Background and local response to the Somali Bantu homeless shelter crisis in Columbus, Ohio.
Background
In February, 2005, in a meeting convened by Franklin County Department of Job and Family Services (CDJFS), it was announced that several large Somali Bantu refugee families had just arrived in Columbus at the YWCA Interfaith Hospitality Network (YWCA-IHN) family homeless shelter. Community Refugee and Immigrant Services (CRIS) monitored this situation through its Unanticipated Refugee Arrivals staff. Between December 2004 and April, 2005, a total of 37 families totaling 221 individuals had migrated from their original placement site and were in family homeless shelters in Columbus. (See Appendix A for April 21, 2005 Unanticipated Arrival Report) Since that time eleven (11) additional families have entered the shelter system and other families have arrived and moved in with relatives or friends. To date over 50 Somali Bantu secondary migrant refugee families totaling over 300 individuals have moved to Columbus. The homeless shelter was overwhelmed, filled beyond capacity and did not have the resources to meet the unique needs of this population. The large families were harder to place in interim housing and their length of stay in the shelter was consequently much greater than normal.
When the Ohio State Refugee Coordinator became aware of this situation assistance was requested of the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR). Technical assistance was immediately provided by Omar Eno and Dan Lehman of the National Somali Bantu Project (NSBP) who came to Columbus to assess the situation. Their investigation identified that the refugees were desperate in their original resettlement cities. They feared being homeless because they lacked jobs that paid enough to afford housing and food for their families. Misinformation about housing and job availability encouraged them to move to Columbus.
Scott Robbins, of Mercy Housing (ORR, Technical Assistance provider for housing) visited Columbus in late June 2005 to assist with solutions in the area of housing. He evaluated the housing problem and suggested a proposal to meet the needs of larger families.
The response to this crisis from the local community was immediate and instrumental in addressing much of the need. Case managers from the local resettlement agencies have contributed countless hours assisting families with interpretation in the shelter, applications for public assistance, school enrollment etc. The YWCA staff worked hard, under difficult circumstances, to meet the immediate needs of the families and find permanent housing for the families. Area mosques and a Somali community organization helped with personal needs of the families and assisted in getting them involved in activities outside the shelter. The City of Columbus Community Relations Commission stepped forward to coordinate a group of interested agencies, and Franklin County Department of Job and Family Services (CDJFS) facilitated application for public benefits and explored expanding the services it already provides to refugees.
Following recommendations of the NSBP, the State Coordinator's office disseminated factual information about the situation in Columbus to all other State Coordinators and the national Voluntary Organizations (VOLAGs) to help stem the tide of arriving secondary migrants. Since this information was disseminated, the number of secondary migrant Somali Bantu families has decreased to six in May, two in June and just a single family in July. By July some families began to find permanent Section 8 housing as they began receiving Temporary Aid to Needy Families (TANF). At the writing of this proposal however, all Section 8 housing is occupied. Eleven (11) families still are in the homeless shelter system (see appendix C). Seven (7) families additionally have been identified that are doubled up in apartments of family or friends.
Local Response
Staff from the office of the Ohio State Refugee Coordinator first met with the YWCA Interfaith Hospitality Network (YWCA IHN) staff to make a preliminary assessment of the crisis. At that time 37 Somali Bantu secondary migrant families (totaling 221 individuals) were in the shelter. Many families had been in the shelter for months and the large families had almost no options because of the lack of available three and four bedroom apartments. The shelter was seriously over crowded and had a critical need for interpretation services to be able to communicate with the Bantu families.
The shelter was designed to serve as an agency to provide for the emergency housing needs for Franklin County residents, not to meet the social service needs of this population. The length of stay in the shelter for these families had already far exceeded normal stays and most families had no possibilities of moving out soon. Families were in the shelter during the day, and then bussed to area churches (a different church each week) for the evening meal and overnight stay. The next morning they were bussed back to the shelter. Tension was high in the shelter which led to one Bantu family being expelled because they violated the zero tolerance violence policy. One Bantu mother had been arrested and jailed for child abuse. This was obviously not the best place for these families, but it was their only option at this time.
Both local resettlement agencies, Community Refugee and Immigration Service (CRIS) and US Together Inc. (UST) volunteered their staff who was experienced in serving Somali Bantu families. CRIS assigned its Unanticipated Arrival staff person 75% of his time to work with these families. UST staff also provided significant help to the families. These case managers assisted the families providing case management services (applying for public benefits, SSI for older refugees, health care coordination, linkage to employment services, enrolling children in school and assisting families as they were able to move out of the shelter). The women of the Somali community in Columbus came forward and assisted in many ways to make the new residents feel welcome and to assist them with countless personal needs. They are truly to be commended for their efforts. The Masjid Isa Iban Mariam, a local mosque, coordinated volunteers from the Muslim community through area mosques to assist the Bantu families with personal, transportation and spiritual needs and general support. The Somali Association of Ohio provided transportation to their facility for English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) classes, basic life skills classes and other activities for youth and adults. Other organizations, including Columbus State Community College, have offered to provide services.
It must also be noted that the staff of the YWCA IHN shelter worked very hard under difficult circumstances to meet the immediate needs of the Bantu families. Staff from the network of intermediate homeless housing (Homeless Family Foundation, Catholic Social Services- Barbara Bonner Center and Volunteers of America) also provided valuable services to these families even though there were language barriers. Without the benefit of experience working with refugees, and with little means of effective communication, volunteers were recruited and coordinated, other resources were found and the Bantu families were cared for in the best possible manner.
The City of Columbus Community Relations Commission (CRC) volunteered to coordinate the effort, brought many other City resources to participate in the planning group and found a near-by facility to house off site ESOL and other programs. The City of Columbus Health Department held meetings with shelter staff on Tuberculosis and other health issues. The CRC also agreed to convene a group of agencies that met to design the program to meet the on-going needs of these secondary migrant families. CRC will make available technical assistance on housing, including City Code Enforcement to inspect the TBRA units prior to use. CRC will also assist with child care. CRC will form a group which will assist the program and help in the analysis of the effectiveness of the program.
Franklin CDJFS assisted in providing emergency housing for the family that was expelled from the shelter for violating the no violence policy, arranged for case workers to visit the shelter and provided assistance with questions on how benefits would follow the refugees as they left the shelter. Franklin CDJFS has committed to expand its current services to refugees in the areas of VESOL, employability, youth programming, acculturation and interpretation. Franklin CDJFS will also fund case management services for the Somali Bantu secondary migrants. Two (2) case managers will be hired through a vendor contract to provide these services.