How Arlington County meets refugees' needs

Food and Nutrition, July, 1985 by Dianne Durant

During the past 10 years, Arlington County, Virginia, has become a magnet for the newest American immigrants--refugees. Commercial Arlington boulevards that used to flash "Sears" and "Wards" signs now include "Duc Tran's Grocery" and "Asian Artifacts."

Located just minutes from the nation's capital, Arlington now has a sizeable Indochinese community as well as immigrants from Afghanistan and Ethiopia. In a study done by the federal government several years ago, Arlington was identified as one of the areas in the country most heavily impacted by refugees.

Community groups, county officials, and public assistance officers have worked hard to respond to their new neighbors' needs. Almost from the start, the county set up special units staffed by professionals and former refugees to provide orientation, job and language training, and referral services for health screening and public assistance.

A recent survey commissioned by Arlington County to assess the needs of refugees from more than 23 countries shows that more than 51 percent are working full or part-time. They are trying to improve their adaptability and employability through education--79 percent are taking English classes, and 37 percent are taking other classes.

But day-to-day life is still a struggle for them. More than three-fourths of the families have incomes less than $13,000 a year and report personal and family problems caused by the stress of trying to adapt to a new environment.

Assistance is client oriented

When refugees need food and financial aid, they are referred to the Arlington Department of Human Services, which operates the Food Stamp Program and a number of other services.

At first, according to bureau chief Doug Smarte, refugees referred to his programs were accompanied by a translator provided by the refugee assistance group. When a translator wasn't available, says Smarte, his agency tapped into funds from social services for translating help.

This system worked for several years, Smarte says, but social services funds were running out "and we knew there was a better way of doing the job." That better way turned out to be hiring people from the refugee community to work as caseworkers themselves.

The first former refugee was hired about 8 years ago, and today Arlington's 31 caseworkers include 4 Vietnamese, 1 Laotian, 1 Ethiopian, and 1 Afghani. Among the 120 staff workers, Smarte estimates they have translating capabilities for more than 20 languages.

Hiring caseworkers who are part of the community they are serving is consistent with Smarte's philosophy of being "client-oriented."

"The most important thing I can do," he says, "is hire people who are client-centered. If you have people on the staff who have an attitude that says, 'We're here to help,' then you get a natural boost out of that--a boost that you can't always predict. You can't tell what spin-offs there will be, but it makes a big difference."

Various kinds of help given

Obviously, the biggest advantage to hiring caseworkers from refugee communities is that they know how to communicate with the people they are trying to serve, Smarte says. Communication, he points out, is a very subtle thing.

An Indochinese may nod his head, which to a Westerner means agreement or understanding. For the Indochinese, it may only be an acknowledgement of the authority of the person who is speaking. It doesn't necessarily mean that what is being said is understood.

"These are the unique kinds of subtle support that can be provided by caseworkers who are drawn from their own communities," Smarte says.

As a result of the recently completed study on the needs of refugee populations, Smarte expects to be doing more in the future to provide written translations of materials and make people aware of help that is available.

The report itself notes that a high percentage of refugees do seek food help and are satisfied with the assistance they receive. Housing, health care, employment, and education continue to be challenges for refugee populations and high priorities for Arlington County people trying to help their new neighbors in need.

Duc Do is a vietnamese refugee who came to this country in 1967. He has worked as a caseworker for Doug Smarte and agrees that Arlington is very sensitive to refugees' needs.

"As a worker, I am very comfortable--very happy--with the way special populations are being treated," he says. The translators and translated materials that Arlington provides are invaluable, according to Do. But most important to the refugees, he says, are the native caseworkers.

"Native workers can help refugees understand the steps they need to go through to get help as well as the documentation they need to verify information," he says.

Native workers are also helpful in filling out forms. "Not all refugees are capable of handling forms," says Do, "and some of the questions are difficult for them to understand by themselves."

Getting the word out to refugee populations is not much of a problem, according to Do, "because refugee communities are small and tend to stick together."