Understanding the Challenges, Successes, and Burdens of Long-Term Economic Integration for Buffalo’s Refugee Communities
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Keywords: refugees, resettlement, economic integration
Abstract Type: Paper Abstract
Authors:
Abigail Cooke, University at Buffalo - SUNY
Wooksoo Kim, University at Buffalo - SUNY
Yunju Nam, University at Buffalo - SUNY
Robert Adelman, University at Buffalo - SUNY
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Abstract
The Buffalo, NY area is home to a visible and diverse group of refugees, with 16,000 direct resettlements over the past 20 years (Kim, et al., 2020), and a sizeable number of secondary migration arrivals (Adelman et al., 2019). Consistent with federal policy design, the majority of refugee households are quickly self-supporting, finding some form of employment within months of arrival. However, the poverty rate among refugee households is high and their full, long-term economic integration is often weak (Kim, et al., 2021), mirroring recent nationally representative survey data (Kerwin & Nicholson, 2021). In the context of the existing and multifaceted refugee support infrastructure in the Buffalo area and the obvious constraints of Federal resettlement policy, the challenges, strategies, and uneven successes of long-term economic integration and stability of households and communities who arrived as refugees remain understudied. Based on key informant interviews with community leaders and service providers, this paper analyzes the stated needs, strategies, successes, and burdens in pursuit of long-term economic well-being within Buffalo’s varied refugee communities. Specific attention is given to perceived barriers to employment and upward occupational mobility and to the experiences of accessing and providing help in the attempt to overcome barriers.
Understanding the Challenges, Successes, and Burdens of Long-Term Economic Integration for Buffalo’s Refugee Communities
Category
Paper Abstract