Explanation
This ordinance authorizes a contract between Columbus City Council and The Ohio State University College of Social Work for the New Americans initiative.
The foreign-born population in Columbus continues to grow. According to a study by Community Research Partners, Columbus ranked second in percent of new foreign-born residents (those who came to the United States since 2000) compared to other major metropolitan areas. Since 1983, more than 16,000 refugees from around the world were resettled to the Columbus area.
The Somali Community Access Network estimates that Central Ohio was home to more than 45,000 Somali Americans in 2009, making it the second largest Somali population in the United States after Minneapolis, Minnesota. Currently, the Central Ohio region is home to approximately 23,427 Bhutanese refugees, the largest Bhutanese population in the United States. Due to secondary and tertiary migrations from other states, the number of refugee populations will continue to increase over the years. While the numbers of documented immigrants/refugees can be roughly estimated, it is difficult to project numbers for undocumented immigrants as well as, importantly, services that may or may not be available to them.
New Americans contribute to our community through cultural diversity, economic growth, and the overall well-being of central Ohio. With this increasing migration, the influx of people with a variety of traditions, values, skills, and expectations has implications for services and service providers. When immigrants move to a new social location, they face a myriad of hardships in adjusting to their new surroundings. Lack of employment and the lack of reliable social and education services such as housing, health-care, and schools, are some of the primary determinants of the overall well-being of immigrants.
The purpose of the New Americans Project is to conduct an in-depth assessment of needs, as well as the formal, informal, and volunteer...
Click here for full text