Overview
Refugees or asylum seekers in the United States are helped through the Michigan Refugee Assistance Program. The program is funded on the federal level and helps refugees who just entered the U.S. with cash and medical assistance. The main aim of the program is to ensure that the refugees are self-sufficient and can stand on their feet within a few months of entering the United States.
The program also collaborates with the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, Medicaid, and Supplemental Security Income programs to provide cash assistance to a refugee temporarily who does not fit the eligibility requirements for the Refugee Assistance program. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) administers the Refugee Assistance Program.
The service provided by the Michigan Refugee Assistance program is available to the refugees for the first eight months after they come to the United States or eight months from the date, they were given the status of refugee or given asylum.
Objective
The main aim of the Michigan Refugee Assistance Program is to support refugee individuals and families in becoming respected citizens and leading their lives with full dignity. The program provides services to people to help them reach their full potential so that they can become stable on their own and become contributing citizens of the United States of America.
The office of the Department of Health and Human Services makes mainstream benefit programs easily accessible to individuals and families with refugee status. The program provides grants and funding to local communities where the refugees are residing for supplemental services.
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services grants immigration status to people. The people with a U-Visa, who have an Afghani or Iraqi immigrant visa, are victims of trafficking, have the status of an asylee or refugee, are American, and or are Parolee can apply for the Michigan Refugee Assistance Program.
Eligibility
The refugees who are residing in Michigan are eligible for the Refugees Assistance Program. It should be also kept in mind that the refugees who are currently receiving cash or any other form of assistance do not qualify for the program. The program also counts the income (earned and unearned) of the refugees before selecting them for the program.
The different forms of information include the wages of the refugees, social security benefits, rental earnings, and child support that they might be receiving from the state. The assets of the refugees should not exceed $3,000 to be eligible for the Refugee Assistance Program. All assets other than the personal property and vehicle of the person are included in the Refugee Assistance Program.
The new refugees to the state of Michigan are also provided health screening services to ensure that they are in healthy conditions. The MDHHS department collaborates with local healthcare centers and clinics to provide health screening services to the refugees. The program also provides follow-up medical services to the refugees. It does so by signing contracts with the local healthcare agencies. The refugees are provided medical services and educated on their medical conditions.
The Unaccompanied Refugee Minors is a part of the Refugee Assistance Program that works towards providing foster care services to children and youth who are unaccompanied. This mostly includes young kids who have been trafficked and juvenile youth immigrants. The program helps these unaccompanied kids and youth learn skills to help them become better citizens. They are also provided educational services so that they can grow up to become self-sufficient citizens.
For Further Information
To learn more about the Michigan Refugee Assistance program kindly visit the Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) official website. If you have a query regarding the Michigan Refugee Assistance Program you can contact the MDHHS office at the following numbers, 517-241-3740.
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