Office of Refugee Resettlement August 2012 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Office of Refugee Resettlement, Administration for Children and Families (ACF), announces the allocation of Refugee Social Services formula awards to States and Wilson/Fish Alternative Project grantees. The purpose of the Social Services program is to provide employment, English language, orientation, and other resettlement services to refugees, Amerasians, asylees, Cuban and Haitian entrants, victims of trafficking, and Iraqis and Afghans with Special Immigrant Visas. The awards are determined by the number of the eligible populations residing in the State during the two-year period from October 1, 2009, to September 30, 2011. States with allocations under $100,000 through this calculation instead receive floor allocations ranging from $75,000 to $100,000 depending on the number of the eligible population in each State. The purpose of the floor allocations is to ensure that all participating States receive an award sufficient to maintain a program of resettlement services. The FY 2012 formula allocations for Social Services are available on ORR's Web site at: https://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/orr/policy/ fy2012_formula_allocations_refugee_socialservices.htm.

The Office of Refugee Resettlement, Administration for Children and Families (ACF), is changing the notification to States and Wilson/Fish Alternative Project grantees of final Social Services and Targeted Assistance formula grant awards. Under these two programs, formula grants are allotted to States based on the eligible population in each State. States and Wilson/Fish Alternative Project grantees use the grant awards to provide employment and other resettlement services to refugees, Amerasians, asylees, Cuban and Haitian entrants, victims of trafficking, and Iraqis and Afghans with Special Immigrant Visas. Sections 412(c)(1)(B) and 412(c)(2)(A) of the Immigration and Nationality Act do not require applications for the Social Services and Targeted Assistance formula grant programs. ORR has the discretion to alter the process by which States and Wilson/Fish Alternative Project grantees are notified of their annual allocations. Therefore, in an effort to streamline the process, an annual Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) will no longer be published. Instead, in addition to annual publication of a notice in the Federal Register, ORR will now also post tables of the allocations and the population figures used to calculate the award amount on the ORR Web site. In addition, official notification of awards will be provided to States and Wilson/Fish Alternative Project grantees by ACF's Division of Mandatory Grants.