DWD: Governor Doyle Announces Approval of Increased Funding for Refugee Family Strengthening Project
4/14/2004

For Immediate Release:

Contact: Rose Lynch, 608-266-6753

$563,500 provided for community-based organizations

Madison – Governor Jim Doyle today announced the Joint Committee on Finance approved a request for additional funding of $563,500 to address family violence arising from cultural adjustment issues faced by refugees as they assimilate into new communities within Wisconsin.

The Refugee Family Strengthening (RFS) Project provides funding to several community-based organizations to supply bilingual staff in local agencies that help family members address violence issues. Immigrant family members who are isolated by language and culture rarely ask for assistance when there is no bilingual staff available. The RFS project employs bilingual, bicultural individuals who help provide prevention, education and intervention services for domestic violence to refugee women with domestic abuse issues. The project serves 750 to 800 refugees annually.

The increase in funding allows the Department of Workforce Development (DWD) to continue contracts with several community-based organizations in areas where immigrant families have settled. This increase in funding was necessary because the US Department of Health and Human Services reduced funding, although the need for services remains.

Said DWD Secretary Roberta Gassman, “We are delighted that the Joint Finance Committee, with the leadership of Senator Gwen Moore and Representative Dean Kaufert, has found resources to enter into and continue these important contracts. All family members are entitled to a safe and secure home, and when assistance is needed to ensure that safety and security, we work with local agencies to meet that need.”