State Capacity and Readiness Assessment for a State-Centered Refugee Resettlement Framework

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Survey 2: National Initial Resettlement Provider Survey
Informed Consent
Purpose of this survey
This survey is intended to gather input from national resettlement and ecosystem partners to better understand considerations, opportunities, and challenges associated with a potential transition to a State-centered      refugee resettlement coordination model, which would have States serve as the primary administrators of refugee placement and resettlement and lead the coordination of those related services.  
How your responses will be used
Responses will be used to inform planning, identify areas for further exploration, and help shape future stakeholder engagement. Findings may be summarized and shared in aggregate form. Individual responses will not be attributed to specific organizations without permission.
Participation is voluntary
Your participation is voluntary. You may skip any question or exit the survey at any time.
Time commitment
This survey is expected to take approximately 10–15 minutes to complete.

Privacy Requirements
ORR will handle all information collected through this survey in accordance with applicable Federal privacy laws and requirements. Access to information collected through this survey will be limited to authorized personnel. Responses will be reviewed by the project team and used to identify themes and insights. Quotes may be used in reports but will not be attributed to organizations without explicit consent.



Legal Authority to Conduct the Survey
The Welcoming Initiative for Newcomers is authorized to conduct this survey on behalf of the Office of Refugee Resettlement, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, under The Refugee Act of 1980 (8 U.S.C. 1522). 

Questions
If you have any questions about this survey or the project, please contact: Welcoming Initiative for Newcomers [email protected]     
By continuing, you acknowledge that you understand the purpose of the survey and consent to participate.

Survey

Section 0: Organizational Context
    • Which areas of the refugee resettlement system does your organization primarily support at the national level?
 (Select all that apply)
        ◦ Affiliate support and oversight
        ◦ Policy development and federal engagement
        ◦ Technical assistance and training
        ◦ Placement and arrivals coordination
        ◦ Data and reporting
        ◦ Workforce and economic integration
        ◦ Housing
        ◦ Community sponsorship or volunteer engagement
    • How is your organization currently thinking about a potential transition to a State-centered      coordination model?
    • Actively planning or preparing
    • Monitoring and assessing
    • Beginning internal discussions
    • Not currently focused on this
    • Not sure
Section 1: Transition Understanding
    • What additional information would help ecosystem partners better understand a potential transition to a State-centered     model? (Select all that apply)
    • Roles and responsibilities of States vs. federal government
    • Expected role of resettlement agencies under a State-centered      model
    • Timeline and sequencing of transition
    • How placement decisions would be made
    • How funding would flow and be administered
    • Expectations for service delivery and oversight
    • Data and reporting expectations
    • Role of partners (e.g., WIN and others) in the transition
    • Examples or pilots from States
    • Other (please specify)

    • What additional information would help clarify the role of WIN and its partners during this data-gathering phase?
(Short response — optional)

Section 2: Implementation Challenges
    • If a State-centered     refugee resettlement model were implemented, which areas are most likely to  present challenges? (Select up to  5.)
    • Pre-arrival coordination and placement planning
    • Secondary migration, outmigration, and transfers
    • Funding flows and financial administration
    • Training and capacity of State or local staff
    • Local service provision and provider coordination
    • Monitoring, reporting, and compliance oversight
    • Community consultations and stakeholder coordination
    • Workforce system coordination and employment integration
    • Data systems and capacity analysis
    • Technical assistance and information sharing
    • Other (please specify) 

    • Please briefly elaborate on the most significant challenge you identified above. (Short response)

Section 3: State Capacity & Gaps

    • In which areas do you believe States are most likely to face limited capacity in taking on a lead coordination role?
(Select all that apply.)
        ◦ Pre-arrival coordination, placement, and planning 
        ◦ Funding flows and financial administration 
        ◦ Training and capacity of State or local staff 
        ◦ Local service provision and provider coordination
        ◦ Monitoring, reporting, and compliance oversight
        ◦ Community consultations and stakeholder coordination 
        ◦ Workforce system coordination and employment integration
        ◦ Data system and capacity analysis 
        ◦ Technical assistance and information sharing 
        ◦ Other (please specify)

    • What conditions would most help enable States to successfully implement a State-centered      model?
        ◦ Dedicated and stable federal funding
        ◦ Additional State staffing or administrative capacity
        ◦ Federal technical assistance
        ◦ Additional federal guidance 
        ◦ Access to data and analytical tools
        ◦ Strong interagency coordination at the State level
        ◦ Alignment with local service providers and partners
        ◦ Phased or pilot implementation
        ◦ Other (please specify)

    • If the State-centered      model moves forward, what would be your single most important recommendation to support the successful implementation of the model? (Short response)

Section 4: Role of Resettlement Agencies in a State-centered      Model
    •  If a State-centered      coordination model were implemented, in which areas are resettlement agencies best positioned to support or complement State efforts? (Select up to 3)
        ◦ Pre-arrival coordination, placement, and planning 
        ◦ Funding flows and financial administration 
        ◦ Training and capacity of State or local staff 
        ◦ Local service provision and provider coordination
        ◦ Monitoring, reporting, and compliance oversight
        ◦ Community consultations and stakeholder coordination 
        ◦ Workforce system coordination and employment integration
        ◦ Data system and capacity analysis 
        ◦ Technical assistance and information sharing 
        ◦ Other (please specify)

    • How do you see the role of resettlement agencies evolving under a State-centered      model?
(Short response — optional)


Section 5: System Improvements
    • How, if at all, do you think a State-centered      coordination model could improve the refugee resettlement system?
(Select all that apply.)
        ◦ Improved coordination across State agencies
        ◦ Better alignment between placement and labor market needs
        ◦ Stronger engagement with workforce systems and employers
        ◦ More flexible or braided funding approaches
        ◦ More holistic integration services
        ◦ Greater responsiveness to local conditions
        ◦ Expanded placement capacity through statewide coordination
        ◦ Improved planning and coordination of arrivals
        ◦ Improved interstate or regional coordination
        ◦ Broader community or policy support for resettlement
        ◦ Other (please specify)
        ◦ I do not expect significant improvements

Section 6: Refugee Experience
Based on your experience, which aspects of the current resettlement system work well for refugees? (Select up to 3)
    • Initial reception and placement support
    • Access to employment
    • Access to housing
    • Access to healthcare and benefits
    • Case management and navigation support
    • Community integration and support networks
    • Coordination across services
    • Access to childcare and children & youth services 
    • Other (please specify) 

Which aspects most need improvement to better support refugee outcomes? (Select up to 3)
    • Initial reception and placement support
    • Access to employment
    • Access to housing
    • Access to healthcare and benefits
    • Case management and navigation support
    • Community integration and support networks
    • Coordination across services
    • Access to childcare and children & youth services 
    • 
    • Other (please specify)

Optional: Please elaborate on any areas for improvement.
(Short response)

Section 7: Voices from the Community
As part of the next phase of this work, a small set of organizations will be invited to participate in follow-up conversations.

Are there refugee-led organizations, local providers, or other partners whose perspectives would be especially valuable to include in these follow-up discussions?

Please list up to three:
Organization 1
    • Organization name:
    • Location (city/state):
    • Optional contact (name/email):
    • What perspective or experience would they bring? (e.g., refugee-led, direct service delivery, workforce integration, rural context, etc.)
Organization 2
(same fields)
Organization 3
(same fields)