Refugee Program: Initial Reception and Placement of New Arrivals should be improved. Report to the Chairmen Committee on the Judiciary. United States Senate and Committee on the Judiciary. House of Representatives.

The General Accounting Office (GAO) made an audit of 1984/85 federal fund expenditure under the State Department's initial refugee reception and placement programme. The great majority of refugees included in the analysis received the required core services (food, clothing, shelter and general employment-related services). About 15% of the refugees in the sample were employed at the time of the study. Numerous reasons were given for refugee unemployment, some of a potential long-term nature and others temporary (e.g. the need to learn English). GAO also made a number of criticisms of the programme. For example, it is unclear if the 90-day initial resettlement programme should focus on employment or on the survival core services. In addition, refugee self-sufficiency has not been defined. Furthermore, no system of measuring the results of voluntary agencies' efforts to provide core services and instil the need for employment is in use. The State Department places few restrictions on agencies' use of funds and has little basis for evaluating the appropriateness of expenditure. GAO makes recommendations on the need for programme goal clarification, performance standards and financial accountability.