For Hmong, a new home
11:31 PM 5/18/04
Brenda Ingersoll Wisconsin State Journal

For Hmong, a new home Nhabee Her hopes when his refugee sister's family arrives in the United States this summer, someone will have explained to them about modern plumbing and heating. <

Her, a Hmong bilingual resource specialist with the Madison schools, remembers his bewilderment on arriving from Thailand on Dec. 19, 1979, with his parents. <

"When we first came, after 20 hours on the airplane, they put us in a small hotel in San Francisco, and somebody accidentally turned up the thermostat, and it was so hot inside and so cold outside, we did not know what to do," said Her, 40. <

"We did not know how to drain water from the tub or use the shower. Hopefully for this group, for my sister, they will train these people and make sure they know how to use these basic things before they come." <

A new wave of Hmong refugees is arriving in Wisconsin this summer, and the state could receive between 2,500 to 3,700 refugees in a six months. They are part of up to 14,500 Laotian Hmong from the Wat Tham Krabok Buddhist temple camp in Thailand who will be resettled in the United States. The temple has been providing sanctuary since refugee camps in Thailand were closed in the 1990s, but the Thai government wants the refugees to leave. <

Many previous Hmong refugees to settle in the United States are veterans who fought for the United States against the Communists during the Vietnam War. After the war ended in 1975, the Communist Pathet Lao gained control of Laos and persecuted and imprisoned many Hmong allies of the United States. From 1975 to the early 1990s, about 100,000 Hmong fled to this country. <

"In my childhood I grew up during the war, watching jet planes bombing the enemies. I saw that with my naked eyes. I was exposed to the war at a very early age," Her said. "The turbulence of the war separated us and sent us to different parts of the world and now, after so many years, we will be reunited with our loved ones." <

Refugees will be going to California, Minnesota, Wisconsin and North Carolina. Most of those destined for Wisconsin will have relatives here, to help them assimilate. Wisconsin's last Hmong resettlement ended in 1997. <

There are 47,000 Hmong living in Wisconsin and "they've been very successful," said Rose Lynch, spokeswoman for the state Department of Workforce Development. "About half own their own homes and the majority are successfully employed," she said. "The median income for Hmong refugees in Wisconsin is $36,000, way above average for Hmong refugees." <

The newly arriving refugees fled Laos and have spent many years living at Wat Tham Krabok in poor conditions, with bad nutrition and no schooling, officials said. "We are talking about a second generation of kids from the camp," Her said. "My sister, most of her kids were born in the camp and have never been to Laos, and now they have children of their own." <

Her said he thinks the community is better prepared for the new group of refugees, "because a number of us have lived here over 20 years and know what is needed." He last saw his sister, Chong Thao, when he flew to Thailand to visit her in 1995. "Hopefully, this group will do a lot better than the group that came in the '70s and '80s," he said. <

School District gets ready
State officials say Dane County will receive about 11 percent of those coming to Wisconsin, and that the first refugees could arrive as early as late June. About 60 percent of those coming are under the age of 18, and most of those will go to school in the fall. <

Ken Syke, spokesman for the Madison School District, said the English as a second language program is gearing up for the new students. The district has 875 Hmong-speaking students and 23 Hmong staff members who work with students. "It's kind of a guessing game, because we don't know where they're all going to live," he said. <

Initially, refugee students will be living with host families, so it's likely that schools that already have Hmong students will get more, said Amy Christianson, director of the district's ESL program. <

Catholic Charities will supervise the Madison-area refugees' first 90 days here, under a contract with the U.S. State Department, said Susan Levy, director of the immigrant integration section of the state Department of Workforce Development. After 90 days, United Refugee Services will take over. <

Catholic Charities will be responsible for helping the refugees get "housing, getting the kids enrolled in school, teaching them how to ride the bus, how to get around and survive in this country - how to find the grocery store, use appliances, use the phone," Levy said. "The family that's here already will do a lot of the nuts and bolts orientation for them." <

Mary Sobota, coordinator of refugee resettlement for Catholic Charities, said area social service agencies are gearing up. "All the major agencies in Dane County have done this before and they're coordinating," Sobota said. <

So far, Catholic Charities has received many "letters of interest" from Madison-area Hmong who say they want their relatives to resettle here, Sobota said. The letters name 32 refugee families - 193 individuals, she said. "Not all will come here. Most of these folks have more than one relative in the U.S., so it's a question of whether they're more comfortable resettling with their brother in Green Bay or sister in Sacramento or their other brother in Madison." <

So far it appears the vast majority of Dane County's refugee families will be settling in Madison, Sobota said. "There are two families each for Fitchburg and Verona," she said. <

Relatives will greet them
When the refugees get off the plane at Dane County Regional Airport, their Madison-area relatives and Catholic Charities will be there to meet them. <

"Then generally their family takes them home and feeds them. Travel takes 36 hours by the time they change planes, so they're tired and hungry," Sobota said. "In the next few days, we make sure they understand that this is home now, and basically, that they've got to get a job and the kids have to go to school. Generally they stay with their family for a while, but they've got to rent an apartment and go to English as a second language classes. It's pretty overwhelming, but people adapt. Their relatives did." <

Refugees must repay their travel costs, but once here they are eligible for help, including the Wisconsin Works, or W-2, program for families, temporary cash grants for single people, food stamps and medical assistance for families with dependent children, officials said. <

But Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk said the state's allocation of W-2 money to the county is predicted to be used up by August 2005. Last year, the state cut its two-year W-2 funding to the county from $16.5 million to $12.4 million, while the county faces increased demand for state-mandated human services programs. <

An influx of Hmong refugees could use up that state money quicker, Falk said. <

"The county is going to run out of W-2 funds by August of next year," she said. "If Hmong (refugees) are eligible, we could run out by April. There needs to be a federal solution." <

Liz Green of the county Department of Human Services said a refugee family of four could be eligible for up to $471 a month in food stamps, and up to $673 in W-2 benefits. <

Within 90 days of their arrival, the refugees also will receive health screenings for communicable diseases, chronic health concerns and needed immunizations, said Savitri Tsering, refugee health coordinator for the state Department of Health and Family Services. "Every health department is handling it differently and people are in the process of deciding how they're going to do things at the local level," Tsering said. <

The Kajsiab House, a nonprofit community center, expects to play a leading role in helping Hmong elders learn English, get transportation and apply for citizenship. <

Arduous process
Sobota said the resettlement process is undoubtedly arduous for the refugees, but worth it. "This works. Think about it," Sobota said. "Here we have a Hmong (Shwaw Vang) elected to his second term on the School Board, and almost all these agencies we're dealing with have at least one Hmong employee. They've grown up and become part of our community and we don't even think about it any more." <

Her said he's deeply excited that his sister and her husband, and their children and grandchildren, are coming to Madison. He knows it will be hard for them. "It was quite an experience for us, coming almost from the jungle to a well-developed country, and the cold weather was hard to adjust to," Her said. <

"I'm very happy they decided to come," Her added. "They've been living in the camp for too long. This is a much safer place for them. Fortunately in this country, we have many opportunities. ... They will have a chance to see the good side of the United States, a chance to settle and pursue their dreams. Coming to America is a dream come true for many people who live in the rough side of the world." <

Contact Brenda Ingersoll at bingersoll@madison.com or 252-6144.