Placement in the receiving society

The challenge in placement is to ensure that there is an appropriate match between the needs of resettled refugees, and the resources and needs of the receiving community. In the longer term, resettled refugees may choose to move in search of employment, education, housing or social conditions which better meet their aspirations.

Careful planning of placement and the involvement of resettled refugees and receiving communities in placement decisions can help to ensure that refugees start out with the best prospects. Actively engaging with receiving communities prior to the arrival of resettled refugees can positively benefit welcome and social inclusion, for more information see the section on Welcoming and Inclusive societies.

Some refugees may opt to move soon after arrival, and the reasons can often be varied. For example, in the UK, some Syrian refugees resettled under the Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme (VPRS) that were placed in small towns and rural areas expressed that they would have preferred to be placed in other locations, usually close to or in major cities. Reasoning given by the families was firstly because employment and education opportunities were perceived to be greater in cities, secondly to be closer to relatives or friends. For more information, see UNHCR’s publication, Towards Integration. See also the following article, The Secondary Migration of Refugees Resettled in the US.

The first placement site is particularly critical since this is a time when resettled refugees are more likely to need intensive formal and informal assistance. Once a refugee moves, it can be difficult for services to be administered in the new community. For this reason many local municipalities and/or resettlement agencies counsel refugees on the impacts of moving soon after resettlement. Early secondary movements within the country of resettlement can also involve considerable costs for resettled refugees, such as transport and household establishment expenses, at a time when they are likely to be in receipt of a low or fixed income.

High rates of secondary movement in the early period of resettlement may create tensions or be problematic for receiving communities, involving both direct and indirect costs and creating planning dilemmas for communities receiving large numbers who have invested in structures. It can also present difficulties in already densely populated urban areas.  High levels of early secondary movements can also lead to a loss of public and official support for refugee resettlement in the primary site, in other communities and at governmental level. Planning for the arrival of resettled refugees can be resource and time intensive and where refugees move on to another location soon after arrival (which can be for a variety of factors unrelated to the preparations made), this can prove to be demoralizing. This may in turn impact the decision of a local municipalities, for example, to welcome resettled refugees.

Placement and site selection are complex processes which need to take into account a variety of factors including the attributes and aspirations of resettled refugees as well as context of the receiving community. While salient factors differ markedly for both individual resettled refugees and refugee groups, they could include:

• the presence of friends and relatives. 
• refugees aspirations and priorities. For example, related to access to education opportunities for older refugee children.
• prior social conditions. For example, resettled refugees who lived in a rural community in their country-of-origin may feel more comfortable if they are placed in a rural environment. Where there is a large gap between the culture and prior life experience of resettled refugees and the receiving community, the presence of diaspora community support will be particularly important.
• affordable housing. Access to affordable housing is a key factor in placement decisions, especially as many resettled refugees have large families and thus need more space - which can be prohibitively expensive in some cities.
• family composition. A recent study in France found that some of the families with small children that were included in the research had a preference to be located in smaller municipalities. This was because they can provide a ‘soft landing’ as local orientation and integration can be less challenging than in larger urban areas. Key services, schools, healthcare, community facilities and places of worship are often located in proximity and the strong social networks in small communities making them more easily accessible.
• employment skills, educational background and professional goals. For young adults wishing to pursue a university education, placement in remote areas with no accessible universities or higher education institutions will further limit their integration possibilities in relation to both education and employment.
• age, gender, and diversity considerations. Where possible, there should be recognition of the diverse needs of different groups in placement decisions, e.g. different placement settings might provide different supports for refugee children and youth; for refugees with disabilities; LGBTIQ+ refugees, etc.
• whether they have specific health or mental healthcare needs, e.g. access to transport and support services will be particularly important for groups such as sole parents and older refugees.
• their language abilities. For example, Canada and Switzerland are both multilingual societies with communities that speak different languages in different regions.
• perceptions of safety. For example, while densely populated urban neighbourhoods may be perceived negatively in the receiving society, some resettled refugees may feel safer in them than a quieter rural community.  Factors in the receiving society also influence both site selection and individual placement decisions.

In some countries the emphasis in site selection and placement practices is on the needs of resettled refugees, while in others the needs of the receiving community are also taken into consideration (e.g. labour demand; regional and rural development objectives). In practice, there may be a need to balance these objectives since the long-term success of refugee resettlement will depend at least in part on the extent to which it positively impacts the receiving communities. Nevertheless, most countries recognise that their involvement in refugee resettlement is motivated primarily by a commitment to humanitarian principles.

New site development

The selection and development of communities for refugee resettlement are necessary processes in countries with minimal prior experience in culturally diverse migration. A number of established resettlement countries have also endeavored to identify and develop specific communities to increase the range of placement possibilities, and in many cases to meet other social and economic objectives.

Developmental initiatives may also be useful where a potential resettlement community offers some critical integration resources (e.g. employment and diaspora community support) but lacks others (e.g. social support services). In these cases, investing in social support may be worthwhile. In some countries, specific interventions have also enhanced the viability of placement communities. Conscious selection and development of placement communities has some potential to promote integration by matching resettled refugees with communities with particular integration resources such as secure and affordable housing or employment. However, due regard needs to be given to advance preparation and if feasible, engaging with refugees during decision-making on placement decisions.

Placement matching processes and protocols

Most countries endeavour to offer resettled refugees placement in communities that best meet their specific needs and attributes.  Matching is a highly individualised matter. While for some refugees, access to tertiary and post-secondary education may be an important factor, for others social connections may have higher priority. Sound destination matching is a reciprocal process. It enables the resettlement country to develop an understanding of the needs and attributes of resettled refugees (e.g. education, life skills, language capabilities, resettlement priorities and existing supports in the resettlement country) and provides resettled refugees with information about potential resettlement communities and their advantages and disadvantages. Destination matching is particularly important for resettled refugees who have additional needs such as intensive medical and rehabilitative support.

Utilizing the pre-departure phase

Local authorities, service providers, and other stakeholders in the receiving community also benefit from being informed regarding arriving refugees, which in turn can inform placement decisions. Those responsible for receiving and supporting resettled refugees are more likely to do so appropriately if they understand the expectations and history of the arriving refugees. Information that could be collected to better inform placement can include the refugee community’s culture, social diversity, religious practices, epidemiological and health profile, and history, and indicate the effects their experience of flight and exile might have on their psychosocial and physical well-being. Such information could inform, for example, placement of refugees near a school that provides supplementary support to refugee children who may have had breaks in their education, or where expertise might exist to provide psychosocial support.

In some resettlement countries, resettled refugees have traditionally gravitated toward large urban centres, many of which have established and diverse communities and well developed services to support refugees and migrants. Some of these centres, however, are affected by overcrowding, housing shortages and high unemployment rates. Some governments have sought to encourage more equitable distribution for refugee resettlement by identifying and developing other communities, particularly in regional and rural areas and encouraging or mandating resettled refugees to settle in them.

In contrast, in other countries, greater emphasis is placed on strategies to build the capacity of existing communities to support and welcome newcomers. Indeed, in many countries the presence of family and community support is a criterion for selection for resettlement and therefore influences subsequent placement in areas with established diverse communities. Promoting distribution of refugee resettlement and allowing freedom of placement choice are not necessarily mutually exclusive. For example, in the Canadian Province of Québec, resettled refugees are encouraged, but not compelled, to settle in regional communities outside of the city of Montreal. However, resettled refugees will not have access to funding in order to resettle to a new location and not have access to housing, furniture, etc. if they already received it in the original settlement. They could still be supported in different ways by the resettlement agency - if existing - present in the new location and would also continue to have access to social welfare

Distribution of refugees or obligatory placement models can:

• prevent overcrowding in urban areas.
• reduce the costs of resettlement, with housing in particular being more affordable outside of major urban centres.
• promote refugee economic self-sufficiency, by matching refugees with communities with labour demand.
• promote a ‘whole-of-country’ approach to refugee resettlement by engaging all communities and supporting a sense of solidarity between municipalities.
• provide placement communities which are more compatible with the needs of some resettled refugees.
• fulfil regional economic development and social goals in receiving countries.

It is important to consider the following during new site development in countries where diaspora communities are well established in specific areas:

• advance site assessment and development. The resources involved in this process will be a significant factor in considering the cost effectiveness of developing new communities.
• freedom of choice and movement.
• the critical role of family and community support in the resettlement process. Through families and friends, resettled refugees receive not only day-to-day practical support in their own language, but valuable moral and emotional support from individuals with whom they share a common experience and culture. Established diverse communities offer resettled refugees opportunities to participate in a range of cultural activities, from attending places of worship and participating in celebrations and festivities to shopping in global food outlets.
• the role of family and community support in contributing to refugee economic self-sufficiency. These communities can offer employment in industries compatible with the skills and experience of resettled refugees; link them with employment opportunities through informal social networks; and offer other resources required to achieve economic self-sufficiency goals (e.g. child-care and transport).
• that family and community support cannot be readily substituted by other support networks.