[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 102 (Thursday, May 26, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Page 33538]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-12462]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Administration for Children and Families

[CFDA Number: 93.576]


Announcement of Award of an Urgent Single-Source Grant to Gulf 
Coast Jewish Family and Community Services in Clearwater, FL

AGENCY: Office of Refugee Resettlement, ACF, HHS.

ACTION: Notice of the award of an urgent single-source grant to Gulf 
Coast Jewish Family and Community Services to provide mental health 
technical assistance services for refugees.

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SUMMARY: The Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Office of 
Refugee Resettlement (ORR) announces the award of an urgent single-
source grant in the amount of $225,000 to Gulf Coast Jewish Family and 
Community Services (Gulf Coast) in Clearwater, FL to train providers to 
effectively identify and appropriately serve the mental health needs of 
arriving refugee populations.

DATES: The two-year project period for the award is December 1, 2015 
through November 30, 2017.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kenneth Tota, Deputy Director, Office 
of Refugee Resettlement, 330 C. Street, SW., Washington, DC 20201. 
Telephone: 202-401-4858. Email: [email protected]

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In the past few years, ORR has seen an 
increasing need for mental health services among newly-arrived 
refugees, particularly those who have suffered torture and extreme 
trauma due to war and genocide. ORR has received numerous reports of 
refugees from Bhutan and Burma completing suicide. Bhutanese refugees, 
in particular, have demonstrated a high incidence of suicide upon 
arrival to the U.S. This fiscal year the program is seeing a 
significant increase in resettlement of refugees from the Democratic 
Republic of Congo and Syria.
    Refugees face significant barriers to accessing mental health 
resources since they are unfamiliar with community mental health 
systems, speak limited English, and have few financial resources. 
Health and mental health providers are often overwhelmed by the 
linguistic and cultural differences that refugees present and respond 
by saying they are unable to provide services. Currently the provision 
of standardized mental health screening and culturally appropriate 
mental health services is one the primary challenges facing the US 
resettlement program. There is no direct provision of much needed 
mental health services to refugees in many primary resettlement 
locations.
    Gulf Coast has been a longstanding refugee resettlement program and 
also has been a grantee under the ORR Survivors of Torture program for 
the past 15 years. In addition, Gulf Coast has provided technical 
assistance and mental health services to a national network of refugee 
service providers and mainstream health and mental health professionals 
for the past 9 years. Gulf Coast is recognized as the primary refugee 
mental health technical assistance provider to states without a 
survivor of torture program. As a result of Gulf Coast's training and 
technical assistance 6 states applied for and received ORR grants to 
provide direct services to survivors. They are the only technical 
assistance provider with expertise in both refugee resettlement and 
direct services to survivors of torture. They are the only national 
technical assistance provider with expertise in both refugee 
resettlement and direct services to survivors of torture.
    Gulf Coast's National Partnership for Community Training (NPCT) has 
provided technical assistance and training services to ORR grantees and 
other refugee service providers since 2006.
    It is expected that ORR will provide awards to this grantee for a 
2-year project period with 12-month budget periods. The grantee will be 
required to submit applications for noncompetitive awards in the 
subsequent year during the project period. Future awards will be based 
on the grantee's performance, the availability of funds, and the best 
interest of the Federal Government.

    Statutory Authority:  This program is authorized by--
    (A) Section 412 (c)(1)(A) of the Immigration and Nationality Act 
(INA)(8 U.S.C. 1522(c)(1)(A)), as amended, which authorizes the 
Director ``to make grants to, and enter into contracts with, public 
or private nonprofit agencies for projects specifically designed--[. 
. .](i) to assist refugees in obtaining the skills that are 
necessary for economic self-sufficiency, including projects for job 
training, employment services, day care, professional refresher 
training, and other recertification services; (ii) to provide 
training in English where necessary (regardless of whether the 
refugees are employed or receiving cash or other assistance); and 
(iii) to provide where specific needs have been shown and recognized 
by the Director, health (including mental health) services, social 
services, education and other services.''
    (B) Refugee Assistance Extension Act of 1986, Pub.L. 99-605, Nov 
6, 1986, 100 Stat. 3449.

Christopher Beach,
Senior Grants Policy Specialist, Division of Grants Policy, Office of 
Administration.
[FR Doc. 2016-12462 Filed 5-25-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4184-45-P