The Hmong Resettlement Study Site Report: Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas.
Author(s):
Downing, Bruce T.; Minnesota Univ., Minneapolis. Center For Urban And Regional Affairs.; Northwest Regional Educational Lab., Portland, Or.
Format:
Report
Publisher:
1984.
Language:
English
Abstract:
This document reports on the resettlement of Hmong refugees in Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas: what their employment experiences have been, which resettlement efforts have been successful, and how current resettlement efforts could be altered to improve the Hmong's long-term adjustment. The report is part of a larger, national project on Hmong resettlement. Much of the data was gathered through personal interviews with Hmong and individuals working with them in Dallas-Fort Worth. Section I gives general information about the area, the population, economic base, employment possibilities, welfare, housing, refugee services, and community relations. Section II gives brief information on the size and history of the Hmong population in Dallas-Fort Worth, which was estimated at approximately 360 in 1983. Section III describes employment (between 90 and 98% employed), economic self-sufficiency, welfare dependence, job training, education, and adult English-as-a-second-language programs. Section IV summarizes the findings specific to the Dallas-Fort Worth site, which include: (1) a very high level of employment and two-income families, meaning relative economic prosperity; (2) low rate of dependence on public assistance and refugee programs; (3) high rate of home ownership; and (4) a high percentage of young people completing high school and continuing on to higher education. The most serious problem found was the failure of some adults to learn English. The future of the Hmong in Dallas-Fort Worth looks generally positive and, aside from the language problem, is an example of a successful resettlement experience. (CG)