Essey Workie
Essey Workie is former Director of MPI's Human Services Initiative. Her work focused on unaccompanied children, immigrant families, and access to local, state, and federal health and human service programs.
Ms. Workie previously worked as the Director of Refugee Health and the Director of Planning and Development at the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, where she established the national refugee medical assistance and medical screening programs in multiple states. Previously, she served as the senior federal official and regional spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Administration for Children and Families in the mid-Atlantic region. She also founded the division of refugee health at the federal Office of Refugee Resettlement.
Ms. Workie began her career in nonprofit organizations and local government as a social worker, specializing in child and adolescent mental health.
She has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from James Madison University and a master’s degree in social work from Temple University. She is also a leadership coach with an executive certificate in leadership coaching from Georgetown University, and provides pro-bono coaching services to immigrants, minorities, and other marginalized groups.
Explore Content by Essey Workie
Showing 11-14 of 14 total results
Different Statuses, Different Benefits: Determining Federal Assistance for Afghan Evacuees
Afghans evacuated to the United States are entering with a range of legal statuses, with important implications for their ability to access benefits and services that will help them settle into their new communities. This commentary outlines the different statuses and resulting consequences for eligibility for assistance, based on whether the arrivals are recognized as refugees, Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) recipients, or parolees.
Strengthening Services for Unaccompanied Children in U.S. Communities
Tens of thousands of unaccompanied children arrive in U.S. communities each year with critical legal and service needs that local systems are ill-equipped to meet.
A Solvable Challenge: Improving Asylee Access to Health and Other Benefits
While asylees are eligible for many of the same public benefits and services as resettled refugees, including health care and employment assistance, there is no system to inform them of their eligibility and to help connect them to resources. MPI estimates that fewer than 20 percent of those granted asylum in recent years received Office of Refugee Resettlement benefits during their first year. The U.S. government could address this gap with a few simple measures.
Promoting Refugee Integration in Challenging Times: The Potential of Two-Generation Strategies
Legal pathways for low-skilled migrants globally are narrow, male-dominated, and unlikely alone to replace unauthorized channels even if meaningfully expanded.
