Human Services Initiative

MPI’s Human Services Initiative focuses on a range of immigration issues affecting children, families, and health- and human services programs and policies in the United States. The Initiative produces research, policy analysis, private convenings, public events, and technical assistance to inform federal, state, and local policies and practice. Current areas of work include:

• Refugee Resettlement. MPI conducts research and delivers technical assistance to strengthen family-focused refugee resettlement services. These efforts include a national policy academy that supports state efforts to advance two-generation strategies in refugee resettlement, with particular attention to services for young children, supports for youth transitioning to adulthood, and better job strategies for adults.
• Unaccompanied Children. MPI analyzes policies and programs that affect unaccompanied minors while they are in federal custody and after they have been released to parents or other sponsors in local communities. MPI engages providers, governments, community-based organizations, and others to improve services to unaccompanied children based on child development and child welfare principles.
• Access to Benefits and Services. In the context of public-charge requirements and fears of engaging with public systems, MPI partners with governmental and nongovernmental stakeholders to address challenges in connecting individuals and families with benefits and services. This aspect of MPI’s work includes attention to linkages to benefits and services for asylees, asylum seekers, and children of immigrants.