This thesis examines the impact of the housing experiences of resettled refugees. It reiterates that becoming a refugee was not a matter of choice, but for those in refugee situations it was imperative to seek refugee status for their survival. This study focuses on the housing experiences of the Auckland Somali resettled refugees and seeks to identify the effect of housing policy and provision in Auckland. It also demonstrates the links of housing to employment, education and health. Refugees face considerable resettlement challenges based on differential factors such as ethnocentrism, immigration status, household composition and socio-economic conditions. These barriers are exacerbated by a lack of English language proficiency, a variety of educational backgrounds and unfamiliarity with institutional practices, especially during their early years of adaptation as relative newcomers to New Zealand.The vulnerable position of this group in housing markets requires up to date information to increase the provider's awareness of housing experiences and their impact on the resettlement process. In turn, an increased knowledge allows evidence-based decisions for appropriate intervention, policy, and strategy developments to facilitate optimum resettlement outcomes. Policy formulation and effective implementation must focus on the identification of suitable services to address the specific barriers experienced by this group. The empirical evidence supports previous findings that there were close correlations between the participants housing experiences that are the types of housing they occupied and their income.The study developed and implemented a Participatory Research Design involving a case study approach with multiple data collection methods. The primary field data was collected from focus group participants through a workshop of qualitative discussion and a survey.

This thesis examines the impact of the housing experiences of resettled refugees. It reiterates that becoming a refugee was not a matter of choice, but for those in refugee situations it was imperative to seek refugee status for their survival. This study focuses on the housing experiences of the Auckland Somali resettled refugees and seeks to identify the effect of housing policy and provision in Auckland. It also demonstrates the links of housing to employment, education and health. Refugees face considerable resettlement challenges based on differential factors such as ethnocentrism, immigration status, household composition and socio-economic conditions. These barriers are exacerbated by a lack of English language proficiency, a variety of educational backgrounds and unfamiliarity with institutional practices, especially during their early years of adaptation as relative newcomers to New Zealand.The vulnerable position of this group in housing markets requires up to date information to increase the provider's awareness of housing experiences and their impact on the resettlement process. In turn, an increased knowledge allows evidence-based decisions for appropriate intervention, policy, and strategy developments to facilitate optimum resettlement outcomes. Policy formulation and effective implementation must focus on the identification of suitable services to address the specific barriers experienced by this group. The empirical evidence supports previous findings that there were close correlations between the participants housing experiences that are the types of housing they occupied and their income.The study developed and implemented a Participatory Research Design involving a case study approach with multiple data collection methods. The primary field data was collected from focus group participants through a workshop of qualitative discussion and a survey.

<p>As of June 2020, there were nearly 71 million displaced persons worldwide fleeing their homes due to conflict and war (“Figures at a Glance,” UNHCR, 2020). One of the critical needs following displacement and subsequent resettlement is to address the immense psychological turmoil refugees may have endured. Despite the need for care, refugees often face barriers to accessing mental health care after resettlement, including inadequate translation services, poor provider cultural competence, and difficulty navigating services (Asgary & Segar, 2011). An important aspect in meeting the mental health needs of resettled refugees in the U.S. are the refugee resettlement agencies that help refugees rebuild their lives post-resettlement. Thus, this study focused on the mental health providers working with resettled refugees within refugee resettlement agencies. <a>Through the use of mixed methods, this study collected quantitative and qualitative data across three phases to 1) obtain a greater understanding of the available mental health services within refugee resettlement agencies, 2) examine cultural competence in mental health providers working within these agencies, and 3) identify the culturally competent strategies mental health providers use to improve access to mental health services in this context</a>. The results of this study, including an integration of the data across phases, and a discussion complete with 12 suggestions for mental health providers working with resettled refugees are presented. We hope the results and implications of this study will contribute to our understanding of, and subsequently address, the issues related to mental health service accessibility experienced by resettled refugees.</p>