A small but growing number of immigrants today are moving into new settlement areas, such as Winchester, Va., Greensboro, N.C., and Salt Lake City, Utah, that lack a tradition of accepting newcomers. Just as the process is difficult and distressing for the immigrants, it is likewise a significant cause of stress for the regions in which they settle. Long homogeneous communities experience overnight changes in their populations and in the demands placed on schools, housing, law enforcement, social services, and other aspects of infrastructure. Institutions have not been well prepared to cope. Local governments have not had any significant experience with newcomers and nongovernmental organizations have been overburdened or simply nonexistent. There has been a substantial amount of discussion about these new settlement areas during the past decade, but relatively little systematic examination of the effects of immigration or the policy and programmatic responses to it. Beyond the Gateway is the first effort to bridge the gaps in communication not only between the immigrants and the institutions with which they interact, but also among diverse communities across the United States dealing with the same stresses but ignorant of each others' responses, whether successes or failures.

This book is a product of research stemming from a multiyear project conducted by Elzbieta M. Gozdziak and Micah N. Bump for the Institute for the Study of International Migration at Georgetown University. The project studied immigration integration in areas that had no recent experience with foreign-born newcomers and the information presented within this book builds upon this by identifying and reviewing promising practices and strategies that facilitated immigrant integration. Gozdziak and Bump include descriptions of the most effective approaches as well as an analysis of challenges within resettlement programs. By highlighting successful initiatives in newcomer communities it seeks to assist stakeholders in their decision-making processes. As newcomer-related issues are complex and solutions are rarely 'one-size fits all, ' the programs described here are unique responses to particular issues in individual communities, and they may not be an exact fit for other communities with similar problems. The book is not a cookbook or a blueprint that can be applied anywhere and everywhere. Rather, it is meant as inspiration and motivation for trying out new strategies. Successful practices discussed in this book include: programs facilitating English language acquisition, access to culturally sensitive and linguistically appropriate health care services, access to vocational training and higher education opportunities, community development, microenterprise, creation of homeownership opportunities for immigrants, and efforts to ensure safety of newcomers. It is the hope of the authors that many practitioners_including service providers, community leaders, representatives of local governments, and donors both public and private_will find this book useful.

This book is a product of research stemming from a multiyear project conducted by Elzbieta M. Gozdziak and Micah N. Bump for the Institute for the Study of International Migration at Georgetown University. The project studied immigration integration in areas that had no recent experience with foreign-born newcomers and the information presented within this book builds upon this by identifying and reviewing promising practices and strategies that facilitated immigrant integration. Gozdziak and Bump include descriptions of the most effective approaches as well as an analysis of challenges within resettlement programs. By highlighting successful initiatives in newcomer communities it seeks to assist stakeholders in their decision-making processes. As newcomer-related issues are complex and solutions are rarely "one-size fits all," the programs described here are unique responses to particular issues in individual communities, and they may not be an exact fit for other communities with similar problems. The book is not a cookbook or a blueprint that can be applied anywhere and everywhere. Rather, it is meant as inspiration and motivation for trying out new strategies. Successful practices discussed in this book include: programs facilitating English language acquisition, access to culturally sensitive and linguistically appropriate health care services, access to vocational training and higher education opportunities, community development, microenterprise, creation of homeownership opportunities for immigrants, and efforts to ensure safety of newcomers. It is the hope of the authors that many practitioners including service providers, community leaders, representatives of local governments, and donors both public and private will find this book useful.

A small but growing number of immigrants today are moving into new settlement areas, such as Winchester, Va., Greensboro, N.C., and Salt Lake City, Utah, that lack a tradition of accepting newcomers. Just as the process is difficult and distressing for the immigrants, it is likewise a significant cause of stress for the regions in which they settle. Long homogeneous communities experience overnight changes in their populations and in the demands placed on schools, housing, law enforcement, social services, and other aspects of infrastructure. Institutions have not been well prepared to cope. Local governments have not had any significant experience with newcomers and nongovernmental organizations have been overburdened or simply nonexistent. There has been a substantial amount of discussion about these new settlement areas during the past decade, but relatively little systematic examination of the effects of immigration or the policy and programmatic responses to it. Beyond the Gateway is the first effort to bridge the gaps in communication not only between the immigrants and the institutions with which they interact, but also among diverse communities across the United States dealing with the same stresses but ignorant of each others' responses, whether successes or failures.