Population of refugees grows in the Music City

NASHVILLE, Tennessee: For years the U.S. government has been settling refugees from all over the world in Nashville, a city small enough for newcomers to navigate, but large enough to provide for their needs.

They came to the U.S. for different reasons: fleeing the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia, Iran's ayatollah, genocide in Africa, war in Iraq.

They are coming again from new places. About 60,000 Bhutanese are being admitted to the U.S. over religious tensions. The State Department hasn't said how many, but some of them will land in Nashville.

The same issue in Myanmar is also bringing people to the Music City.

Nearly 3,100 refugees have resettled in Nashville since 2002, according to the latest State Department figures. That's about 1 percent of the U.S. national total of refugees.

Carter Moody, development director of the Center for Refugees and Immigrants of Tennessee, is trying to find more grants to assist an influx of refugees arriving at a difficult time.

"Over time, Nashville and several other heartland cities — Denver, Iowa City, Minneapolis — have gained more mature social services that were on par with the East and West Coast," Moody said. "The affordable housing market was a factor attracting them, and manufacturing jobs have made Middle Tennessee a portal."

The center was formerly called the Somali Community Center, serving the estimated 3,500 Somalis and Sudanese. Kurdish people, numbering at least 10,000, make up Nashville's largest refugee population.

Mohamed Abdikarim was 11 years old when he came to the U.S. from Somalia. He and his parents had to overcome a major culture shock and he had to help his parents assimilate.

"First, it was the language, American society and everything that comes with it," he said. "You have to adapt. You realize it's harder for the parents."

Abdikarim learned English by playing Scrabble at the center with other Somalis. Today, he is studying medical science at Tennessee State University and volunteers at the center.

"I like to help my community," said Abdikarim, 21, "You learn a lot about yourself by helping others."

Resettlement agencies prepare apartments furnished with donations and anything else the family might need. But there is very little federal money. Lavinia Limon, president of the Washington-based U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, said it's typically as little as $900 per person.

"As you can imagine, that is a pitiful sum," Limon said. "In 1975, we were given $500 per person."

Refugees are eligible for food stamps, but many agencies want to find them jobs within the first months of their arrival.

"We certainly try to work with them to find jobs that are appropriate, but there also is a real focus on achieving self-sufficiency as soon as possible," said Kellye Branson, director of refugee services at Catholic Charities of Tennessee.

Even those refugees who arrive with advanced degrees end up taking entry-level jobs like housekeeping and dishwashing, Branson said. The recession has also made things more difficult for refugees.

Belmont University business professor John Gonas saw an influx of Burundi refugees and created with his students a series of DVDs explaining everyday actions like opening a bank account.

"They come to this country, they're given 90 days of funding and then they're expected to be able to pay their own rent and utilities," Gonas said. "Getting them to that place where they can budget whatever paycheck they have is a big deal."