Refugee Congress, Refugee Council USA, and World Relief release a new report on the Chicago-based pilot of the Refugee Integration Self-Assessment

Washington, DC – Refugee Council USA, Refugee Congress, and World Relief today released the report Measuring What Matters: Piloting a Self-Assessment by and for Forcibly Displaced Populations.

The Measuring What Matters report profiles the pilot of the prototype refugee integration self-assessment tool introduced in the Integration Outcomes for Forcibly Displaced Persons (FDP) report. Designed to collect better integration data utilizing metrics defined by refugees themselves, the self-assessment tool proved to be more insightful than existing integration reporting mechanisms that focus on self-sufficiency, revealing essential takeaways on FDP integration.

“At a time when refugee protections are being eroded, this report makes it clear that integration cannot be reduced to a single metric or timeline,” said RCUSA Executive Director John Slocum. “People rebuilding their lives need access to community, healthcare, education, and opportunity. They also need systems that help enable what they themselves define as success. This project gives us a roadmap for doing just that, and serves as a reminder that better policy starts with listening.”

“Our initial research asked refugees to define integration in their own words, and we sought to create a tool that would measure that,” said Refugee Congress Executive Director Nili Sarit Yossinger. “This pilot was the next step in putting our work to the test. It gave us the opportunity to learn, refine, and move closer to understanding how to best support newcomers,” said Nili Sarit Yossinger, Executive Director of Refugee Congress. “This process further demonstrates what we believe deeply: when refugees are involved in shaping the tools and systems meant to serve them, the result is more meaningful and successful. We are grateful to have demonstrated that alongside partners who share our commitment to keeping the voices and expertise of forcibly displaced people at the center of this work.”

“This pilot reinforces something I hold deeply, both personally and professionally: refugees are not passive recipients of support—they are leaders with lived insight into what makes integration work.” said Aerlande Wontamo, Senior Vice President of US Programs with World Relief. “When we elevate their voices through this self‑assessment tool, we gain a more honest, more complete, and more human understanding of the integration experience. World Relief is grateful to join partners in advancing approaches rooted in dignity, voice, and agency.”

Offering both affirmation for successful integration practices and tips on where targeted support could strengthen integration journeys, the learnings from the Measuring What Matters report are extensive, generating recommendations relevant to a wide range of resettlement stakeholders. Most significantly and relevant to all stakeholders, the pilot project reasserts the importance of recognizing and centering FDP-defined integration metrics.

Media Contact: Sheridan Block, sheridan.block@refugeecongress.org