The notable success of an upstate New York community in resettling refugees raises the question of whether multiple waves of resettlement over a 15-year period have resulted in greater accommodation to refugees. Structured interviews based on transactional models of acculturation were used along with archival data to explore ecological factors supporting a host community's behavioral flexibility and perseverance in response to the influx of refugees. Evidence suggests that socioeconomic climate, historical background/social norms, and the organizational structure of agencies involved in resettlement moderate successful inclusion of refugees into a host community in a bidirectional process. © 2008 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.

resettlement Refugees community development Acculturation person-environment fit

education urban population refugee human Refugees housing interview United States Humans New York Interviews as Topic male Acculturation female cultural factor Article organization and management Delivery of Health Care employment health care delivery