Catholic Charities provides refugee resettlement and case management services to individuals and families who seek to make Oregon their new home.
Welcoming home our newest neighbors
We provide culturally aware and responsive case management services to assist refugees as they rebuild their lives.
Our resettlement work dates back to the 1940s, when we began assisting individuals and families who were forced to flee their homelands. Since the 1980s, we have resettled more than 10,500 individuals. Through our Refugee Services Program, Catholic Charities assists individuals and families that must leave their homelands due to the fear of persecution based on race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, and/or political opinion.
Our refugee resettlement programs address a wide array of needs, including initial resettlement, school support for children, and long-term, intensive case management. We promote successful integration by providing holistic, wraparound, and trauma-informed services that focus on uplifting the dignity and respect of each individual and their unique culture and traditions.
Our Services
Newly arriving refugees are greeted at the airport and begin working with staff to meet their essential needs, including safe and affordable housing, furnishings, food, and clothing to take the steps on their path to rebuilding their lives. Case managers also coordinate referrals to other service providers, community organizations, and schools.
Catholic Charities ensures that refugees are properly resettled and connected to available services and support in Oregon, including health care, job training, English language instruction, and other public benefits for which refugees are eligible. Case managers provide psycho-social support as clients work through the cultural adjustment to the United States, process often traumatic life experiences, and prepare for their new futures in Oregon.
We also offer specific support based on each person’s qualifying status:
For refugees, asylees, and SIV holders:
- Airport welcome
- Case management
- Housing and furnishing support
- Food assistance
- Cultural Orientation
- Applications or referrals to relevant services through the Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS), Immigrant & Refugee Community Organization (IRCO), healthcare clinics, and other social service providers.
- For eligible clients, we offer the Preferred Communities Program, which provides culturally sensitive peer support and intensive case management to those who have experienced trauma or need extra support to achieve self-sufficiency.
- For individuals or families who have not yet received their Asylum Approval Notification, we encourage them to reach out to our Immigration Legal Services program.
For loved ones of refugees abroad:
- Family reunification
- We are also able to help obtain information about current cases abroad.
Whom We Serve
Our Refugee Services program assists individuals and families who have been identified by the UNHCR and the U.S. government to qualify for refugee status, meaning they have been forced to flee their home country to escape persecution, war, or violence:
- Refugees
- Asylees
- SIV holders
Referral information
Catholic Charities provides a variety of services and resources to individuals and families with qualifying statuses through federal- and state-funded programs. You can also help connect someone in need to our services by contacting our Refugee Services team.
Learn more about our referral program
Program Leadership
Claudia Muñoz, Director of Refugee Services
Whom we serve
The Refugee Services Program assists individuals and families who have been identified by the UNHCR and the US government to qualify for refugee status, meaning the refugees have been forced to flee their home country to escape persecution, war, or violence. We work with the Department of State (Reception & Placement) and the Office of Refugee Resettlement in partnership with the State of Oregon (Extended Case Management) to help our clients on the path to self-sufficiency.
Our refugee clients come to us through a partnership with the Department of State and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). USCCB is the voluntary agency at the national level that facilitates resettlement efforts and assigns cases to our program. Through our programming we are able to serve refugees, asylees, and Special Immigration Visa (SIV) holders.
- Refugees apply for and receive refugee status in their host country and are referred by the International Office of Migration (IOM) to the U.S. for resettlement. After intense screening by the US government, eligible refugees are then assigned to one of the nine voluntary agencies who work with national affiliate offices to resettle them throughout the United States.
- Asylees are eligible for the same public benefits as refugees, but they travel to the U.S. on their own and then apply for and receive their asylum status once they arrive in the US.
- SIV holders, after receiving status from the United States government, come to the US either through the IOM or on their own and receive the same benefits as refugees. SIVs are only available to persons who worked with the US Armed Forces in Iraq or Afghanistan.
Our Services
Newly arriving refugees are greeted at the airport and begin working with program staff work to meet their essential needs, including safe and affordable housing, furnishings, food, and clothing to take the first steps on the path to rebuilding their lives. Case managers also coordinate referrals to other service providers, community organizations, and schools.
Catholic Charities ensures that refugees are properly resettled and connected to necessary services in Oregon, including health care, job training, English language instruction, and other public benefits. In addition to physical items and support, case managers provide psycho-social care as clients work through the cultural transition to the United States, process often traumatic life experiences, and prepare for their new futures in Oregon.
We also offer specific support based on each person’s qualifying status:
For refugees, asylees, and SIV holders
- Catholic Charities provides resettlement services that can include airport welcome, case management, housing and furnishing support, food assistance, cultural orientation, and applications or referrals to relevant services through the Department of Human Services (DHS), Immigrant & Refugee Community Organization (IRCO), and the Mid-County Clinic (MCC).
- For eligible clients, we offer the Preferred Communities Program, which provides culturally sensitive counseling, peer support, and case management to those who have experienced trauma or need extra support to achieve self-sufficiency.
- For individuals or families who have not yet received their Asylum Approval Notification, we encourage them to reach out to Immigration Legal Services.
For loved ones of refugees abroad
- Our Immigration Legal Services department can provide support in helping refugees and asylees complete legal paperwork to help their close relatives (spouse, parent, or unmarried child) come to the US as refugees or asylees.
- We can offer investigation into current cases abroad (limited information available).
Referral information
Catholic Charities provides a variety of services and resources to individuals and families with qualifying statuses through federal- and state-funded programs. You can also help connect someone in need to our services by contacting our Refugee Services Team.
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