FAQs
Who We Are
Refugee Care Collective is a nonprofit organization that serves and empowers diverse populations of refugees resettled in Oregon as they rebuild their lives.
Read more about our last decade of work here.
Beginning in 2025, we will be giving our full focus to developing essential resources that will empower communities to better serve their resettled neighbors. Read more here.
Refugee Care Collective serves refugee families and youth who were resettled through the United States Refugee Resettlement Program. This program exists for families and individuals who were displaced by war, violence, or persecution. Since 2015, Refugee Care Collective has served hundreds of families from more than 30 countries.
For much of the last decade, our programs have partnered closely with local refugee resettlement agencies and Oregon Department of Human Services. We've received hundreds of referrals every year from case managers and community leaders asking to enroll families and youth in our Immediate Assistance and long-term Mentorship Programs.
We've also partnered with communities across the city who care about coming alongside our resettled neighbors. From faith communities who host collection events, to businesses who have given generously, to local groups who have contributed in meaningful ways. View recent meaningful partners here.
Beginning in 2025, we will be supporting communities in a whole new way. Read more about our upcoming work here.
Our New Focus
We are looking forward to providing high-quality training materials through videos and printable materials to better equip families, faith communities, neighborhood groups, and individuals to engage in this work. We recommend reading our blog on the future of refugee care here.
When we developed our Restart Kits Program in 2015, this was a significant unmet need in resettlement. Today, every resettlement agency in the Portland metro area receives these kits, along with several other organizations and communities in different states. While Refugee Care Collective will no longer receive restart kits after 11/16/24, we still encourage you to build a restart kit to deliver to a local resettlement agency:
Our hope is that our new focus will encourage and inspire more volunteers than ever before to get involved in this work. In alignment with our shifting role, Refugee Care Collective will no longer be pairing mentors with resettled families and youth, but rather will direct you to a local resettlement agency to volunteer through.
- Catholic Charities of Oregon
- Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon
- Immigrant & Refugee Community Organization
- Lutheran Community Services NW
Once available, our upcoming resources will provide support to volunteers as they engage in this work.
All existing mentors will continue to receive support throughout next year. Our team will remain available for meetings, answering questions, working through challenges, and providing resources, so that all mentors will receive direct support until the end of their one-year commitment.
Financial
Yes, can donate offline by mailing a check to the address below, or by providing the address to your fund:
Refugee Care Collective
10160 SW Nimbus Ave, Suite F-3
Portland, OR, 97223
Yes, all donations are 100% tax-deductible for donors in the United States. You will receive a donation receipt when making a financial contribution or giving an in-kind donation. Feel free to contact us here if you have any questions.
General Inquiries
A refugee is a person forced to flee their home country because of war, violence, conflict or persecution, due to their race, nationality, religion, or membership in a particular social group or political opinion, and has crossed international borders to seek safety. People become refugees when they cross country borders. They are displaced (or Internally Displaced Persons) when forced to flee their homes but remain within their own country.
We expect Oregon to receive around 1,000 refugees this year through the United States Refugee Resettlement Program, with the vast majority resettled in the Portland metro area. We’ll likely receive families from more than 20 countries, including Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Iraq, Myanmar, Somalia, Syria, and Ukraine.
There are nine national resettlement agencies, all of which have offices across the country. We recommend doing a Google search with your city name and “refugee resettlement.”
Below are the nine national agencies who hold federal agreements to resettle refugees:
Church World Service | Ethiopian Community Development Council | Episcopal Migration Ministries | Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society | International Rescue Committee | US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants | Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services | United States Conference of Catholic Bishops | World Relief Corporation
If one of these agencies has an office in your city, send an email to find out what they need. While there are many other nonprofit organizations that serve the refugee community, this is a great place to start!
Absolutely! Here are the download instructions.
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