Our Work
Every year, Oregon resettles hundreds of the world's refugees. We're committed to helping them rebuild their lives.
The Need
Refugee Care Collective serves refugee families and youth who are resettled through the United States Refugee Resettlement Program. We primarily serve families – women, men, youth, and seniors – who were forced to flee their home countries due to war, violence, or persecution.
Most refugees arrive with few possessions, often no more than what can fit into a suitcase. They have left family and community and now find themselves in Oregon, far from their home and familiar culture. Many have little English language skills, a limited understanding of how to navigate life in a new country, and minimal resources to rebuild their lives.
Refugee Care Collective was founded with the mission to fill these gaps in care.
Our Work
By finding creative solutions to existing problems, we seek to bridge the gap between what is and what could be. Each program below has been designed sustainably to fill key gaps in care.
Immediate Assistance Programs
These programs provide critical relief for families with demonstrated needs, addressing vulnerabilities people experience when resettled.
- Restart Kits: Essential household items for newly arriving refugee families, including kitchen supplies, personal care items, bedding, and more.
- Restock Kits: Critical staples delivered to large families, single-parent households, and those experiencing job loss or medical emergencies throughout one year.
- Housing Assistance: One-time relief for families at risk of eviction.
- Food Insecurity: Grocery, gift cards, produce boxes, and other essential staples delivered to families experiencing hardships.
Mentorship Programs
These programs focus on long-term care, and are designed to provide community and extend tangible support to those on their path to self-sufficiency.
- Family Mentorship: Addresses social determinants of health and empowers families to be self-sufficient through connections to community resources, English language learning, job assistance, finding affordable housing, and more.
- Youth Mentorship: Provides considerable support to refugee junior-high and high school students focusing on academic support, navigating higher education opportunities, cultural orientation, achieving personal goals, and more.
Our Impact
We have served more than 5,800 people who have fled war and violence, connecting families to tangible support, community, and belonging.
1,000+
Families Served
700+
Family and Youth Mentors
6,400+
Restart Kits Delivered
32
Countries Represented
225
Communities Involved
Our Approach
Direct Service Programs
We are marked by our ability to develop sustainable programs that meet essential needs in the refugee community, and are committed to the process of refining our programs to make meaningful impact in the lives of those we serve.
Partnership with Resettlement Agencies
We partner with local refugee resettlement agencies and believe that this is the best way to create long-term impact. These organizations hold U.S. federal contracts to resettle refugees in Oregon, and we receive hundreds of referrals from resettled case managers every year.
Mobilizing Communities
Refugee Care Collective is fundamentally built around collaboration with the community: faith communities, businesses, schools, and individuals alike, avoiding duplication and overlap of efforts. Since 2015, we have mobilized more than 200 communities to come alongside our resettled neighbors through meaningful contributions. This work is made possible by communities who give generously and believe that our refugee neighbors are worthy of love and care.
Sharing Resources
We are intentional in sharing resources with community leaders looking to create meaningful change in the lives of their resettled neighbors. Since 2015, we are honored to have seen replication of our programs at a local level and in several states across the country.
