Before joining the Catholic Charities Board of Directors, Francis Kham was a refugee. Today, he is an outspoken advocate for both the Portland Zomi community, of which he is a part, and refugee resettlement in general, which has been reduced from 80,000 in 2016 to just 18,000 today. Read the full story from the Catholic…

What does it take to help someone move past the trauma and culture shock experienced by so many new arrivals? Agencies like Catholic Charities help refugees rebuild their lives and become participating members in our community through a myriad of services, ranging from case management to advocacy. Case Manager Supervisor Fowzia Abdulle has dedicated her…

After a nearly 8 months of uncertainty, Oregon House Bill 2508, AKA the Welcoming Refugees Bill, passed in late June, at the eleventh hour of the legislative session. The bill paves the way for the state’s three resettlement agencies, Catholic Charities among them, to continue serving refugees as they rebuild safe, sustainable lives for themselves…

On October 3, Catholic Charities hosted a Facebook Live event in an attempt to clarify some of the misinformation going around about the recent public charge rule change. Kat Kelley (Director, Strategic Initiatives), John Herrera (Director, Immigration Legal Services), and Sarah Purce (Assistant Director, Immigration Legal Services) presented important information in English and Spanish: What…

In her highly anticipated follow-up to “‘A blanket of fear’: How deportations affect children,” the Catholic Sentinel’s Katie Scott examines the relationship between undocumented immigrants and local police and why many survivors of domestic abuse don’t feel safe going to the police. Read the full article here or in the October 4 issue of the…