Catholic Community Services of Lane County (CCS) has helped about 40 individuals from other countries settle in Lane County over the past five years. News of the situation in Afghanistan put the CCS Refugee and Immigrant Services Program (RISP) and the Refugee Resettlement Coalition (RRC) on alert to prepare for potential refugees arriving in Lane County. We are currently preparing for the arrival of one Afghan family with a connection here in Lane County and hope to welcome more. If you know of anyone arriving in Lane County from Afghanistan, please encourage them to contact the Refugee and Immigrant Services Program (RISP) at 541-345-3628 ext 339 or send an email to RISP@ccslc.org.
If you would be able to provide housing for an individual or family, either short-term or longer term, in your home or in a separate unit, please let us know that as well, via the email above.
Catholic Community Services, in partnership with the Refugee Resettlement Coalition, will provide case management services to Afghan refugees and other refugees who arrive in Lane County. Financial donations from the community help support this work. Click the button below to make a donation.
Being willing to help a refugee means so much, that you are taking time and making the effort. I encourage you to help them feel like they are survivors, not victims. Don't mention the war; don't remind them of where they are now in their lives. Just introduce yourself and be curious about them. Ask them questions about themselves as you would with anyone who decided to move to your community, instead of having been forced to move. We seek a sense of normalcy, as well as a new start. Nujeen Mustafa Nujeen is a refugee who fled Syria in 2013 during the war and has resettled in Germany. She was the keynote speaker at RRC's 2020 virtual annual fundraising event,
OUR MISSION Mobilize the community to welcome and support refugees and asylum seekers, fostering their well-being and self-sufficiency.
