Oregon panel reviews refugee program growth, budget and impact of recent federal orders

Claire Sequin, Director of Self Sufficiency Programs at the Oregon Department of Human Services, told the Joint Interim Subcommittee on Human Services on March 12 that Oregon has seen a sharp rise in refugee arrivals and in demand for state-administered benefits and contracts.

"The resettlement and placement arrivals increased 298% from 2018 to 2024," Sequin said, and the number of people accessing ODHS cash benefits rose to more than 7,200 in federal fiscal year 2024. She said the department now administers 50 active grants and contracts and has expanded contracted providers from six to 25 to meet needs statewide.

The subcommittee heard a program overview and budget context from Sequin and program staff Amra Biberich, Oregon Department of Human Services Refugee Program Manager and State Refugee Coordinator, and Sohail Alami, policy analyst with the Oregon Refugee Program. The presenters described program elements (cash and medical benefits, employment services, extended case management and legal services), recent demographic trends, and the program's funding mix: roughly 87% federal funding and 13% state general fund support.

Why it matters: Oregon’s refugee services support initial resettlement and longer-term integration. Biberich told the committee that expanded state funding in recent biennia for extended case management—passed as HB 2508 in 2021—helps provide services beyond the federal 90-day reception period, and that additional supports can improve employment outcomes and reduce long-term public assistance. "Research shows that refugees who receive extended case management are more likely to become employed within six months of their arrival," she said.

Committee members pressed staff on the likely budget impact of recent federal actions. Sequin and Alami described four federal executive orders and Department of State actions that, they said, (1) suspended operations of the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program, (2) issued stop-work orders affecting reception-and-placement funding, and (3) terminated certain contracts for reception-and-placement and emergency refugee assistance. The presenters warned that those federal steps could reduce future federal funding from the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), which pays much of the program's costs and funds positions on the ODHS refugee team.

The presenters said some program figures are clear in Oregon’s internal data—e.g., 589 arrivals in federal year 2018 versus 1,755 in federal year 2024 for reception-and-placement arrivals—but that precise counts of people affected by the federal orders (for example, people whose planned travel was canceled) are difficult to obtain immediately because travel and placement are organized by the Department of State and because local resettlement agencies hold other records. When asked whether the stop-work order affected people already here, staff said some individuals within the initial 90-day resettlement window lost reception-and-placement services because federal payments stopped; they offered to provide committee members with more specific counts from resettlement-agency convenings.

Program services and outcomes described to the subcommittee included: refugee cash assistance and refugee medical assistance (both time-limited, generally up to 12 months), family coaching and extended case management, employment services and pre-employment training, and targeted legal services funded for populations such as Afghans and Ukrainians. Staff reported that in federal fiscal year 2024 more than 2,100 individuals received employment services, average starting wages for those employed were $18.50 in the Portland metro area, and legal services last year served close to 900 people (about 99 adjudicated applications approved and a 1% denial rate for those matters discussed).

The presenters identified key needs: affordable housing, legal services, workforce development and credentialing for skilled arrivals, behavioral health and trauma-informed care, aging/refugee supports, and youth services. They also described state-level responses such as regional training for ODHS staff in Bend, Ontario, Ashland, Medford and Klamath Falls and convenings with resettlement agencies, community-based organizations (CBOs), local governments, public health, education and public safety to coordinate services and data collection. Sequin said the department is developing a statewide refugee database, DORE, and has worked to standardize contractor reporting.

Amra Biberich described the program’s workforce and lived-experience emphasis: many members of the ODHS refugee team were themselves resettled in the U.S., and staff collectively speak more than a dozen languages. She recounted a client success story—Nurul, a Rohingya refugee—who arrived from a Bangladeshi camp, engaged with services, obtained work and later joined ODHS staff.

The hearing was informational; no formal committee votes were taken. Staff promised to follow up with resettlement agencies and share more precise counts of people affected by the federal actions and to provide the committee meeting notes from convenings that track on-the-ground impacts.

Ending: The co-chairs closed the informational hearing after committee members' questions and staff offers to supply additional data and meeting notes.