State and resettlement groups help Ukrainians in Oregon

The Oregon Department of Human Services will distribute $2.25 million in federal grants to help people from Ukraine
About 4,500 Ukrainians have arrived in Oregon since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, upending their lives and forcing them to flee the danger and chaos of their homeland.

Nearly two years later, government agencies, resettlement organizations and community groups have banded together to help Ukrainians settle into a new life in Oregon. To help accomplish that task, the Oregon Department of Human Services Refugee Program is accepting applications from community agencies for part of $2.25 million in federal funding to help Ukrainians arriving in Oregon with housing, employment assistance, health care and legal assistance.

The state administers cash and medical benefits to people arriving from Ukraine and other nations, including Afghanistan, through the Oregon Department of Human Services Refugee Program.

Ukrainians arrive through the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program, part of the U.S. Department of State. The federal agency contracts with national non-profit organizations called resettlement agencies. In Oregon, there are six resettlement agencies: Catholic Charities of Oregon, Catholic Community Services of Lane County, Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization, Lutheran Community Services Northwest, Salem For Refugees and Sponsors Organized to Assist Refugees.

At Salem For Refugees, Ukrainian navigator Kseniia Hnatovska said her organization has helped nearly 400 Ukrainians settle in Salem and the surrounding area, including Keizer and Albany.